Q&A May 2024
Pre-order - Jane / Kirsty / Katie [0:01:54]
A lot of small clothing and accessory brands are offering small batch made-to-order drops by a certain date- Encouraging people to sign up to a waiting list for the next drop. Is this something that could be more sustainable both financially and environmentally?
Can it be done without a brand presence of any products in the market?
Can this be applied to wholesale?
Pricing Made-to-Order - Alison [0:09:37]
I am mostly planning to knit to order via my website, but I want to expand my customers and approach some local galleries or sell at fairs and markets.
How should I price for these?
Negotiating with Suppliers - Lindsey [0:13:42]
A manufacturer has quoted me more than double what I’d expect to pay. From further discussion they can bring that figure down by using a different shape to that in my spec. I think they’ve priced according to a competitors product, but that is different from mine.I hope that meeting them in person will help better convey what I want as I will take samples.I really don’t want to resort to China for production, do you have any tips on respectfully negotiating?
Deadstock - Susanne [0:25:29]
How can I establish a steady supply of fabric as an upcycler/redesigner of used garments and deadstock fabric in the UK so that I have a reliable supply of fabric that allows me to plan collections based on specific colour palettes and fabric types, quantity?
Focus Group - Kirsty [0:30:57]
How would I go about arranging a focus group? Would I need to pay a marketing company to arrange this?
Fabric Printers - Laura [0:36:46]
What should I look for in a manufacturer to print my own designs onto fabrics?
Fabric Sourcing - Anoushka [0:40:33}
Do you recommend getting the fabrics separately or try to find a manufacturer that can source the fabric too?
Costings - Becky [0:48:42]
How can I work out cost prices for garments, for the purposes of small business loans, before I’ve approached a manufacturer?
Range Planning - Sue [0:51:09]
I am producing my design in two sizes, will it be best to limit my choice of colours/patterns/fabrics too? It makes no difference to manufacturing, will create a little more work photographing and cataloguing for the website.
Tech Packs - Kelly [0:53:46]
How do you create a tech pack for an item that you don't know how to put together? Do you submit your idea with basic drawings without the specifics to send to a manufacturer, and just let them know it is for design and development?
Fast track your brand's growth in British Brand Accelerator.
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make in the UK
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Hello, I'm Kate Hills.
Founder of Make it British and mentor to small businesses that make in the UK
I’ve been passionate about UK manufacturing ever since I had my own recycled clothing company and micro-factory in the early '90s! After 20 years as a designer and buyer developing products all over the world, I launched Make it British to support creative business founders that want to make locally.
Over the last twelve years, I've helped 1,000s of businesses to work with UK manufacturers. Now it's your turn!
Happy Clients Making in the UK!
See what some of my lovely clients say about their experience of working with me...
50% increase in turnover by focusing on the numbers and knowing which parts of her womenswear business are truly profitable
“You've really forced me to focus on my margins and make sure that I know what is profitable in my business, including the events and shows I'm doing. It's been absolutely wonderful working with you.”
From Zero to six figures in under a year, starting with an order of just 50 pieces.
"The direct introductions were a complete game-changer. Manufacturers take me more seriously if I’ve come via you rather than just stabbing in the dark and guessing who to go to.
Also things like doing customer personas, and working on the costings and looking at the materials I’m going to need. It’s been completely invaluable. I’m not sure I’d have been able to put in an order if I hadn’t done all of that work behind the scenes first."
Switching from working with an agency and Chinese production to working with me saved Clare £30,000
“I was in the position of bringing production back from China, having been working with an agency, and looking at re-sourcing everything from scratch. I was very wary about putting my trust and money in the hands of “experts” again… But joining Kate’s British Brand Accelerator program was honestly the best decision I ever made!!”
From overseas production with constant delivery issues...to local, flexible manufacturing partner with lead-times under a week.
"Without Kate I would not have found my amazing factory. I moved production of my dresses back to the UK four years ago and have never looked back.”
An innovative product idea but no industry experience. Now working with UK manufacturers and the business is thriving because it's made locally.
“It has totally changed the way we think about manufacturing and most importantly our customers are actually buying from us because it's British-made”
Making the products themselves and working with local individuals meant they were struggling to keep up with demand. Working with a factory has proved to be cheaper and quicker than they ever dreamed possible.
"Kate has opened up channels in an instant. The relationship I’ve struck up with the manufacturing company she introduced me to is incredible. She has made my business come alive."
Working with a production consultant who outsourced overseas, causing delays and quality issues. Now connected directly to UK manufacturers with much more control over the brand's quality and production.
"I was a bit lost with my brand. I had a good idea in the beginning, then got messed around by people and kind of got stuck. Kate had a very good way of going 'this is what your brand's about, this is the direction you should go in'. And then from there it's actually managed to develop in a direction where it wasn't before. The other big win was learning how pricing strategies work in the industry."
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