The inside scoop from the No 10 Downing Street networking event by Kate Hills
Also this week, Creative UK launch their Our Creative Future manifesto
With a drive to promote British manufacturing and to support businesses’ growth and their capacity to export, what happened at the Manufacturing Matchmaking event and why is it so important? Kate Hills, founder of Make It British, explains.
A few weeks ago I was contacted by Libby Hart, founder of womenswear brand Libby London to help with a UK manufacturer matchmaking event at No.10. As part of Libby's role as advisor to the UK Board of Trade, together with fellow advisor Anya Hindmarch, they had been tasked with putting on an event at 10 Downing Street to introduce British brands to UK fashion and textile manufacturers. The aim was to encourage more of the big brands and retailers to make in the UK.
Knowing that I had previously run my Meet the Manufacturer trade show with a similar mission, Libby contacted me to ask me to help pull together a list of manufacturers to come along.
There were around 30 manufacturers and 30 brands that attended the event, which was held across several rooms on one of the upper floors of 10 Downing Street and supported by the Prime Minister's wife Akshata Murty.
During the event I was invited to meet privately with Mrs Murty and Lord Offord, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exports, along with Libby and Anya, to give my thoughts on the challenges facing the industry.
I told them that a triple whammy of Brexit, the pandemic and retail unease had left many manufacturers fighting for survival, and that support for the industry was much needed.
We talked about the value of 'brand Britain' on the global stage, and I explained that the UK fashion and textile manufacturing industry is made up of thousands of micro businesses, and that these manufacturers often don't get the recognition that they deserve.
Strategies for short-term support for manufacturers to protect them from the fallout of big brands and retailers going under, as well as longer term initiatives , such as tax incentives and funding like other sectors receive, were also discussed.
What next? Whilst the manufacturers that attended much appreciated this intimate gathering taking place, it was a drop in the ocean compared to the size of event and support that the industry needs in order to unite it again. I would have liked to have invited 1,000 manufacturers to it if I'd had the chance!
It's all very well hosting events like this to encourage brands to make in the UK, but the government needs to walk the talk when it comes to local manufacturing and look at it's own procurement strategy and start sourcing more locally.
If uniforms for the MOD and police were manufactured in the UK, using British-made cloth, it would be a huge boost to the industry. It would also give the manufacturers the security of long-term work. The US government sources all of their uniforms locally, why can't we?
Join the movement to secure Our Creative Future
This week, the independent organisation for the Creative Industries, Creative UK, have launched their manifesto outlining their vision for what the future of the sector could look like with the right funding, support and prioritisation.
Creative UK’s vision comprises six primary asks to the next UK Government, focused around: skills and education, freelancing, investment, innovation, intellectual property (IP) and global power.
It’s time for radical new action. Be part of the change – support the Creative UK Manifesto and sign Land of Hope and Story’s open letter now
Our Streets Now are recruiting several new board member roles including Secretary, Treasurer and General Non-Executive Directors.
Our Streets Now is a youth-led, grassroots and intersectional campaign to create a world in which everyone can feel safe and be safe in public space. Our aim is to end public sexual harassment (PSH), the set of sexually intimidating behaviours that 97% of young women have faced.
To achieve our vision of a world free from PSH for women and marginalised genders, we:
Educate on the causes, impacts and solutions to PSH
Drive community action through impactful awareness campaigns
Advocate for stronger policies and laws
All board members share these responsibilities and requirements:
Provide governance oversight over our legal and financial duties as a Community Interest Company.
Guide OSN staff, team leaders and contractors, to deliver our mission and strategy.
For some responsibilities on the Board i.e.the legal, finance and fundraising, will require a degree of management of our delivery due to these being underdeveloped areas within the organisation.
Closing Date: 9th May Interview Dates: 20th - 31st May
Sustainability Festival - Fashion 4Nature Talk Wear Next 4 A Cooler Planet
Fashion Conscious - Wear Next Wear Now? is the ultimate event for all fashion enthusiasts who care about the environment. Held at One Garden Stanmer Park in Brighton, join for a day filled with sustainable fashion inspiration and solutions including a Talk and Stitch Club from Conscious Lab.
Discover the future for eco-friendly fashion and learn how to make a positive impact on the planet with your wardrobe choices. Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the fashion revolution!
Join Conscious Sustainable Fashion Experts Sarah Ratty, Georgina Hooper and guests Sophia Lorimer from Ideal Home Show and Lyra Morley winner BBC Style it out! talk about fashion 4Nature easy wins that everyone can enjoy repair re-wear and remake fashion forward style solutions and a live Styling Session find confidence, build self esteem and develop links to your style tribe whilst focusing on the joy and the fun of fashion 4a climate positive future.
The UK is exceptional in having retained drapers and dyers guilds, we should fund these and give them more power to become contemporary gatherings of creative clusters where young businesses can turn to receive advice from peers and industry experts, managerial and technical advice.