It's #BuyBritishDay but are fashion consumers really interested in where their clothes are made?

How important is a Made in Britain label to consumers?

If you’re reading this it’s likely you have an interest in British-made goods. Whether you’re a designer, manufacturer, retailer or blogger you will hold a Made in Britain label in high esteem. But is your enthusiasm matched by the British consumer?

There was recently some discussion about this on Twitter – the subject was British-made fashions. How much, someone asked, do high street buyers really care about where the clothes they buy are made?

Mintel, the global market research company, came to the rescue with some information, and it seems that the attitude of consumers may not yet be quite what we would hope for:

- 33% of Brits rate clothes made in Britain as an important factor. This rises to 36% of women, compared to 31% of men. 

- Brits rate durability of clothes as the most important at 88%, with quality of the product finish at 87%. 

- 44% of Brits rate Ethical treatment of workers who make/ manufacture clothing as an important factor and 30% think the retailer being environmentally friendly is important. 

Tweed manufacture at Johnsons of Elgin in Scotland - image Grey Fox

Mintel’s Senior Consumer Analyst, Tamara Sender, added the following comments on Britsh Fashion.

"A third of clothes buyers see clothes made in Britain as an important factor that influences clothes shopping. Interest in locally made clothes peaks among women and older consumers aged 55 and over. Despite this, most consumers still place this relatively low in their priorities with other factors such as quality, low price and latest fashion all taking precedence. 

In the wake of the horsemeat scandal, the importance of buying British food and special attention to the origins of products has been reinforced. There is therefore scope for the fashion industry to promote clothing Made in Britain and to push for some manufacturing to be bought back to the UK. 

There has already been growing interest among retailers in producing some of their garments in the UK to deal with issues of short lead times as consumers demand more regularly updated collections. A clothing manufacturer that supplies retailers including George at Asda, Matalan and Primark opened a factory in Leicester in May 2013, which will allow it to make some of their items in the UK. The heritage revival is also seeing Made in Britain become an important strategy for major UK retailers such as M&S and John Lewis. 

Mintel’s consumer research shows that there is most interest in both clothes Made in Britain and frequently updated clothes from high spenders, meaning there is scope for more retailers to sell limited-edition ranges of locally made clothes at a premium to their regular brands. Retailers including M&S, Asos and Jaeger are already experimenting with this and we expect this to become a growing trend. It is likely that even mid-spenders, who show above-average interest in new collections, and are increasingly mixing and matching more expensive clothes with cheaper clothes, may be willing to splash out on something special and with a link to the UK."

How to get across to and engage with the consumer - Grey Fox's thoughts

It seems to me that you need to keep telling the stories about your brands, emphasise quality, sustainability and ethics of local production (without preaching!) Add to your blogs and websites information and profiles on the skills required, individual workers, the machinery you use - all will help engage the buying public. 

Use social media and bloggers. Without social media you're dead in the water. Bloggers are friendly, good value and, if well-chosen, enthusiastic about British-made products.

See Mintel