A visit to 7 Leicester Manufacturers in one day

This week I took a day trip to Leicester to visit manufacturers. What I discovered was far from the doom and gloom that the press would have you believe about the city. Instead I met some of the loveliest people with some of the happiest staff.

Here’s who I went to see…

Zipex – the UK’s only Zip manufacturer

After setting off at 5:30am, my first stop was Zipex at 8. Like most factory owners, Neil the owner of Zipex likes to start the day early.

Zipex is the UK’s only zip manufacturer, and they make over one million zips a year in Leicester, yet most people have never heard of them.

Soane Britain’s Rattan Workshop

Next stop was Soane Britain, to meet with the homeware brand’s founder Lulu Lytle and visit a couple of Soane’s amazing workshops.

Leicester has a rich heritage in rattan and basketry weaving, and when England’s last commercial rattan-weaving workshop faced administration, Soane Britain stepped in to save the endangered craft. I met with some of the skilled carpenters and weavers, including 3 generations of the same family.

Soane Britain’s Lighting Workshop

I also got to visit Soane’s lighting workshop and try my hand at patination, the art of hand colouring brass to give it a unique finish. I’m not sure I did the best job but everyone was too polite to say so 🤣

Millie Fullalove at Blossom Atelier

By midday I was heading over to the old Corah building in the centre of Leicester, once the largest textile factory in the UK making knitwear for M&S and employing over 6,000 people.

Much of the building lies derelict, but part of it is still occupied by smaller workshops and designers.

One of the building’s occupants is Millie Fullalove, lingerie designer and founder of Blossom Atelier. Millie was making a sample for one of my British Brand Accelerator clients, and it was great to chat with her about the complexities of making swimwear, a garment that is deceptively difficult to make.

Clothing Design Studio

Right next door to Millie is the Clothing Design Studio. It was good to catch up with owner Nick again as I’d not been to see him for a while, and he was looking very busy!

Tejay Sportswear – the UK’s largest sock manufacturer

After that I headed off to Tejay Sportswear. With over 80 sock knitting machines, they are possibly the largest UK sock manufacturer. Specialising in sports socks for schools and clubs, there are 5 members of the same family working there, including dad Terry and brothers Nick and Jordan.

Discovery Knitting

Finally I swung by Wigston to catch up with Simon at Discovery Knitting to see some of the amazing fabrics he’s been working on.

Leicester manufacturers deserve much more credit than they get

One thing that really struck me on my trip is that Leicester really doesn’t deserve the crap that has been thrown at it over the last few years. If you ignore the city’s sweatshop reputation and take the time to visit you will discover some of the most industrious and dedicated craftspeople in the country.

If you want to find out more about my trip you can view my Instagram reel about my visit below.

At the beginning of this year my goal was to visit 100 UK manufacturers. I’m only at 45 so far, with just over 4 months to go I’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Watch this space for upcoming visits.

P.S. If you want to meet UK manufacturers then make sure you’ve blocked out 12 & 13 January 2027 in your diary as my Make it British Live! tradeshow is coming back. Register here.