Tag Archives : made in uk

15/11/2025

Inside Britain’s Last Great Coat Factory: A Hidden World of Craft, Copper & Century-Old Secrets

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Step through the iconic red door of Private White V.C. and into one of Britain’s last surviving coat factories—an atmospheric 150-year-old Manchester mill where history hums through every floorboard and modern craftsmanship thrives against all odds. In this immersive tour, Nick walks the labyrinthine factory with CEO James Eden, great-grandson of the decorated WWI hero who inspired the brand’s name.…

27/09/2025

Whole-Cut Wonders: The Future of Heritage Shoemaking – Chris Woodford of Crown Northampton (#155)

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We’ve arrived at the 9th season of Garmology and this week, we step inside the heart of British shoemaking. Our journey takes us to Northamptonshire, where craftsmanship and tradition run deep. Chris Woodford—6th-generation shoemaker and the man behind Crown Northampton and E. Woodford—opens the doors of his family’s factory to share stories of heritage, innovation, and the enduring art of making shoes.…

23/05/2025

Well Heeled: Bespoke Tricker’s with Adele Williamson (#153)

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This week, we’re stepping into a cosy workshop in Cheltenham to chat with Adele Williamson, bespoke shoemaker at the legendary Tricker’s of Northampton. We explore how Adele found her way into shoemaking, the rich heritage of Tricker’s, and what makes a bespoke shoe truly special. From the surprising number of machines involved to the passionate customers who appreciate the craft…

24/03/2024

From circular fashion to High Street hell: Navigating UK Manufacturing with Kate Hills (#143)

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Get ready to dive into the dynamic world of UK manufacturing as we jet back to the UK for a lively chat with Kate Hills. Kate takes us on a whirlwind journey through her fascinating career path, from pioneering circular fashion fresh out of college to designing quirky kids’ clothing. We’ll follow her adventures to Italy, where she crafted designs…

19/05/2023

Garmology podcast: The way of Cabourn – With Nigel Cabourn (S05/E22 #122)

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It’s been a long time coming, but this week finally sees iconic British designer Nigel Cabourn guest Garmology for a wide-ranging and openhearted chat about why he really got into fashion design, his inspirations and heroes, the ups and downs of life and business, his love of travelling, meeting people and collecting vintage garments, the collection that never happened, and…

08/07/2022

Garmology: Real as rivets – With Joe Schindler of Joe & Co (#98 S04 E24)

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The magic school bus of Garmology stops today in rainy Manchester to take onboard Joe Schindler for a salty chat about denim, small-scale production, making in the UK, how to stumble and keep going in business, how being your own boss means working all hours and the value in making only stuff you really like yourself. You can find Joe…

01/07/2022

Garmology: We met knitters in run-down pubs – With Genevieve Sweeney, knitwear (#97 S04/E23)

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This week Genevieve Sweeney stops by to chat about the easy path of starting her knitwear brand. Or rather, how wanting to start making knitwear led her on a tour of discovery of discarded and obsolete machinery, meeting contacts in run-down pubs, locating expert knitters that had been put out to pasture, her husband becoming a trojan horse to get…

17/06/2022

Garmology: The last button-maker in the land – With David Courtney, Courtney & Co (#94 S04/E21)

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This week’s guest is David Courtney of Courtney & Co, arguably the last of the traditional button makers in the UK. I was keen to invite David for a chat about how he happened into what is a rather unusual business, requiring as it does both a plethora of machinery and some rather special source materials. Not to mention the…

03/06/2022

Garmology: A twisty tale of endurance – With Chris Hewitt of Hewitt Denim Mills (#92 S04/E19)

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Today’s guest is Chris Hewitt. Chris started out in 2008 wanting to make a pair of sustainable jeans. He’d been dealing in vintage for a while and had a mate that had briefly worked in the fashion industry, so how hard could it be? Harder than he’d imagined, as it turned out. Tune in for the twisty tale of trying…

25/02/2022

Garmology: We make them here! – With Marie and Will of Old Town (S04/E05)

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My guests this week are Marie and Will from Old Town, micro makers of contemporary clothing with references to the past. We talk about the Blitz scene of the ’80s and the twisty way Old Town started off, why they’re not about nostalgia, where the inspiration comes from, how their customer base has evolved over time and the celebrity gardener…