Make it British Podcast

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193 – Running the Oldest Factory in the UK – Ian Maclean MBE Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

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 start of the Industrial Revolution, and they still operate out of the same factory in Matlock in Derbyshire.

In the interview, Ian talks about the challenges that come with operating out of such an old mill, and how he is making his manufacturing more sustainable by investing in upgrades to the mill which will save energy and allow the company to survive for another two hundred years.

Discover:

The history of the John Smedley factory 06:22
How the company is bringing the factory into the 21st century 07:55
Why sustainability is important for John Smedley going into the next 200 years 11:50
The positive reaction John Smedley receives from their customers due to holding a Royal Warrant 13:35
How Ian plans to increase the exposure of the John Smedley brand 14:41
Why quality is such an important part of the John Smedley business model 16:12
How many generations have looked after the business and the challenges they faced through the years 17:17
Where Ian sees John Smedley heading in the next ten years and the challenges the business will need to face in order to grow 19:14

More about John Smedley

John Smedley Website

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Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

192 – Why you should visit a factory Jul 30, 2021

Show notes

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 this episode, I run through my 7 reasons why you should be visiting a factory – and hopefully, if you’re not doing so already, I will have convinced you by the end!

Discover:

Why face-to-face communication is best when working with a UK manufacturer 01:21
How you might discover your products aren't actually being made in the UK 02:16
How you can become more familiar with the production process 04:00
How you can strengthen your partnership with a UK manufacturer 05:17
Why knowing how your products are made means you can sell better to your customers 06:14

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

191 –Building a great British brand – Julie Deane CBE Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

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 her own factory in Leicestershire almost overnight.

In this interview, she tells the story behind the brand and talks about how the business has evolved over the last 12 years.

Discover:

Why Julie ended up setting up her own factory and why she’d recommend that any other brand should do the same 03:21
What advice she would give to someone setting up a British-made brand 14:18
Why she decided to manufacture the bags in the UK 16:30
How Julie holds a world record for listening to business pitches 21:29
How investment changed the business 25:28
The lessons Julie learnt on the way as the business began to grow 31:57
The inspirations behind the other products in the Cambridge Satchel range 38:26
What the future holds for Cambridge Satchel and why they are proud to wave the flag for UK manufacturing 46:59

More Cambridge Satchel Company

About the Cambridge Satchel Company

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Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

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Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

190 – Why UK manufacturers don’t sample for free Jul 23, 2021

Show notes

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 that can be a good thing.

Discover:

The incorrect assumptions people may have about why UK manufacturers don't sample for free 01:02
Why being charged for samples upfront means a manufacturer is going to be more honest about their pricing 02:39
Why manufacturers charge for samples so they don't get caught out being used as a 'sampling house' 06:41
Why it's worth investing to develop a strong relationship with a UK manufacturer 08:16

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

189 – Calling out Boohoo for using unethical garment factories – Dominique Muller Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

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 how Boohoo can sell dresses for £4 and still make them ethically in the UK, and this report by Labour Behind the Label makes for distressing reading. Talking of staff made to work in factories making Boohoo clothes whilst suffering from Covid 19. Dominique Muller is the policy director at Labour Behind the Label, and in this episode, she talks about what needs to be done to ensure workers in Leicester are treated fairly and paid a living wage.

Discover:

Who Labour Behind the Label are and how the organisation came about 04:27
Why the organisation is focusing on the UK garment industry in particular 06:05
The reasons why Boohoo has been singled out in the report written by Labour Behind the Label 08:57
What local councils and other authorities can do to stop unethical factories 11:45
The worst discoveries that Labour Behind the Labour made when they looked into how garment workers were treated during the pandemic 15:26
Dominque's thoughts on how the good manufacturers in Leicester would benefit from brands returning to the city 17:47
The work Labour Behind the Label does to educate brands and retailers on how to make sure their production is ethical 20:15
What distinguishes a brand or retailer that is ethical to its workers 23:33
What the consumer can do to make sure they aren't funding unethical practices and companies 26:42
Why brands should be more transparent about where their products are made 29:21
What the government could be doing better in terms of positive changes being made in the fashion industry 32:16
How people can support Labour Behind the Label 40:24

About Labour Behind the Label

About Labour behind the Label

Boohoo & Covid 19 – The people behind the profits

Clean Clothes Campaign – improving working conditions in the global garment industry

Fashion Checker – find out if the brands you buy from are paying their factory workers a living wage

Why we need transparent supply chains

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

188 – 10 things that make British-made businesses great Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

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 from those I’ve interviewed.

Here are the 10 things that make British-made businesses great:

UK manufacturers are partners to the businesses they make for Katya Wildman (Ep 10), Sian Reekie (23), Tom Glover (72)

Transparency is integral to their supply chain Jenny Holloway (21), Adam Robertson (51), Sophie Slater (94)

Sustainability is at the forefront of everything they do Ian Maclean (14), Mick Cheema (31)

They are finding different ways to reach the customer James Eden (2)

Many of them are family businesses Edward Sexton (12), Martin Lowe (47), Peter Phillips (54), Lance Mitchell (55), Chris Woodford (88)

Authenticity is important to them Simon Middleton (074)

Craftsmanship is worth preserving Keith Hanshaw (6), Genevieve Sweeney (39), Kate Dawson (64), Jenny Holloway (21), Barbara Burton (70)

Quality is at their core Andy Ogden (33), Tony Kelly (77), Joel Chudleigh (82), Richard Ince (96), Elaine Stewart (92)

It’s not about the money Hebtroco (68), Heraldic Pottery (84)

They wouldn’t manufacture anywhere else! Katherine Hooker (35), Tori Murphy (61)

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British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

187 – How to make sales on live video – Lindsey James, Violet Flamingo Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

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 lockdown, she started to do regular Facebook live calls from her studio, talking to her customers just as she would do if they were visiting her in person.

She soon found that the calls were a great way for her to continue serving her customers during lockdown.

Lindsey has some great tips for anyone that says they don’t do live video!

Discover:

The inspiration behind the Violet Flamingo brand 02:18
Why Lindsey created a Facebook group for fans of Violet Flamingo 10:44
How Lindsey uses live video to talk to her customers about the making of her clothing 13:22
The reason why Lindsey offers a more personalised service for her customers 15:03
How Lindsey has introduced ready to wear pieces within her bespoke collection 16:37
Why Lindsey is now working with a UK manufacturer 18:35
The inspiration behind the garments Lindsey designs 24:26
The tips Lindsey gives for those who may want to give live video a try 35:53

More Lindsey James & Violet Flamingo

Violet Flamingo website

Violet Flamingo Facebook

VF VIP Group on Facebook

Violet Flamingo Instagram

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

186 – Taking a break! Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

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 no.s 188 - 197

I'll be back on 20th August (not 13th as I said on the audio!) with a brand new solo episode no.198

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

185 – Reeducating Customers to Buy Better and Buy Less – Rita Britton Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

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, Rita focused on developing her own brand, Nomad, made in the UK with fabrics sourced from Yorkshire mills such as Abraham Moon and Joshua Ellis.

Rita has a very loyal customer base, and she knows a thing or two about retail and fashion. So it was fascinating to hear her thoughts on manufacturing in the UK as part of a panel discussion we held at the Make it British virtual event in 2020.

I’ve picked out some of Rita’s best bits for you to listen to here on the podcast, including her thoughts on educating people to buy better and buy less, why there has never been a better time to bring manufacturing back home, and how the UK makes some of the best textiles in the world, yet we are encouraging young people to work in nail bars and do eyebrows rather than work someone and make clothes!

Literally, every line Rita comes up with is a gem - there are some real pearls of wisdom in here, which are great to hear from someone that has been in the fashion industry for as long as Rita has.

Discover:

The companies Rita has founded and her mission to reduce waste in the fashion industry 04:17
Rita's thoughts on how waste could be reduced at the retail and consumer end of the fashion supply chain 06:46
What Rita's thoughts on young customers and their care for the planet compared to the older generation 08:53
How Rita believes the fashion industry is totally sales driven and how she's trying to do things differently at Nomad 12:28

More Rita Britton & Nomad Atelier

Nomad Atelier Instagram

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator

184 – Should you use a production consultant to help make your products? Jul 02, 2021

Show notes

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, and why you might not want to use one if you want to manufacture in the UK.I’ve also got advice on how to choose a production consultant if you decide to go down that route, and what the alternatives are if you don’t want to use a third party to manage your production.

Discover:

What is a production consultant? 02:13
What services would a production consultant offer? 03:10
When would you need someone to manage your production? 04:08
Why you probably shouldn’t use a production consultant if you are making in the UK 06:01
Questions to ask when looking for someone to manage your production 09:24
What are your alternatives if you don’t want to use a production consultant? 16:07

Related Episodes

Episode 158 - What is a critical path and why do you need one?

Stay in Touch

British Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brand

Make it British website

Join Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturers

Make it British on Instagram

Make it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.

Mentioned in this episode:

British Brand Accelerator