Reshoring: Local Manufacturing and Raw Materials

Kate Hills is the Founder of Make it British & Make it British Live.

Kate launched the website in 2011 to encourage more people to buy British and make in the UK. Since then, the platform has become the go-to for news, reports and interviews about British-made products.

In 2014, Kate launched "Make it British Live!" which is a unique trade show that prides itself on being the only sourcing event exclusively showcasing British manufacturers and producers.

Simon Middleton is the founder of the Shackleton brand and a new menswear business, Blackshore. Simon left Shackleton in September 2016, supposedly with early retirement in mind, but got restless and dreamt up a new made-in-Britain menswear brand, called Blackshore. He is also the author of three books, including Build a Brand in 30 Days. Simon runs us through working with local manufacturers, and the importance of telling the story.

Is it really cheaper to manufacture overseas? Often, companies jump into 'cheap' manufacturing overseas, without considering the myriad of hidden costs, and the difficulties this may pose to quality assurance. Here, we discuss the various benefits of reshoring your production in regards to price and quality control.

Laura Sansone is a textile designer, activist, and consultant. She is the creator of Textile Lab, a design and consulting company that supports environmentally responsible textile methods, and regional systems of production. Laura is currently an Assistant Professor of Textiles at Parsons The New School For Design. She has developed initiatives that bring NY designers and farmers together to create products that have social and environmental value. Textile Lab’s NYS Regional Textile Initiative is a collection of locally sourced and produced yarns and textiles. It links apparel, product and interior designers to the regional network of farms and fibre processing mills; including spinning, weaving and knitting. This initiative is recognised internationally as a significant economic revitalisation effort on the East Coast of the US. Also, she has designed woven textiles for the following companies: Maharam, New York, NY, American Silk Mills, New York, NY and Burlington House Fabrics, New York, NY.

In this video, we discuss the launch of the New York State Regional Yarn SourceBook which, as the name suggests, promotes yarns and fibres from New York State farms. It’s both a reference book for design professionals to source materials and a means to connect farmers, mills and designers in a single resource.

Finding a manufacturer can be difficult, especially when trying to find one locally that fits your needs. It takes a lot of research and investigation to find a producer that will manufacture your type of product and in the minimums that work for you, and then more time to form a relationship with one. And after all that, they may decide that you’re not the right fit for them!

In this video, we'll explore the different ways to begin your search for local manufacturers, to get you off to a flying start.

This is a 23 minute interview with Paris Hodson, founder of womenswear brand STALF. Named after her grandparents, Stella and Alf, Paris established STALF out of a frustration with how disconnected the fashion industry is. Based in the Lincolnshire Wolds in the UK, they make all of their items to order - by hand in the traditional factory sense. Here, we talk to Paris about growing Stalf, how they established their business model, and overcoming some of the challenges she has faced with her business.