Meet the Manufacturer teams up with Leicestershire Textile hub

Meet the Manufacturer, the sourcing trade event created by Make it British, has announced the start of a new partnership with the Leicestershire Textiles Hub for its next edition in June.

“We’re very excited about the partnership with the Leicestershire Textiles Hub," commented Kate Hills, founder and CEO of Make it British. "Their philosophy mirrors ours - to reinvigorate the textiles industry and provide information, inspiration and innovation around British manufacturing. "

The new partnership aims to boost awareness surrounding the work the Hub is creating which supports the region's textile manufacturers. The new partnership includes the launch of a jointly hosted fashion show on the first day of the trade event, a first for Meet the Manufacturer, which will be curated by fashion stylist Zoe Lem and aim to showcase the best fashion from Leicestershire manufacturing.

"As the trend of re-shoring gains momentum, we’re confident that this fashion show will bring to life the quality and diversity of manufacturing in Leicestershire and prove an informative experience for buyers," added Hills. Since the Leicestershire Textiles Hub was first launched in September 2014, it has been dedicated to offering practical support and guidance to textile manufacturers in the region.

“The Leicestershire region has always been a traditional centre for knitwear, hosiery and footwear – much of the infrastructure is still there and now is the time to write the next chapter in the history of Leicestershire textiles and inspire a new generation to take the county to where it belongs," explained Abdul Bathin, Leicestershire Textiles Hub’s programme manager.

"Leicestershire is an important UK manufacturing centre and the textiles industry is showing encouraging signs of growth, but it’s not without its challenges. This is a great opportunity to showcase the manufacturing capabilities in the region to key buyers and designers from all over the UK.”