The UK has many high quality manufacturers, so why are brands still seemingly unaware?

Image: Kate Hills in a UK factory with garment makers Credit: Kate Hills

Make It British founder Kate Hills gives us her view

This week, I was flabbergasted to read an interview in The Guardian where Samantha Cameron, a former British Prime Minister’s wife, was quoted saying she could not find "high quality" factories in Britain for her womenswear brand, Cefinn.

Statements like this from high-profile brand owners, regardless of their intent and without additional information, undermine the work of the fantastic garment manufacturers we have in the UK.

I founded Make it British over a decade ago to highlight the brands that manufacture here and the UK manufacturers that make for them. Knowing that the best manufacturers often keep a low profile, I even ran a trade show for six years to help bring the industry together and spotlight UK factories.

It therefore saddens me when I hear from brand owners who believe there are no high-quality UK factories, forcing them to manufacture their clothing elsewhere .

Over the years, I’ve consulted with many major brands and retailers, including helping M&S to find factories for their Best of British collection in 2012, and I understand why some of them are reluctant to manufacture in the UK.

Read our latest article, "5 Reasons Brands Hesitate to Manufacture in the UK and Why They Should Reconsider" to discover what these reasons are and why there is a strong case for manufacturing locally.