In this episode, I chat to Ian Maclean, managing director of John Smedley – the oldest operating factory in the world. John Smedley is one of the finest knitwear manufacturers in the world. The company was established 235 years ago, at the
I think visiting a factory is essential for anyone that is developing a new product. One of the benefits of making in the UK is that factory visiting is far easier than if you are making your products overseas. In
Julie Deane CBE, set up the Cambridge Satchel Company in 2008 with £600 and went on to make it a global, multi-million-pound business. But behind the success story, there was a lot of hard work, including having to set up
Some people think manufacturers should do any initial work for no charge in order to pitch for your business. But that’s often not the case. In this episode, I explain why many UK manufacturers charge for sampling – and how
Labour Behind the Label is a workers rights organisation that fights for living wages for garment workers. They have produced a report about the unethical working practices of factories in Leicester making for Boohoo. The industry has often called into question
In this episode, I look back over the first 100 episodes of this show to find out what makes British-made businesses great. There are many common themes running through the last 100 episodes and that I’ve heard again and again
Today I’m chatting to Lindsey James, who is the founder of womenswear brand Violet Flamingo. Lindsey was making and selling bespoke clothing for her clients from her studio before covid hit. Finding herself with no way to reach customers during
Just a quick one today, to say that I’m taking a break from recording new episodes after next week. In the meantime, I have selected 10 of the best episodes from the archive for your enjoyment, which will be episodes
Rita Britton is somewhat of a fashion legend. For 50 years she ran an independent fashion store in Barnsley, Yorkshire called Polyanna, which was an International hub for luxury fashion stocked with Rita’s unique style. When Polyanna closed in 2014,
If you want to develop a range of products but have little manufacturing experience you might be thinking of employing the services of a production consultant.In this episode, we’re going to look out what services a production consultant might offer,
