Manchester Made & Regions will bring manufacturers, brands, retailers and sourcing professionals to Manchester Hall on Wednesday 4 November to explore the commercial case for UK production. Organised by Source Fashion, Fashion-Enter Ltd and the Association of Textiles Manufacturers and Fashion (ATMF), it will address pricing, capacity, skills and sourcing closer to home.
The programme will examine how to secure more orders for British factories and the benefits of domestic production, including speed, flexibility, quality, resilience, sustainability and closer supplier relationships.
Strengthening UK manufacturing
Fashion-Enter CEO Jenny Holloway will chair the opening panel on translating onshoring and public procurement ambitions into orders, strengthening manufacturing and building a unified industry voice. Speakers include Snahal Patel, CEO of 23 Foxes; Cheryl Chung of The Garment Workers Trust; and Professor Jess Power, chair of The Textile Institute, discussing the role of government, brands and retailers.
Community Clothing CEO Patrick Grant will share his experience of building a British-made clothing business in a fireside conversation on profitability and price points consumers will pay.
FashionUnited editor Rachel Douglass will chair a regional production panel on investment, finance, skills, collaboration and competing on service and quality rather than cost alone. Speakers are Scott Wheeler, founder of Hyper-Hyper; Nicholas Betts, CEO of Zerotec; and Gemma Gratten, founder of Manchester Fashion Week and co-founder of Northern Fashion Collective.
Just Style senior reporter Isatou Ndure will chair a panel on costs, margins, minimum order quantities, lead times, supplier viability and buyer-supplier relationships. It features Michael Conway, CEO of CLOTHES2ORDER; Sajid Esa, director of 5th Avenue Clothing; and Simon Platts, founder of Simon Platts Consulting and former sourcing and ESG director at ASOS.
Fashion demand and product longevity
In the afternoon, Marguerite Le Rolland, global insight manager for fashion at Euromonitor International, will use market data and consumer research to explore European fashion demand in 2026. Topics include market polarisation, sports leisure, functional wardrobes, regulation, resale, repair and rental, and their implications for buying, product development and sourcing.
Jack Stratten, head of trends at Insider Trends, will examine the commercial value of durability, quality and trust, and how younger consumers, technology and changing perceptions of luxury influence product strategies.
Source Fashion’s Suzanne Ellingham will chair a panel on making the boardroom case for UK manufacturing and sustainability beyond unit price, covering risk mitigation, margin protection and long-term growth. She will be joined by Simon Platts and Professor Holly V Morris, consultant hand and wrist surgeon at the Pulvertaft Hand Centre.
Manufacturers and industry organisations from Manchester and across the UK will showcase their services, connecting buyers and sourcing teams with potential production partners. Networking will run throughout the day, followed by closing drinks.
Commenting on the event is Suzanne Ellingham, event director of Source Fashion.
“There is a lot of conversation about reshoring and buying British, but if we genuinely want to see more production taking place here, we have to move beyond ambition and build the commercial case for it. That means addressing the realities of cost, capacity and lead times, while recognising the value UK manufacturing can offer through speed, flexibility, quality and resilience.
“Manchester Made & Regions brings manufacturers, brands, retailers and industry leaders together to examine what is standing in the way and what needs to change. From reindustrialisation and public procurement to changing consumer demand and the business case for sourcing closer to home, our focus is on practical solutions that can turn growing interest in British manufacturing into meaningful commercial action.”
Building on Leicester Made & Regions and Source Fashion’s work connecting regional manufacturers with buyers, Manchester is the first stop in a wider regional programme. Discussions will continue at Source Fashion at Excel London on 19–21 January 2027. Free registration is available here via Eventbrite.