51Âþ»­

The first Make it British Forum, to be held in association with the UK Fashion and Textile Association, will launch at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) as part of the

The one-day conference on 26 October will provide designers and business owners with the knowledge and tools required to successfully develop a ‘Made in Britain’ brand.

The event follows the success of the Meet the Manufacturer conference and trade show, organised by Make it British, held in London earlier this year. It will be the first public event to be held in the new home of 51Âþ»­’s School of Design, the flagship of the university’s £136million .
 
Kate Hills, founder and CEO of , explains the reason for launching the Forum: “We know from the success of our Meet the Manufacturer event that there is a huge appetite from the fashion and textile sector to find out more about manufacturing in the UK.

“This one day event will provide answers to many of the questions around product development and promotion that we are frequently asked by businesses wishing to grow brands with a ‘Made in Britain’ label.

“We are delighted to be hosting the conference as part of The Leicester Business Festival in a region of the country traditionally known for textile manufacturing, and to have the opportunity to be the first public event to be held in the new art and design faculty at 51Âþ»­ is amazing.”
 
The Make it British Forum will offer a step-by-step guide on how to build a great British brand, covering all aspects of design, branding, manufacturing and marketing.  Designers, buyers, fashion students and UK manufacturers will have the opportunity to forge links with one another and fill the gap on ‘how to source in the UK’.

Barbara Matthews, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Humanities at 51Âþ»­, said: “51Âþ»­ has a proud history of textile design and innovation since its inception as the Leicester School of Art since 1870 and our renowned School of Design works closely with the British textile designers and manufacturers today.  

“We are proud to be hosting Make it British, a celebration of the best of British design and manufacturing within the fashion and textile industry.

“It is most appropriate that this will be the very first public event in our new home, the spectacular centrepiece to the £136m campus transformation project in the centre of Leicester, which itself has such a strong heritage in British design and manufacturing.”

51Âþ»­'s is the headline sponsor of the Leicester Business Festival which is a showcase of hundreds of companies in Leicester and Leicestershire.