Source Fashion, Leicester Made and Fashion – Enter Unite to Launch UK Regional Roadshows to Strengthen British Manufacturing

Source Fashion is partnering with Leicester Made & Regions, an initiative from Fashion-Enter Ltd, www.fashioncapital.co.uk and the ATMF to launch a new series of regional UK roadshows designed to reconnect buyers with British manufacturers, strengthen regional sourcing networks and support the future of domestic fashion and textile manufacturing.

Launching later this year, the initiative will bring together manufacturers, mills, buyers and industry stakeholders across key UK manufacturing regions, creating new opportunities for visibility, collaboration and commercial growth at a critical time for the sector. Designed to strengthen connections both within and between regional manufacturing communities, the programme aims to help build a more connected national platform for British manufacturing.

(Source Fashion exhibition hall, the July addition relocates to London Excel)

The partnership marks a significant expansion of Source Fashion’s wider commitment to supporting British manufacturing, building on the rapid growth of its British Pavilion and increasing industry demand for more localised, agile and transparent sourcing solutions. The first roadshow is expected to take place in Manchester in late October, with further regional events planned for Scotland, Yorkshire and the South East over next 12 months.

With major buying, sourcing and fashion head office teams based outside London, particularly across Manchester and Yorkshire, the roadshows are designed to take the Source Fashion conversation directly into the regions where many of those sourcing decisions are being made. The initiative will also work closely with regional stakeholders, including local authorities and local industry networks, to support existing programmes focused on mapping, promoting and strengthening regional manufacturing capability.

Building on the momentum of regional manufacturing initiatives instigated by the growing success of Leicester Made, the roadshows will combine curated manufacturer showcases with a more structured content-led programme focused on responsible sourcing, nearshoring, supply chain resilience and the challenges facing UK production today. Each event will bring together manufacturers, mills, sourcing specialists, buyers and local industry stakeholders for a full day of practical discussion, networking and collaboration, while also spotlighting the breadth of manufacturing capability that still exists across the UK.

As part of the wider partnership, the initiative is also designed to help create clearer pathways for UK manufacturers to scale their visibility beyond regional markets, with the longer-term ambition of supporting more British manufacturers in showcasing at Source Fashion in London to an international buying audience.

The initiative comes at a time when many buyers are actively seeking greater flexibility, transparency and proximity within their supply chains, while UK manufacturers continue to face significant commercial pressure and declining visibility. By creating stronger regional connections between buyers and manufacturers, Source Fashion and Fashion-Enter aim to help strengthen domestic sourcing opportunities while building a more resilient and commercially connected UK manufacturing ecosystem.

(Leicester Made & Regions 2026 took place 24th April)

Suzanne Ellingham, Event Director of Source Fashion, said: “British manufacturing is at a crunch point. Across the industry, we’re hearing the same thing repeatedly from buyers, people simply don’t know what capacity still exists here in the UK, where the expertise is, or how to connect with the right manufacturers. At the same time, many incredible factories and businesses are operating under enormous pressure and need visibility now, not a year from now.

“For us, this partnership is about creating practical opportunities for those manufacturers to be seen, build relationships and win business within their own regions, while also helping connect the wider industry back together. There are brilliant manufacturers, mills and specialists across Manchester, Yorkshire, Scotland and other parts of the UK, but too often those regional ecosystems operate in isolation. The opportunity is to have local forums where manufacturers can come together and share insight and also to understand how to leverage some of the wins that Leicester is making in public procurement.

“What I want to do is help create stronger links between buyers, manufacturers and local industry communities, while building a clearer pathway for British manufacturers to ultimately showcase themselves to a global audience through Source Fashion in London. We have a responsibility as an industry to support domestic manufacturing in a meaningful way before more of that capability disappears.”

Jenny Holloway, Founder and CEO Fashion-Enter & Chair ATMF added: “Over the last twenty years we have been championing the importance of proximity sourcing in garment manufacturing today. There is a myth that we have lost our production skills in the UK, and this is wholly incorrect! There are excellent manufacturers in this country, and the new Road Shows will prove beyond doubt that the UK has proud heritage factories that are open for public procurement contracts and working with the big retail brands of today. Our partnership with Source Fashion has grown tremendously over the last two years; Source Fashion cares about the UK factories and now we are in a strong position to highlight the very best of ethical quality production in the UK today. Thank you Source Fashion!”

The first regional roadshow is expected to take place in Manchester in October 2026, with additional events planned throughout the following 12 months as part of a longer-term strategy to strengthen regional manufacturing networks and increase visibility for UK fashion and textile production.

More on the roadshow will be announced in due course.

Source Fashion returns to Excel London from 7th – 9th July 2026, bringing together audited manufacturers from key international sourcing regions alongside a rapidly growing UK manufacturing presence.