Leicester, a city in the East Midlands of England, is identified as the second hub for expertise in garment designs and fashion by several high retailers because of its heritage for designs in the garment industry, according to The Leicester & Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), a body formed to drive forward sustainable economic growth in Leicester & Leicestershire region.
Speaking to fibre2fashion, economic growth and investment manager of LLEP, Ms. Sue Tilley said, “There are a large number of UK companies looking to source their products in Leicester. This is largely driven by the high street retailers looking for rapid response for the manufacture of seasonal and high fashion items.”
Talking about the heritage of Leicester’s garment sector, she says, “The city has been identified as the second hub for expertise in garment design and technology and many of the high street retailers are working with Leicester apparel suppliers, many of whom offer a vertical service encompassing fabric production, clothing design, sampling, sealing sets, full garment technical support and production,” she informs.
“Leicester has a heritage for design in the garment industry and an embedded culture for creative design as well as the ability to provide design concept for the creation of samples in a remarkable turnaround time,” she continues.
“LLEP is fully supportive of the textile and design sectors and we have regional growth funding, a two year program which starts in April 2013, that can be accessed by companies looking to expand their business operations and recruit new staff”, she adds.
“There are many indigenous companies which are actively looking to buy new plant and machinery as well as recruit new staff due to the increase in demand from the high street,” she mentions.
