Finding a UK manufacturer doesn’t have to be a challenge! In this bonus episode, I share the recording of my recent webinar, where I break down the 5 essential steps to finding your perfect manufacturing partner . What You’ll Learn in This Episode: Why manufacturers don’t respond to emails—and how to fix it. The biggest mistakes small businesses make when looking for a factory. How to prepare before reaching out to a manufacturer to save time and money. The 5 steps you need to follow to confiden...
Jan 23, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 6Ep. 301
Welcome to episode 300! Celebrating the 300th episode of this podcast I look back at some of the amazing guests that I've had on this show from the world of UK fashion and textile manufacturing. Manufacturers that have shared their stories, their challenges, and their successes with us. Episodes / Manufacturers featured in this episode: Episode 102 - David Collinge | John Spencer Textiles Episode 005 - Keith Hanshaw | The Leather Satchel Company Episode 088 - Chris Woodford | Crown Northampton E...
Jun 27, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 300
Join me on a tour round a factory! In this episode I'm chatting with Simon Michelson, owner of Vagabond Bags, a sewing factory in Swindon that makes cosmetic bags, shower caps and hot water bottle covers. Meet some of the people working in the factory, hear about the jobs they do and find out how many shower hats one person can make in a day. Spoiler - it's quite a lot! HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator - Work closely with me to start or grow your UK-made brand. Newsletter - Subscribe for a ...
Jun 20, 2024•17 min•Season 6Ep. 299
I'm joined today by 3 amazing people that work tirelessly in the UK fashion and textile industry. You may have seen in the press recently that several high profile brands have been affected by the close of Matches, but did you know about the knock on affect that has had on the UK manufacturers? I also heard yesterday the sad news that the Mackintosh factory in Lancashire is closing. What the heck is going on? So I went live on Instagram with 3 special guests to discuss the topic, and this episod...
Jun 06, 2024•42 min•Season 6Ep. 298
The title says it all. Listen to find out what it is! HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator - Work closely with me to start or grow your UK-made brand. Newsletter - Subscribe for a weekly dose of inspiration and advice on making in the UK Make it British Website YouTube Instagram...
May 30, 2024•13 min•Season 6Ep. 297
Join me on a visit to KC Manufacturing (previously Kalopsia Collective) in Dumferline, Scotland to meet with husband and wife team Adam Robertson and Nina Falk. KC Manufacturing is a social enterprise specialising in small batch manufacturing. Discover: How Adam & Nina met and ended up setting up their business. What it's like to run a factory together as husband and wife. Why 'made in Scotland' is so important. How KC Manufacturing are supporting other UK textile firms. The challenges of wo...
May 23, 2024•27 min•Season 6Ep. 296
Regular listeners to this podcast will know that I am all about encouraging brands to manufacture locally. But in some cases, it might not make good sense to do so. In this episode I explain the 4 reasons why you might NOT want to make in the UK. Want my advice on whether your product should or could be made here? Reach out to my with a direct message on Instagram @makeitbritish here HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator - Work closely with me to start or grow your UK-made brand. Newsletter - Su...
May 02, 2024•18 min•Season 6Ep. 295
One of the questions that came up on one of our recent British Brand Accelerator group coaching calls was so good, I thought I'd bring it to you on the podcast this week. The question was about whether a small business that makes in the UK should be offering a discount when someone opts in to their newsletter, and whether this strategy works. It opened a whole discussion amongst the group about the pros and cons of discounting and other ideas for getting potential customers to sign up to your ne...
Apr 11, 2024•22 min•Season 6Ep. 294
This week I’m bringing some very sad news - that the UK’s only cotton spinning mill, English Fine Cottons, which brought cotton spinning back to Greater Manchester in 2018, has very sadly gone into administration. In case you don’t know about the history of English Fine Cottons, it was set up by the technical textile spinners Culimeta-Saveguard, who invested £4.8m of its own money, £2m of which was a loan from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to regenerate a former Victorian cotton mil...
Apr 04, 2024•44 min•Season 6Ep. 293
Today's guests are Andrea and David Courtney from Courtney & Co buttonmakers Back in 2012 I was contacted by someone who was trying to save the UK’s last remaining horn button maker - Grove & Sons. He was looking for investors to buy up the machinery and pattern books from the business so that the art of natural button making in the UK was not lost. Well it turns out that the investor that this guy eventually found was someone called David Courtney, who saw an ad to buy the machinery and...
Mar 28, 2024•32 min•Season 6Ep. 292
This episode celebrates 15 years since I registered the domain makeitbritish.co.uk and busts some of the myths about UK manufacturing. You'll find out: Why I started Make it British and why I'm such a firm believer in UK manufacturing. The current UK manufacturing landscape. How the UK fashion and textile industry is made up of 1,000s of micro factories. How many garment factories there really are in the UK. The benefits of making in the UK. And why supply on demand is best done locally. To see ...
Mar 21, 2024•46 min•Season 6Ep. 291
Christopher Nieper OBE is the managing director of David Nieper , a womenswear business in Alfreton in Derbyshire. The firm was set up by Christopher's parents sixty years ago and is now one of the most vertical textile operations in the UK. Christopher recently invested in state-of-the-art digital printing equipment so that the factory can print it's own fabric onsite. David Nieper already prints all their own catalogues and produce their own knitwear in house, alongside the garment production....
Mar 14, 2024•36 min•Season 6Ep. 290
In this episode of the Make it British podcast, Karen McCluckie, the director of Bealies Adaptive Wear, shares her inspiring journey of creating adaptive clothing for wheelchair users and disabled individuals. Motivated by her son's disability and the lack of suitable clothing options in the market, Karen embarked on a mission to design stylish and functional joggers tailored to the needs of wheelchair users. From the initial idea to overcoming challenges and securing funding, Karen discusses th...
Mar 07, 2024•31 min•Season 6Ep. 289
This week I’ve been in the Midlands visiting factories, which is always one of my favourite things to do. I’d planned to take my podcast mic with me and get an episode to you today with an interview with one of the manufacturers, but sadly I was in such a rush when I set off early Sunday morning that I left my mic behind! So on today’s episode instead I'm discussing one of the amazing factories I went to see, and also sharing a recording from the archives - which is to encourage you to get out t...
Feb 29, 2024•15 min•Season 6Ep. 288
Today's episode is all about selling and sales, and how it's closely linked to product development. A lot of creative business owners say that they aren't any good at selling, so the natural tendency is to drop their prices or default back to making more products. I'm going to give you a different way of looking at sales, so that selling doesn't make you feel like a used car salesman.
Feb 22, 2024•12 min•Season 6Ep. 287
Hear from 21 business founders as they give their tips on starting and growing a British-made brand. These snippets were taken from 21 different guest interviews on this podcast. If you want to listen to the full episodes you can find them as follows: Ep.142 Julie Deane, Cambridge Satchel Company Ep.076 Jack Millington, Billy Tannery Ep.143 Kath Whitworth, Celtic & Co Ep. 41 Paul Smithers, Halycon Blue Ep 179 Rebecca J Mills Ep 171 Rich Keegan & Linda Souto Maior, Usual Objections Ep 23 ...
Feb 15, 2024•24 min•Season 6Ep. 286
On today’s episode I’m chatting with Catherine Bedford, founder of Dashel Cycle Helmets Catherine had the idea for an innovative and stylish cycle helmet whilst watching the London 2012 Olympics. She set about creating her vision, and it took 5 years to develop and launch the Dashel helmet. All Dashel helmets are made in the UK, and in this episode Catherine talks about: How she set about developing a new and innovative product. How she found factories to then make the helmets Some of the safety...
Feb 08, 2024•35 min•Season 6Ep. 285
Welcome to Episode no.284! Circularity is the buzzword on everyone's lips right now. It's no wonder, when you hear that 350,000 tonnes of clothing goes to landfill in the UK every year. Something needs to be done to stop the mass-consumption that the UK in particularly seems to be pretty bad at! The United Repair Centre, a collaboration between outdoor brand Patagonia, social enterprise Makers Unite, and the Amsterdam Economic Board, is a much needed resource for the clothing industry. And they'...
Feb 01, 2024•35 min•Season 6Ep. 284
Today's guest is Lydia Bolton, a slow fashion designer tackling textile waste by upcycling unwanted fabrics and garments and turning them into one-off pieces. As well as having her own label, Lydia also teaches others how to upcycle with workshops that she runs and in her partnerships with big brands such as Lidl, Nike, Adidas and Lime bikes. We chat about: How Lydia started out in fashion and textiles and where she learnt to sew. The challenges of upcycling and making one-off pieces. Where she ...
Jan 25, 2024•37 min•Season 6Ep. 283
How to find fabrics, leathers and other raw materials for your brand, and avoid the most common mistake that many people make when sourcing fabric. FURTHER RESOURCES UK Fabric Mills on the Make it British website HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 18, 2024•9 min•Season 6Ep. 282
Sampling with UK manufacturers can be quite a different ball game to sampling with manufacturers overseas. Here's why you might not want to sample with lots of different factories. FURTHER RESOURCES Quiz: Are you ready to work with a UK factory? HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram...
Jan 17, 2024•7 min•Season 6Ep. 281
Tempted to skip this step? Find out why that might be a bad idea, and how having a tech pack can save you money in the long run. FURTHER RESOURCES Tech Pack Bundle Quiz: Are you ready to work with a UK factory? HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 16, 2024•5 min•Season 6Ep. 280
A Non Disclosure Agreement is a legal document you might ask a manufacturer to sign in order to protect your designs. Find out what the pros and cons are of asking a manufacturer to sign an NDA, and what the alternatives are. FURTHER RESOURCES How to find a UK manufacturer HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 15, 2024•6 min•Season 6Ep. 279
What are the secrets to getting a response from a manufacturer when you reach out to them? I explain how to word your approach and why you might not be getting a response. FURTHER RESOURCES How to get manufacturers to respond to your emails How to find a UK manufacturer Why manufacturers aren't getting back to your emails HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 14, 2024•6 min•Season 6Ep. 278
What are the main costs that you will incur to start a brand, and how can you save money by making your product in the UK? FURTHER RESOURCES 25 Hidden Costs of Starting a Brand How Much Does it Cost to Start a UK-Made Fashion Brand? How to Start a UK Made Brand HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 11, 2024•7 min•Season 6Ep. 277
Discover the best ways to the ideal UK manufacturers for your brand, and how to ensure that they get back to you every time. FURTHER RESOURCES Make it British Manufacturer Directory 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer How to Start a UK Made Brand HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 10, 2024•8 min•Season 6Ep. 275
You might think that having the factory source your fabric for you sounds like the easiest option, but that's not always the case. In this episode I explain what your options are when it comes to fabric sourcing, and why many UK clothing manufacturers operate on what is known as a CMT basis. FURTHER RESOURCES CMT or Full Service Manufacturer: What's the difference? 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer How to Start a UK Made Brand HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouT...
Jan 09, 2024•7 min•Season 6Ep. 275
Find out how long on average it might take to launch a brand and what the main variables are that will affect it. FURTHER RESOURCES 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer How to Start a UK Made Brand HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 08, 2024•5 min•Season 6Ep. 274
Discover the essential steps to turn your idea into a successful prototype. Get practical advice on how to bring your concept to life efficiently and cost-effectively and how to common pitfalls. FURTHER RESOURCES 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer How to Start a UK Made Brand HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 07, 2024•8 min•Season 6Ep. 273
Welcome to Episode 272 of the Make it British Podcast Starting off the new year with something a bit different. This episode explains everything. Looking out for my special FAQ series, starting on Monday 7th January. HANDY LINKS British Brand Accelerator Make it British Website YouTube Instagram Rate This Podcast...
Jan 04, 2024•6 min•Season 6Ep. 272
