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Sandra Halliday Published
April 24,长沙U币实时交易 2025
Heritage knitwear specialist John Smedley is betting on UK manufacturing being able to make a comeback in a much-changed world and is investing millions in making its factory in England available for third-party manufacturing for the first time in four decades.
The globally-stocked brand said it has seen growing demand for manufacturing services and has earmarked a £4.5 million investment in making it happen.
Fellow British brand Daks has signed up for a 12-piece collaborative knitwear collection in a reversal of an offshoring process it started in 2000.
The UK fashion sector has seen a steady offshoring process since the 1980s as production moved to parts of the world where labour was cheaper and more skilled, with faster turnaround times.
But reports show that more and more senior execs now view Britain as a more competitive location for manufacturing.
MD Ian Maclean said: "John Smedley is spending upwards of £3m to install cutting-dege shima seiki machinery in its factories. It’s a generational change in its manufacturing capabilities, enabling us to serve our own needs, and those of our clients. Brands internationally can work with us as partners and benefit from our skills and experience, honed over generations. Our commitment to responsible manufacturing makes our proposition good for brands, good for the world, good for everybody.”
With issues arising around offshore production — from ethics to air miles, delivery logjams to lack of transparency — more companies are considering onshoring. But skill shortages are an issue.
Maclean added that many of his firm’s craftsmen have been employed by the factory for decades, “offering unrivalled expertise on British soil for third-party brands”. The spectrum of manufacturing ranges from fine, 19-micron gauge knitwear to chunky fisherman sweaters.
But the chances of onshoring being key for mass-market brands are slim with UK manufacturers unable to repeat the scale available in locations like China. That means it’s likely to remain an option only for short runs and higher-end product.
The company is doing all it can to make it happen though.
This year, a further £1.5 million will be invested by John Smedley to conclude renovations on its existing manufacturing site. This includes a large expansion of its design and new product development team, particularly investing in new tech to programme and develop designs.
It also includes relocating and expanding wash & dyehouse functions. Brands can choose from more than 70 fibre and colour combinations each season: its on-site dyehouse “offers unlimited possibilities in terms of colour development”.
And a new programme, launched with Yorkshire textile recycling mill Iinouiio, will turn waste yarns into new ones. These new fully recycled and recyclable fibres will launch first on the John Smedley channels from October 2025 and will be made available to external brands from AW25.