Made in Leicester: The event redefining Leicester as a hub for ethical innovation, inclusivity and creative entrepreneurship

Credit: Fashion Enter

Think of Leicester and you may think of BBC Panorama’s exposé back in 2023, where fast-fashion giant Boohoo’s unethical purchasing practices were aired on national television. The stigma surrounding this caused Leicester’s reputation to take a hit. However, the ‘Made in Leicester’ trade show is back for its second year and led by the CEO of Fashion Enter, Jenny Holloway, sets out to change that. Drawing on Leicester’s rich heritage and history as a manufacturing hub, the trade show aims to redefine the future of fashion, textiles and manufacturing by promoting ethical innovation, inclusivity, and creative entrepreneurship.

Through her social enterprise Fashion Enter, Jenny Holloway has for years led the way through ethical manufacturing practices, prioritising fair treatment, skilled craftsmanship, and sustainable practices. Ahead of the trade show, we sit down with Jenny to discuss the event’s aims; Leicester’s potential as a manufacturing hub of talent and opportunity; the ultimate goal of creating long-lasting connections which lead to meaningful economic and social impact; as well as the role of the government in supporting ‘Made in the UK’ initiatives and businesses.

What can you tell us about your upcoming event ‘Made in Leicester’?

I think it's probably quite important to note that this is the second event that we're doing. We booked this back in October last year in 2024 and little did we know at that time that there was going to be this global uncertainty with the US and the tariffs. So it does feel as though the timing is perfect for ‘Leicester Made’ to really beat the drum for localised proximity sourcing from ethical factories. We're also having suppliers there, so that's going to be including the fabric guys as well as trims and components. It’s important that we look at the whole blockchain including dyeing and finishing too.

Leicester has a really strong ecosystem, you have everything there such as the knitters, the dyers, the finishers and all of the components. It's a real community and people don't realise how strong the network is. For example, London has great garment manufacturers, so does Manchester, but in Leicester it's bringing all of the supply chain together and now we need that blockchain transparency more than ever before and that's what we've got in Leicester.

Why was it important for this event to be in Leicester?

We have found such support for Leicester. I think you're absolutely right, there's a lot of stigma about rights abuse that was taking place, but it's all rhetoric and in the past. What we find now is that the resulting base of garment manufacturers are ethical, they're sustainable, they may be reduced in number, but what is left are good suppliers. That's actually one of the reasons why I decided to become chair of The Apparel and Textiles Manufacturing Federation (ATMF). Because I do support them, I support every single person that is part of that federation and they are absolutely doing the best that they can and I think what people must remember is that there was all that stigma about what was going on, but at the same time there were so many people in Leicester that really stood up for the NHS and PPE production such as Spring Shades Limited (Eco-friendly Dyers and Finishers), who bought special sterilising machines to help the NHS. These people are hardworking, good people and they absolutely understand their specialism and skills.

Can you name drop any panellists that your audience should definitely come and see?

Obviously Fashion Roundtable’s CEO Tamara Cincik will be speaking, as well as Kate Hills founder of Make it British. Chris Desai who just won the 40 under 40 global award–he's Leicester born and he's a real champion for everything that Leicester brings together, so it's fantastic to have him there. Simon Platts, who has set up his own consultancy and who is playing a significant role. Jake Hall, who is a fashion influencer and he's only making in the UK.

We've also got the C-suite roundtable hosted by Liz Kendall, the Labour MP for Leicester West and the Secretary of State. She's been an MP for 15 years, so she knows Leicester and is perfectly placed to host this special roundtable with around 40 CEOs that are really pioneering in their industry.

We also have some fantastic retailers in attendance such as John Lewis, Selfridges, Asda, Sainsbury’s, ASOS and Gym Shark.

Your message is ultimately about making in the UK. Do you see potential for growth in this area?

We're finding that we’re getting busier here in London and we know that the Leicester factories are definitely getting busier. There is one factory that's got a turnover of over five million now and they're making for the big names such as Sainsbury’s, Asda and ASOS.

We want this to be a bit of a myth buster, because now there are good factories and they are working well, but people want to keep Leicester under the radar and it shouldn't be like that–we should be proud of what we're doing in Leicester and shining a light on it.

The punitive US tariffs are really having an impact on fashion – have you seen this in your business?

Interestingly, we have had some enquiries from overseas factories asking about making here in the UK, so that's been a new development. We have had murmurs of conversations previously, but now feel as though it could lead somewhere.

Personally I think all factories should be working with the brands directly and there needs to be a bit of an easement and understanding about what the ask is with these factories. So the compliance side of factories, I understand being an ex-senior buyer myself, that you want to make sure that a factory is audited, but we shouldn't be audited to death. We can have six audits a year taking place and there needs to be a greater sharing of data, because it's so time consuming and invariably the price is paid by the factory.

Where are the current gaps in this space and where can the Government assist in plugging them?

One of the things we really want to hit home, is why are we not making PPE and military uniforms under public procurement contracts? There should be a minimum of 25% coming to the UK based on quality and ethics and it should not be price determined. So, it will be great to get some kind of feedback from everybody at that CEO roundtable.

Also with the Apprenticeship Levy tax, I think any money that is left over should be available for non-apprenticeships so that there is bespoke training that is taking place for factories. The Skills Bootcamp is a positive step forward, but there has to be other easier ways of getting the right training.

Any tax incentives for brands making in the UK sustainably would be welcomed. I certainly would like to see more emphasis on best practices. I really believe in an adjudicator role within the industry and I've said that constantly for the last five years. If we can do it in agriculture, why can't we do it in government manufacturing?

Innovate UK should be opening up their doors far more to SMEs and to the people at grassroots level and again it's making sure that those bids are easier to engage with. There is a definite technique to writing bids as we all know, but it's missing a whole section of the industry.

I think another way forward would be to look at trade missions and at exports, especially to America. I mean, there's a 10% tariff that's being applied to the UK at the moment, but we should be able to deal directly on products of note going into America. I think there's a lot of opportunities there and the government must support this.