According to Kate Hills, founder of Make it British, the campaign to encourage more people to buy British and manufacture in the UK, the greatest threat to the renaissance of British fashion is a lack of skills. According to two thirds of the UK manufacturers, the average age of their workforce is over 40 and a key challenge is how to attract more young people into the industry.

Skills and training will be high on the agenda at this year’s Make it British Live! when the UKFT (UK Fashion and Textile Association) will team up with Make it British to curate a manufacturing skills exhibition at the two-day event on May 23-24 at the Truman Brewery, London.

The exhibition will highlight the work being done to support a new generation of skilled talent to enable UK manufacturers to thrive and will include a skills consultation area with UKFT’s skills and training specialists. A key feature will be the UKFT Made It project, which aims to improve the production and sourcing skills of the UK’s fashion graduates.