Retail expert, Mary Portas is teaming up with Make it British to bring a Mary’s Living & Giving pop-up space to this year’s Meet the Manufacturer event on May 25-26 at The Old Truman Brewery, London.
The Mary’s Living & Giving team will be on hand to answer any questions about the premium charity concept, together with a team of skilled cutters and machinists who will be creating garments live in the dedicated Sewing Studio.
These limited edition garments will then go on sale in the London based Mary’s Living & Giving Shops, with all profits from the sale of the items going to the life-saving work that Save the Children do here in the UK and abroad.
Mary Portas said, “It is great to have this opportunity to really connect with the British fashion industry. The prosperity of the Living & Giving Shops relies on good quality donations and we are very fortunate to have the support of Kate over at Make It British.
“She’s been a driving force mobilising the British fashion industry and we are looking forward to seeing the donations roll in and selling the wonderful creations made in the live Sewing Studio in our shops! I think these are going to fly off the shelves.”
Kate Hills, CEO and founder of Make it British, explains: “This is another first for Meet the Manufacturer. We’re very excited to be working with the team at Save the Children on this exciting and rewarding project, which will not only support a worthwhile cause, but also highlight the great talent that we have in this country as we demystify the manufacturing process and showcase the creation of a garment from start to finish.”
In addition, The British Fashion Council (BFC) and Make it British are working together to co-host a debate and networking party at the event to bring together key designers and manufacturers to discuss positive fashion and sustainability in the British fashion industry.
Caroline Rush, CEO of the BFC explains: “Many of our British designers are already manufacturing product here in the UK, however, we are frequently asked to make introductions and provide more information on the right production partners. We hope that partnering with Make it British to host a debate at the Meet the Manufacturer event will encourage a better network and opportunities for designers and British manufacturers to work together – which is a key target of our Positive Fashion initiative led by Marks & Spencer.”
Meet the Manufacturer is the only sourcing event exclusively showcasing British manufacturers and producers.
This year’s Meet the Manufacturer, organised by Make it British – the campaign for the return of fashion and textiles manufacturing to the UK – will include:
- Two-day conference programme, which features a line-up of expert speakers who will shed positive light on the how, why and where of manufacturing in the UK
- Innovation Accelerator and Designer’s Den for enterprising manufacturers and designers to battle it out in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style competition
- Workshops designed to gain practical insight into manufacturing in the UK with these free drop in sessions, which provide the perfect opportunity to explore all aspects of the industry
- Sewing Studio that brings the factory to the show with a team of skilled cutters and machinists on hand to create garments live at Meet the Manufacturer
- British Fashion Showcase, celebrating the best in British design and manufacturing, curated by leading designer, Tony O’Connor
- Trade show, with some of the best factories in Britain today exhibiting, giving you the opportunity to meet with manufacturers face-to-face and find suppliers to make your products
- British Fashion Council’s positive fashion committee and Make it British are working together to co-host a debate and networking party to bring together key designers and manufacturers to discuss positive fashion and sustainability in the British fashion industry.
- Allermuir business lounge – a useful network area featuring some of the distinctive furniture manufactured by the Senator Group, one of the UK’s largest furniture makers
