Source Fashion is partnering with Leicester Made & Regions, an initiative from Fashion-Enter, Fashion Capital and the ATMF, to launch a new series of regional UK roadshows to reconnect buyers with British manufacturers, strengthen regional sourcing networks, and support the future of domestic fashion and textile manufacturing.

Launching later this year, the initiative will unite manufacturers, mills, buyers and industry stakeholders across key UK manufacturing regions, creating new opportunities for visibility, collaboration and commercial growth. Designed to strengthen connections both within and between regional manufacturing communities, the programme aims to help build a more connected national platform for British manufacturing.

The partnership marks a significant expansion of Source Fashion’s wider commitment to supporting British manufacturing, building on the rapid growth of its British Pavilion and increasing industry demand for more localised, agile and transparent sourcing solutions. The first roadshow is expected to take place in Manchester in late October, with further regional events planned for Scotland, Yorkshire and the South East over the next 12 months.

 

 

Connecting buyers with British manufacturing

With major buying, sourcing and fashion head office teams based outside London, particularly across Manchester and Yorkshire, the roadshows are designed to take the Source Fashion conversation directly into the regions where many of those sourcing decisions are being made. The initiative will also work closely with regional stakeholders, including local authorities and local industry networks, to support existing programmes focused on mapping, promoting and strengthening regional manufacturing capability.

Building on the momentum of regional manufacturing initiatives instigated by the growing success of Leicester Made, the roadshows will combine curated manufacturer showcases with a more structured, content-led programme focusing on responsible sourcing, nearshoring, supply chain resilience and the challenges facing UK production today.

Each event will bring together manufacturers, mills, sourcing specialists, buyers and local industry stakeholders for a full day of practical discussion, networking and collaboration, while also spotlighting the breadth of manufacturing capability that still exists across the UK.

As part of the wider partnership, the initiative is also designed to help create clearer pathways for UK manufacturers to scale their visibility beyond regional markets, with the longer-term ambition of supporting more British manufacturers in showcasing at Source Fashion in London to an international buying audience.