Asda for British fashion

A major campaign to boost the beleaguered British clothing industry has been announced by supermarket ASDA. It is going to stock an entire range of clothing made exclusively in the UK - with a Union Jack label displayed prominently to emphasise their origin. In addition, it is setting up a Dragon's Den style open access system, where UK clothing manufacturers can present their latest ideas and designs to a panel of ASDA buyers.

The supermarket's decision is in stark contrast to other retailers who are increasingly abandoning UK clothing suppliers in favour of overseas sources. Said ASDA clothing boss Angela Spindler: "Britain has some of the best clothing designers and manufacturers in the world, and we want to see their products in our stores. "There's a huge talent base in the UK, and we believe customers will want to buy British clothes in the same way they want to buy locally produced foods grown and prepared in Britain."

More than one million garments will be produced each year and sold in ASDA stores under the George brand nationwide. Every item of clothing will be clearly labelled "Made in the UK". The supermarket has also pledged to put new country of origin labels in its entire range of George clothing within the next 12 months - and has challenged other value fashion retailers to follow suit. Angela added: "Our fast fashion ranges are inspired by the latest catwalk trends which means we need to turn our designs into production as quickly as possible.

"It obviously makes sense for us to use local manufacturers here in the UK whenever we can, rather than shipping in products from the other side of the world." The move by ASDA to support UK manufacturers bucks the recent trend by other leading fashion houses. Burberry recently announced it was transferring production overseas with the loss of 300 jobs in Rhondda, Wales. "Despite what you'd think, the British clothing industry is alive and kicking and has plenty to offer retailers like ourselves," said Angela. "We want to do all that we can to encourage new designers and new manufacturers to come forward. If you've got new designs and new styles or new garments, we want to hear from you."