A Hub of Excellence for Made in the UK
18-06-2025
Newsletter 21st May 2025
Leicester Made 1-Week On
A week ago today the Fashion-Enter team were in the thick of their Leicester Made trade event. The feedback from this event has been tremendous across all sectors, from business professionals on LinkedIn and designers on Instagram, to Leicester’s manufacturers and businesses. We have been overwhelmed with the response and a real drive to make Leicester a hub of excellence for Made in the UK fashion and textiles.
Sophie Rycroft, Responsible Sourcing, Ethical Compliance, Quality, Product Operations & Sustainability Director at Debenhams Group, said: “What a great day at Leicester Made with Taj Grewal. Super exciting to hear the plans to grow and push Leicester manufacturing further. We are proud to source from Leicester, and I hope today encourages more brands to source and buy from the UK.
“It was good to catch up with our current partners, engage with new ones, look at the latest technology and innovation, and to also collaborate with other retail brands. Thank you for hosting Jenny Holloway, Simon Platts and Fashion-Enter.”
Our CEO, Jenny Holloway, added: “Leicester Made is very much about bringing business to the factories of Leicester, this event was for them.
“This great quote from Sunny at Meesha Group summarises the event perfectly: ‘The Leicester Made event was a brilliant celebration of our city’s talent and innovation. It was fantastic to connect with fellow fashion leaders and hear from Liz Kendall and Rosie Wrighting about the continued support for our industry — a real reminder of the strength and potential within Leicester’s creative and manufacturing community.”
“Now the work begins!”
Tap here to read more event feedback.
And here to view the image gallery.
A big thank you to photographer Felicity West for capturing the event throughout the day.
Just-Style Features…
A big thank you to Just-Style.com, Laura Husband and Hannah Abdulla, for publishing a series of features on the Leicester Made event.
Links to the features published so far…
Leicester Made Promotes Ethical Innovative UK Fashion Suppliers
UK Apparel A Pipe Dream or Golden Opportunity
UK Manufacturing Needs Rebrand Collaboration to Work
What You Can Do To Support Leicester and Made in the UK
If you are a manufacturer / supplier:
1. Join the Leicester Made Directory
2. Join the ATMF, (The Apparel and Textile Manufacturers Association)
The updated ATMF website can support with: A drop shipping platform to sell surplus stock, access to industry events, audit guidance, training and development and marketing assistance. https://atmf.co.uk/
3. Use your voice, contact your local MP and push the agenda, sign up to hear from Fashion Roundtable, Make It British, UKFT Speak out on platforms such as LinkedIn.
UKFT Education Partners Conference
Yesterday, 20th May, FTA Head of Education, Lan Leeder, attended the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) Education Partner Conference, uniting stakeholders from higher education, further education, private institutions, and the fashion and textiles industry.
Participants attended briefings, panel discussions, workshops, and Q&A sessions with fellow education partner members. Conversations focused on guiding young people in making informed decisions about careers in fashion and textiles, including available pathways such as apprenticeships, or specialised courses after completing their GCSEs.
International regulations, such as the Digital Product Passport, are poised to influence brands by shedding light on their supply chains. The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) tackles packaging waste, which will reshape how brands operate. While AI has the potential to speed up the production process, it may limit creativity and job opportunities.
Lan stated: “This has been a fantastic event where education partners and industry experts come together to share their views on the fashion and textile industry, discussing the current challenges and how to improve the industry for the next generation.”
Fashion Hub Leicester X Twin Training
On Monday 19th May, FEL’s Fashion Hub in Leicester welcomed a group of Twin Training candidates for a hands-on, making workshop.
Fashion Hub Operational Manager, Divya Kamath commented: “We were thrilled that this recent workshop with Twin Training was a huge success.
“We have delivered this workshop for 7-months now and it’s a great collaboration with Twin Training Group. 12 workshops have been delivered since November and almost 120 candidates have attended. The workshops are filled with creativity, laughter and learning. From threading needles to mastering stitches, all the participants brought their enthusiasm and walked away with new skills—and maybe even a new hobby! We have received great feedback and many of the candidates have gone on to join our Level 1 courses and completed them successfully.
“Special thanks to our amazing tutors, supportive volunteers, and of course, all the candidates.”
Fashion Hub Leicester offers bespoke workshops such as mindful mending or wellbeing activities for businesses and organisations in the area. If you are interested and would like to know more please contact: divya@fashion-enter.com
New Short Courses Now Available
After another highly recommended workshop last Saturday on Draping with designer John Herrera, we are pleased to announce some new short courses have been added to the up and coming calendar. From patterns and sewing, illustration and upcycling, tap here to view all the courses over the next couple of months.
Masterclasses and Courses
Roll-on courses:
Available at all campuses Islington, Haringey and Leicester.
Diploma in Fashion Design and Business
Patterns:
27th May – 4 Day Beginners Pattern Making – FC Designer Workspace – £150 + eventbrite fee
Stitching:
28th May – 3 Day Introduction to Industrial Sewing and Garment Making – FC Designer Workspace – £135 + eventbrite fee
Draping:
26th July & 2nd Aug – Introduction to Draping in 2 Saturday sessions – FC Designer Workspace – £90 + eventbrite fee
Illustration:
2nd – 5th June – Introduction to Fashion Illustration – FC Designer Workspace – £160 + eventbrite fees
Upcycling:
27th May – Free Repair and Upcycling Drop In – FC Designer Collective shop – Free please register to confirm your place
For all course enquiries contact: education@fashion-enter.com or call 0208 809 3311
This Week on FashionCapital…
Future-Proof Your Business: Get ready for textiles EPR with WEFT
And Finally…
This Saturday 24th May FashionCapital is involved with the innovative Unique Fashion Show taking place at Shangri-La Paris. Organised by Unique Fashion Foundation, the event will combine leading designers, digital artists, and cultural visionaries from around the world for a powerful convergence of fashion and innovation. We are thrilled to be a part of it…more on this next week!
Until next time, have a great week.
From the Team at FashionCapital
