The Make it British blog has been shining a (very bright but energy efficient) light on all-things-local since 2011.
The unique collaboration between Timorous Beasties and Brintons Carpets was highlighted last week in a fascinating talk organised as part of the Clerkenwell Design Week festival. Founded in 1783, Kidderminster based Brintons Carpets, a worldwide market leader in the supply of …
Innovation and expansion in British carpet design and manufacture Read More »
British button manufacturer James Grove & Sons went into administration in December 2012 – but now there is a new business rising from its ashes James Grove was the last horn button manufacturer in Britain, and when the business closed …
One of the UK’s largest clothing manufacturing units is now under new ownership and ready to take on fresh challenges Last Friday I had the pleasure of being invited to the old Aquascutum factory in Corby, Northamptonshire; now open for …
Old Aquascutum factory is reinvented as The Clothing Works Read More »
Survey reveals UK manufacturers less confident now than before the coalition came to power The results of a survey of 1000 manufacturers carried out by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers last month showed that the Government could be doing more …
As National Apprenticeship Week approaches we look at why more British manufacturers need to invest in the next generation [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFTt8PYls0I] With UK manufacturing now showing signs of growth it is very depressing to read that it is a lack …
Why more British manufacturers should be taking on apprentices Read More »
Video of the last remaining Scottish lace producer shows the skill required to produce this delicate fabric [vimeo http://vimeo.com/38014104] MYB Textiles, based in Ayrshire in Scotland, specialise in producing lace for interiors, and are one of the few remaining lace …
We look at why UK manufacturers might be saying ‘no’ to potential orders This week I had an email from a lady who was having trouble getting her new handbag range made in the UK. She had approached a small …
Why are British factories turning away business? Read More »
Retail giant promotes new Made in Britain range with product made overseas This week British department store Debenhams announced that it was developing a new range for its stores that supported British manufacturing. Entitled ‘Made by Great Britons’, the range of …
Eighteen months ago we set out to prove to people that there was still products made in Britain – and now there are more than ever As a nation, Britain has had a long and successful history of making things. …
News feature by BBC makes depressing viewing as retail experts declare price sole driver of British buying decisions Last week the BBC News posed the question of how much of the clothing bought in the UK is actually made in this …
BBC asks 'How popular is made in Britain fashion?' Read More »
A video showing why Ally Capellino uses a Hackney factory to make 40% of her bags inspired us to come up with our top 10 reasons to support local manufacturing The below video is one of a series by DISC (the Designer …
The story of how British bag makers The Cambridge Satchel Company ended up receiving an undisclosed sum from rival bag firm Zatchels in an out of court settlement It goes something like this…The Cambridge Satchel Company was launched by Julie …
How The Cambridge Satchel Company fought back and won Read More »
Sharing the websites that we love to read about products made in Britain – the first of these is the Harris Tweed Authority blog What’s it all about? Harris Tweed is a fabric dyed and spun in the Scottish Outer …
Designer supports British manufacturers with a map depicting location of British suppliers Margaret Howell has produced a stunning map, currently displayed in the window of eponymous London store, showing all of the British manufacturers that the company uses.
A little history lesson on the Lancashire cotton mills and a great video made by the British council in 1941 Did you know that Britain used to be the biggest cotton cloth producer in the world? The mechanised spinning and …
Call for more fashion & textiles companies to stand up and be counted in nationwide search for innovation A while back I was invited to the launch of the Government’s Make it in Great Britain campaign and at the time I felt …
Innovation in the British fashion & textiles industry? Read More »
Mary Portas launches Kinky Knickers made in her British factory – and they’re not pants at all (If you are looking for stockists of Kinky Knickers see the bottom of this page) I must admit that when I reported back …
How Skillset is helping companies to place new recruits in the fashion & textiles sector The amount of skilled craftsman left in the clothing and textiles industry is one of the main concerns of many of the British brands and …
Apprenticeships – addressing the skills gap in the industry Read More »
Sir Alan Sugar is the latest high profile figure to call for more to be done to support British manufacturing. In his address to the House of Lords on the 8th December, Sir Alan Sugar, the business mogul best known …
Lord Sugar speaks up for British manufacturing in the House of Lords Read More »
Last week I had the good fortune to be invited to Somerset to meet Deborah Meaden, best known for her appearances on TV show Dragon’s Den, and to hear all about how she is supporting a revival of the British …
Deborah Meaden champions British manufacturing with new venture The Merchant Fox Read More »
Will Mary Portas be portrayed as the saviour of UK Manufacturing? I read today that Mary Portas is to open a clothing factory in Greater Manchester, that will be featured in a new TV series entitled Mary’s Sweatshop. Channel 4 …
As I mentioned in one of my first posts, we are trying to find a handbag factory in the UK that we can work with to develop our new British handbag brand. A few phone calls to some of the …
Searching for a handbag factory in England: Part One Read More »
An article in this weeks Sunday Times, entitled ‘Made in Britain is so much sweeter’, has some interesting statistics on UK manufacturing. Apparently manufacturing accounts for only 11% of gross domestic product today, compared to 22% 20 years ago. There …
Where to start to find handbag factories in the UK? A cursory glance reveals around a dozen potential manufacturers of bags in Britain, but my previous experience tells me that not all factories are made equal. The type of bag …
Finding a handbag factory in the UK – the search begins! Read More »
