Vogue Business: Luke Derrick Names FEL as his UK Manufacturer

Compiled by Bella Webb and Kirsty McGregor published 29th May, tap here to read the full Vogue Business article.

One of the brands Luke Derrick said (from the article)…

Luke Derrick – Founder of London-based menswear brand Derrick

I make everything in the UK. All my wovens are made in North London with a non-profit called Fashion Enter, the jersey is all made in Leicester at a facility called Colourways Textiles. There’s a new sampling studio 10 minutes from my flat in London called Tricot Studios that does my knitted accessories. I’m of that London system of bootstrapping a label from zero, and so most of my hunt for the supply chain has been very grassroots and about immediacy, about trying to find people to make things happen and a big emphasis around low minimum order quantities.

I think it’s part of the British psyche to be quite self-deprecating. But we’ve got two centuries-plus of British textile and manufacturing and garment manufacturing history here, and there’s an opportunity to rebuild that. So I’m proud to say I make stuff in the UK. I might make it cheaper in Portugal, but the minimum order quantities would be really high; and if something goes wrong, it’s a plane journey. Whereas now, I can just take the bus and fix the problem at the facility. When you’re building new ideas and creating new garments, you need to be there, on the factory floor. It’s a humbling and necessary thing.