Clothing manufacturer Gosha hosts royal visit

HRH The Princess Royal visited luxury womenswear manufacturer Gosha London’s studio, in her role as president of the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT), to highlight the highly specialised skills required to manufacture luxury designer fashion as well as to boost UK manufacturing.

Gosha London manufactures clothing for some of the world’s best-known designers and its director Mustafa Fuat is a champion of UK manufacturing and wants to raise its profile to ensure it attracts new talent for the future.

Her Royal Highness met with Gosha employees as well as luxury loungewear designer Paula Wilson and head of production and development at Dubai-based womenswear brand Kristina Fidelskaya. She was presented with a gown made with a blend of luxurious silk and rare Escorial designed by Wilson and manufactured by Gosha London, with each employee part of its creation from cutting through to stitching and hand finishing.

Commenting on the visit, Mustafa Fuat, director of Gosha London, said in a statement: “As manufacturers, often our input into the UK’s wonderful fashion industry goes under the radar. The industry is focused overwhelmingly on the designers and fashion shows, rather than on the manufacturing that makes these shows and designs possible. The public (and even industry) can often be unaware that these garments are made in the UK.”

The visit was part of UKFT’s Let’s Make It Here initiative, in celebration of Britain’s rich manufacturing heritage, which Her Royal Highness has taken part in a number of visits from central London to County Down, Northern Ireland to promote skills and talent within UK fashion and textile manufacturing.

Adam Mansell, chief executive of UKFT, added: “Manufacturers like Gosha demonstrate some of the highly-prized skills we have here in the UK and it is fantastic that Her Royal Highness was given a chance to see some of the intricate techniques used to create iconic dresses seen regularly on celebrities, royals and on the catwalks in all the major fashion capitals of the world.

“UKFT is working hard to raise the profile of these skills and to highlight how a career in fashion can extend in different ways beyond design.”

Images: courtesy of UKFT by Kinia Podsiadlo