John Smedley reopens for third-party manufacturing after 40-year hiatus

Traditional knitwear specialist John Smedley is betting that UK manufacturing can return to a much-changed world and is investing millions to make his factory in England available for third-party manufacturing for the first time in four decades.

The globally owned brand said it has seen growing demand for manufacturing services and has earmarked a £4.5 million investment to make it a reality.

British brand Daks has signed up for a 12-piece collaborative knitwear collection in a reversal of an offshoring process that began in 2000.

The UK fashion sector has experienced a steady process of offshoring since the 1980s, as production moved to parts of the world where labor was cheaper and more skilled, with faster turnaround times. .

But reports show that more and more senior executives see Britain as a more competitive location for manufacturing.

Managing director Ian Maclean said: “John Smedley is spending more than £3 million to install state-of-the-art Shima Seiki machinery in its factories. It is a generational change in its manufacturing capabilities, allowing us to meet our own needs and those of our customers. “Clients internationally can work with us as partners and benefit from our skills and experience, honed over generations. Our commitment to responsible manufacturing makes our proposition good for brands, good for the world and good for everyone.”

With issues surrounding overseas production – from ethics to airline miles, delivery bottlenecks and lack of transparency – more companies are considering offshoring. But skills shortages are a problem.

Maclean added that many of his company's craftsmen have worked at the factory for decades, “offering unrivaled experience on British soil for third-party brands.” The manufacturing spectrum ranges from fine 19 micron gauge knitwear to thick fisherman's sweaters.

But the chances of offshoring being key for mass-market brands are slim, as UK manufacturers cannot replicate the scale available in places like China. That means it's likely to remain an option only for short runs and high-end products.

However, the company is doing everything it can to make this happen.

This year, John Smedley will invest a further £1.5 million to complete renovations at its existing manufacturing site. This includes a major expansion of its design and new product development team, particularly investing in new technology for programming and developing designs.

It also includes the relocation and expansion of washing and dyeing functions. Brands can choose from more than 70 fiber and color combinations each season: their on-site dry cleaning “offers unlimited possibilities in terms of color development.”

And a new scheme, launched with Yorkshire textile recycling factory Iinouiio, will turn waste yarns into new ones. These new fully recycled and recyclable fibers will launch first in John Smedley channels from October 2024 and will be available to external brands from AW25.