Can British fashion coax Gen Z onto the factory floor?

This article is part of a series where we unpack what the ‘Made in the UK’ label stands for in 2025, and what it tells us about the future of onshoring. Read our series on ‘Made in Italy’ here, and ‘Made in India’ here.

The UK’s fashion industry is critically imbalanced. Every year, thousands of young people enter the university education funnel with dreams of becoming fashion designers, merchandisers or stylists — jobs associated with the glamourous façade of the industry. But the number of people lining up to learn to cut, knit, weave or sew clothes has waned drastically, resulting in an incoming workforce with big ideas but limited technical know-how.