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Make it British Podcast

Kate Hills

Kate Hills is on a one-woman mission to save UK manufacturing.
In this podcast she shines the light on British brands and manufacturers, and goes behind the scenes of their businesses.
With tips, hints and tricks to help you manufacture in the UK and buy British.
Never has there been a more critical time to get behind 'made in Britain'.

Play
  • 31 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 15 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S10 · E349
    Saturday · 7 min

    Kate's Sunday Journal 27 Sept 26: London Fashion Week - Who actually makes in the UK?

    If you're interested in finding out how I can help you to start or scale your British-made brand, I'm hosting a free Q&A on Tuesday 6th October. Apply to attend the Q&A: makeitbritish.co.uk/qa Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal Register for Make it British Live! here Save the date 12 & 13 January 2027 Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • S10 · E348
    Thursday · 26 min

    Getting Factory Ready - How to Transition from Maker to Manufacturing

    Want to transition from making everything in-house to outsourcing to a factory? This episode is for you! We cover: How to know when you're ready to outsource to a factory Why working with a factory can actually cost you less than paying a local seamstress How to get your pricing right before you outsource What you need to preapre before you approach a factory How to approach a factory so your enquiry doesn't get ignored. Ready to scale your UK-made brand? Apply for the British Brand Accelerator at makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow Kate @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • S10 · E346
    September 17 · 25 min

    A visit to the Waring Brooke Micro Factory with Samantha Thomas, Waring Brooke

    In this episode I take a trip to rural Nottinghamshire to the micro knitwear factory owned by Samantha Thomas, founder of knitwear brand Waring Brooke. Sam was originally a designer for other brands like Alberta Feretti in Italy, but then 10 years ago she started her own knitwear label and took the brave decision to invest in her own knitting machine to create it. When I had Sam on the podcast 5 years ago she was a one man band - she now has a team and big plans for the future. In this episode we cover: How having her own machine allows her to offer personalisation to her customers, which gives the brand it’s USP What her customers really think about Made in UK The challenges Sam faced getting to grips with production and keeping the machine busy Why she's now opening up her factory to other brands for sampling and small production runs About Waring Brooke Waring Brooke is a knitwear and accessories brand made entirely in its own micro factory in rural Nottinghamshire. Founder Samantha Thomas designs, programmes and knits everything in-house on a single industrial knitting machine, which allows her to make to order and offer personalised monogram patterns knitted into scarves, snoods, hats, headbands and socks. You can find Samantha and Waring Brooke at: Website: waringbrooke.com Instagram: @waringbrooke Ready to scale your UK-made brand? Apply for the British Brand Accelerator at makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow Kate @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • S10 · E345
    September 12 · 5 min

    Kate's Sunday Journal 13 Sept 26: Reflecting on a talk by Paul Smith and a visit to

    Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram King's Foundation Paul Smith's book Threads

  • S10 · E344
    September 10 · 36 min

    How to pivot an existing brand with fashion designer Emily Millichip

    Ready to scale your UK-made brand? Apply for the British Brand Accelerator at makeitbritish.co.uk/apply In this episode I'm joined by Emily Millichip, a fashion designer based in Edinburgh who is relaunching her eponymous brand of 15 years after deciding it no longer aligned with where she is now. In this episode we cover: Why Emily decided to pivot after 15 years How she took her existing customers and Instagram followers with her through the rebrand Collaborating with local craftspeople on small limited edition batches How every piece in the collection is made within an hour of her studio About Emily Millichip Emily Millichip is a fashion designer based in Edinburgh who also has a parallel career in farming. Her new collection, Pagan, is made from natural materials and everything in the collection is manufactured within an hour of her studio. You can find Emily and Emily Millichip at: Website: www.emilymillichip.com Instagram: @emilymillichip Follow Kate @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • #343
    September 5 · 4 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 6 September 26: Celebrating 120 years of Hackney’s oldest haberdashers 🧵

    Find out more about William Gee at williamgee.co.uk 2a Forest Road, London, E8 3BY Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal Sign the Open Letter calling on the government to source military and NHS uniforms from UK manufacturers Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • #342
    August 29 · 3 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 30 August 2026: Help Onshore Our Uniforms

    Sign the Open Letter Book a place at The British Made Showcase here Thursday 1st October 6-8pm Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • #341
    August 22 · 3 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 23 August 2026: A Trip to Leicester to Visit Manufacturers

    Register for Make it British Live! here Save the date 12 & 13 January 2027 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • #340
    August 15 · 5 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 16 August 26: My take on wholesale

    Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram

  • #329
    August 9 · 5 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 9 August 26: Demand for UK clothing manufacturers up 90%

    Subscribe to the mailing list to get Make it British Live! event updates. Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

  • S8 · E327
    July 4 · 5 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 5 July 2026: Save the Date

    Subscribe to the mailing list to get Make it British Live! event updates. Follow @makeitbritish on Instagram Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

  • S8 · E325
    June 20 · 9 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 21 June 26: Scottish Textiles Tour

    Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Manufacturers Mentioned: woolkind.com caledoniahosiery.com johnstonsofelgin.com halleystevensons.co.uk kcmanufacturing.co.uk aeroleatherclothing.com houseofcheviot.com teviotknitwear.co.uk wonkywoolies.com

  • S8 · E324
    June 13 · 3 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 14th June 26 – Marketing with zero budget

    Apply to come to the next free Q&A Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

  • S8 · E323
    June 11 · 31 min

    From Burberry to British Wool with Frankie Davies, Charl Knitwear

    Hello and welcome to episode 323 of the Make it British Podcast. I'm back with another episode in my Women in Wool series, this time chatting to knitwear designer Frankie Davies from Charl Knitwear. Frankie spent years designing knitwear for Burberry and Benetton and has spent much of her career inside knitwear factories, so it was only ever a matter of time before she founded her own brand. In this episode, Frankie talks about her use of British wool, the benefits of working with UK factories and how that differs from working with manufacturers in Italy, as well as the challenges of running your own business when you have small children, which I'm sure many of you listening can relate to. In this episode we cover: About Charl Knitwear Charl Knitwear is a British knitwear brand founded by Frankie Davies, a designer with over 20 years of experience working for luxury fashion houses including Burberry and Benetton. Inspired by the Norfolk fisherman's Gansey, the brand combines heritage stitch traditions with a contemporary approach to British fibre and manufacturing. You can find Frankie and Charl Knitwear at: Website: charlknitwear.co.uk Instagram: @charlknitwear 🚀 Ready to scale your UK-made brand? Apply for the British Brand Accelerator at makeitbritish.co.uk/apply Follow Kate @makeitbritish on Instagram

    • Chapters
  • S8 · E322
    June 5 · 4 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 7 June 26: How Many Products is Too Many?

    Apply to come to the next free Q&A Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

  • S8 · E321
    May 30 · 11 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 31 May 26: Britwashing

    Read this email Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

  • S8 · E320
    May 24 · 5 min

    Kate’s Sunday Journal 24 May 26: A Visit to Manufacturers in Ayrshire

    Read this email Subscribe to Kate's Sunday Journal 🧡 🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Showing 1–20 of 31 episodes