Make it British Podcast

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Fashion & Beauty
**Make it British Podcast**

Kate Hills is on a one-woman mission to save UK manufacturing.
In this podcast she shines the light on British brands and manufacturers, and goes behind the scenes of their businesses.
With tips, hints and tricks to help you manufacture in the UK and buy British.
Never has there been a more critical time to get behind ‘made in Britain’.

Latest Episodes:

134 – Should you move your manufacturing to the UK? Sep 08, 2020

Show notes

Are you currently making your product overseas but thinking about bringing it back to the UK?

The pandemic has caused ongoing supply chain disruption and many businesses are now looking to make locally.

In this episode, I look at what some of the pros and cons are of moving your manufacturing closer to home.

I also give some tips for how to reshore your production as smoothly as possible if that's something you're looking to do.

Discover:

The reasons you might want to bring your manufacturing to the UK
The benefits of making in the UK versus overseas
What the potential pitfalls might be if you decide to explore manufacturing in the UK
Why it's important to test a small range rather than moving all of your production in one go
When it might not be possible to manufacture here
How to overcome the higher labour costs of making in the UK
The PR and marketing opportunities of making in the UK

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

133 – The future of trade shows Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

How do you feel about virtual trade shows?

2020 has certainly changed the way the whole world works and does business, but if you are in the business of developing or sourcing products, how does that look for you? I can’t see that long haul buying trips will be happening in the way they used to.

Far too risky that the whole team might end up quarantined for weeks after they get back, or worse still stuck somewhere and unable to get back. And what does this mean for trade shows, which have been one of the main ways that ranges were selected, new brands were discovered and suppliers were found? In this episode, I look at how trade shows are changing and how that might affect your business.

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

132 – Can I label my product as ‘Made in the UK’? Aug 25, 2020

Show notes

Do you find Made in the UK labelling confusing? Do you have a product and want to find out whether you can label it as 'Made in the UK?' In this recording of a live masterclass I set the record straight on what can and can't be labelled as made in the UK. You’ll find out…

What the law is surrounding made in the UK labelling
What percentage of a product has to be manufactured here
Whether the raw materials have to have come from the UK
What the myths are surrounding what can and can’t be labelled as made in the UK
What the difference is between made in the UK and made in Britain

This masterclass is perfect for anyone who is selling goods that they want to label as made in the UK. I'll give you several examples of products and whether they can be called made in the UK – with a clear formula that will help you work out whether your product can be labelled as made in the UK.

Download the slides and the replay video for this webinar here

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

131 – Launching a drinks brand made in the UK – Jack Scott, Dash Water Aug 17, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, I introduce you to Jack Scott, the co-founder of Dash Water, a British brand with great provenance.

Dash water uses only misshapen fruit and veg to flavour its water - produce that would otherwise go to waste because it's not 'perfect' enough for the supermarkets.

Jack talks about how he set up a successful British brand in an over-crowded market, and how they managed to get Dash stocked in some of the UK's top stores.

About Dash Water

Dash Water website

Fancy trying it? Use code getwonky to get 30% off

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

130 – Calculating cost per wear Aug 11, 2020

Show notes

What is the true cost of that cheap coat that you buy on the high street?

Whilst the price of clothing has gone down over the last sixty years, so has the quality.

If you calculate the cost per wear of a cheap coat versus a quality, UK-made one you may be very surprised at what great value the more expensive one is.

Purchase our Cost Per Wear Calculator here.

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.

BONUS: How do we future-proof the UK textile industry? Aug 05, 2020

Show notes

Wouldn’t it be great if the UK textile industry could create less waste, increase sales and become more profitable?

Local manufacturing is an increasing focus for brands and designers looking for a fast turnaround on products that don’t leave a large carbon footprint.

Textile manufacturers now have the opportunity to capitalise on this by creating ‘just in time’ products that meet the needs of today’s buyers.

This episode is a recording of a live panel discussion recorded on 29th July 2020. I was joined by Scott Walton from Kornit Digital and Richard Jessup from Gerber Technology to discuss what the factory of the future might look like. We explored opportunities that exist for UK manufacturers to produce one of a kind products, at speed, and in local, micro factories.

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

129 – Manufacturing on-demand in a micro knitwear factory – Samantha Brooke, Waring Brooke Aug 04, 2020

Show notes

Samantha Brooke is a knitwear designer who has worked in Italy for Alberta Ferretti, and in China for a mass-produced knitwear brand.

She created her own micro knitting factory in rural Nottinghamshire three years ago producing personalised accessories and knitted dog products.

Samantha is a great example of a small brand that is rapidly growing her business by giving the customer exactly what they want.

What you'll discover:

- How she found her niche and pivoted her business

- The joy of running your own micro factory

- Why making to order is a good business model for small businesses

- Advice for anyone setting up a product business

- How she uses Instagram to promote her business

About Waring Brooke

Waring Brooke website

Waring Brooke on 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

128 – Why reshoring is more cost-effective – Rob Law MBE, Trunki Jul 30, 2020

Show notes

The Trunki needs little introduction; since its invention in 2006 over 4 million of the animal-shaped ride-on suitcases have been sold and it has become a design classic.

What many people don't know is that the majority of the Trunkis have been made in the UK since 2012.

Rob Law MBE is the founder of Trunki. He was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease which killed his twin sister at the age of 15.

Rob’s illness, and the death of his sister, played a large part in his determination to make the absolute most of his life, and it is this determination that I am sure has helped to contribute a lot to the success of Trunki.

What you'll discover in this episode:

- Rob's background and design education

- How the design of the Trunki came about

- The false start the company had and how Rob overcame it

- The challenges that Trunki had with manufacturing in China

- Why Rob decided to reshore the production of a the Trunki to the UK

- The Trunki's infamous Dragon's Den appearance

- The importance of design and understanding your customer

- Why you should iterate your ideas

- How a mentor helped him learn essential business and leadership skills

- The challenges of running your own factory

About Trunki

Trunki Website

65 Roses and a Trunki: Defying the Odds in Life and Business - Rob's Book

I’d highly recommend reading Rob's inspiring book. It’s an amazing story, particularly inspiring if you are interested in UK manufacturing, which I know you are if you are listening to this podcast :)

Magma Moulding- The Trunki factory

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

127 – Amy Fettis, AIM Athleisure – What is an MVP and why should you start with one? Jul 21, 2020

Show notes

Amy Fettis is the founder of fashion-led sportswear brand AIM Athleisure. When she first launched the brand she made all of the mistakes that many new businesses make - including developing a collection that was far too big, which killed her cashflow.

She now uses the lessons she learnt from her own business to help others. Amy supports other brands on a private label basis to go from concept to sample and small batch production.

Some of the points we cover in this interview:

Why an MVP is so important and how it can save you money in the long run
The benefits of working with a production consultant
Where project management fits into the garment lifecycle
How you can start a business on Instagram with very little cash

More AIM Athleisure

AIM Athleisure website

AIM Athleisure in the Make it British Directory

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

126 – Simon Cotton, Johnstons of Elgin – Looking after Scotland’s oldest cashmere brand Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

Johnstons of Elgin is the largest textile manufacturer in the UK. The 223 year old company employs over 1,000 people and was the first to bring cashmere weaving to Scotland.

Simon Cotton is the chief executive of Johnstons, and in this interview these are some of the points we cover:

The history of Scottish cashmere
How the business is making its products more sustainable
The need to focus on high value products
Supplying private label customers
Changes he anticipates for the business as a result of Covid-19.

Enjoy!

About Johnstons of Elgin

The Johnstons of Elgin Story

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

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