Made In Britain: The Mission

If you’d have said to your grandparents (or even your parents) that Made in Britain would one day be a niche selling point, they would have thought you were crazy.  My dad has been in the clothes/ retail business his whole working life (and was taught the trade by his dad), and was manufacturing his own small yet affordable line of clothes in the UK as recently as the early 1980’s –  something that wouldn’t be viable today, just 30 years later.  Then came the Primark years, and although many of us felt twinges of guilt at the facts behind the Made in China labels, we were all too easily seduced by the trend-conscious designs at cheaper-than-charity-shop prices.  Now though we’re in recession and all that cheap and cheerful schmutter hanging in our wardrobes doesn’t seem so cheerful anymore now the elastic is starting to droop and the trends they nodded to have long-since passed.  The Made anywhere-but-Britain labels are wearing a bit thin too, and more and more of us find ourselves longing to see Made in Britain sewn into the inside of our clothes…and thankfully we are.  Maybe it’s the 'Mary Portas effect', but over the last few months I’ve become increasingly aware of fashion brands bragging about their Made in Britain credentials, and good for them.  These brands are single-handedly and selflessly, with no support from Government, keeping our once brilliant and world-leading manufacturing industry alive, and I think the least we can do is support them.  So, with that in mind, this is my long-winded and slightly ranty introduction to a new series of blog posts on some of the wonderful brands who continue to manufacture in the UK, and deserve our support and respect.  I really hope you enjoy them, and are able to support these brands in your own way too.