British Fashion Council launches high-end manufacturers database

London - The search for high-end British textile and apparel manufacturers just became that much easier. This morning Caroline Rush CBE, CEO of the British Fashion Council (BFC) and Professor Christopher Moore, Director of the British School of Fashion, Glasgow Caledonian University, launched the new BFC High-End Manufacturers Database.

The new national database features a full registry of high-end UK-based manufacturers with the aim of facilitating designers and suppliers supply chain relationships. The database is open and free to access for all designers online. It is part of the BFC Designer Fact File, a business learning platform which offers insights and training to designers across a wide range of topics, including business stages, from start-ups to established brands. The content featured in the BFC Designer Fact File is provided by leading industry professionals and updated regularly.

The initial manufacturers included in the database were first recommended for the British high-end manufacturers database were sourced through designer recommendations as well as through research done for the 'High-End Designer Manufacturing Report' in 2015. However, moving forward the BFC aims to conduct a full audit of all manufacturers listed in the UK to ensure the database grows organically as designers and BFC partners continue to recommend more manufacturers, and as suppliers come forward to submit themselves for listing.

The new manufacturers database is said to mark the first milestone of 2017 for the BFC's Positive Fashion initiative, which aims to celebrate the best practices in the industry by direct example and through facilitating the processes need for change. Through its Positive Fashion initiative the BFC aims to encourage designers to place sustainable and ethical practices first in their businesses.

Photo: Screenshot of the BFC High-End Manufacturers Database, website