Interview with Kate Hills

Kate Hills
CEO & Founder
Make it British

My vision is for more people to buy more quality British-made goods

Make it British is a source of information on British-made brands and UK manufacturing on the web. It helps people find products that are made in Britain. In a conversation with Fibre2Fashion, the CEO and founder of Make it British, Kate Hills, says what inspired her to bring manufacturing back to Britain.

How did you hit upon the idea of setting up Make it British?

After 20 years of working as a designer and buyer, flying around the world for brands such as Burberry, M&S and other high street names, I became disillusioned when they stopped using factories in the UK to produce their goods. So, I left in 2011 to set up Make it British, a campaign to support UK manufacturing businesses and British craftsmanship, including Meet the Manufacturer, an annual trade show held in London.

How far has it come since its inception in 2011?

Make it British has now become global, with increasing numbers of international visitors contacting us looking to buy quality British-made products. Meet the Manufacturer, the trade show organised by Make it British, brings thousands of businesses together every year at the two-day event.

What do you aim to achieve with Make it British?

My vision is for more people to buy more quality British-made goods.

What kind of assistance does Make it British offer to its member companies?

Many of our members are small businesses that do not have a huge reach themselves, but as members of Make it British we can put them in touch with people all over the world. Our members are all included on the Make it British directory, which includes a link to their own websites, plus an inclusion in the Make it British newsletter as well as seasonal gift guides and competitions.

You work towards promoting British companies to work with their fellow counterparts in Britain and to manufacture their products in the country. Do you also encourage textile companies from the other countries to consider manufacturing in Britain?

Yes! We most definitely encourage textile companies from other countries to consider manufacturing in Britain. Manufacturing in the UK is becoming more and more cost-effective and we are getting an increasing number of enquiries from businesses overseas looking to manufacture in the UK, particularly from the US, Japan and Germany.

Which are some of the heritage British textiles/designs, etc, that Make it British has helped preserve or reclaimed from oblivion or almost into oblivion?

Several companies who exhibit at our Meet the Manufacturer event have been on the brink of closure before coming along to our event and now they are so busy that they cannot take on anymore work!

What are the limitations of the British manufacturing industry? How can the country overcome these limitations?

British manufacturing is limited at the moment because there is not enough capacity. Travelling around the UK, visiting different businesses, it has become apparent that the big issue is attracting young people into the manufacturing industry. We need to reach out to the future generation of leaders in manufacturing and train up more young people to work in UK factories.

Manufacturing requires cheap labour. How does Make it British plan to face this challenge?

The challenge is not so much 'cheap labour' but achieving good value for money and many manufacturers in the UK pay well above the minimum wage. We have many fantastic, skilled craftsmen who use the finest materials in Britain. Buying authentic British goods helps to keep these skills alive in the UK. If we do not support those makers in Britain that still have these precious skills, we will lose them forever. Our challenge now is to inspire the next generation to rise to the challenge and make it in UK manufacturing.

What kind of challenges have you faced ever since you set up Make it British?

Putting on an event from scratch was probably the biggest challenge that I faced. I felt so passionately about the Make it British cause that I invested all my life savings in the event. But I had never run an event before. So, when I was let down by a potential business partner at the last minute I had a choice - to either pull the plug on the idea and lose the money, or gather the right team around me to get it off the ground, and quick. I chose the latter and through having many great contacts in the industry it has been a success. And I have not looked back!

What are your future plans for Make it British?

We are now running Make it British forums all over the UK and I would like to take this a step further and take Make it British overseas on a trade mission to inspire even more people to buy British-made brands and grow the UK manufacturing industry.

What are your main objectives behind organising Meet the Manufacturer?

To find more work for UK manufacturers and help to connect buyers with UK manufacturers and put UK manufacturing on the global platform.

What is the emphasis of Make it British on environment friendliness and sustainability?

Buying locally reduces the carbon footprint on products.

What effect, do you think, Brexit will have on textiles and apparel companies of Britain?

Brexit will have a positive impact. We are already seeing a huge amount of interest in British-made goods. We are seeing businesses like cotton spinning coming back to the UK, which is great news.

Published on: 16/03/2017

DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.