‘Made in Britain’, is a phrase rarely seen on the garments and products of today. With the rise of fast fashion in the form of Primark and many other high street brands, companies in the past opted to move production and manufacture of clothing out of Britain, to countries with cheaper labour, such as China, Taiwan and India. As highlighted by BBC News this week, this is potentially set to change.
Without the demand in the UK for experienced, skilled manufacturers, these skills are swiftly fading out, making the ‘Made in Britain’ stamp a rarer sight. It is becoming harder to find British staff with the relevant skills, but this is set to change with the help of one individual in particular.
Jenny Holloway directs a factory in East London, manufacturing around 7000 garments a week, and has noticed the lack of British individuals with the skills of production. To tackle this scary realisation in the fashion industry, she has created an innovative ‘Stitching Academy’, an apprentice scheme with the intention of training up the local people to give them Garment Technologist skills that can be transferred into a variety of exciting jobs within the fashion industry. With unemployment on the rise, this is wonderful news. In collaboration with fashion internet giant ASOS, the factory and academy are non-for-profit organisations, investing time and money into giving young and passionate individuals the skills to lead an exciting and profitable future in the buzzing fashion and textile industry.
It is lovely to see this investment into the future of British production and it will hopefully lead the way for more schemes and apprenticeships to be generated by those who value the future of the ‘Made in Britain’ stamp.
For more information about this scheme, click here.
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