033 – Andy Ogden, English Fine Cottons – Made in Britain Starts Here

Cotton spinning has returned to the UK!Greater Manchester was once known as cottonopolis because it was the home to the world's cotton yarn and fabric production during the industrial revolution.At the turn of the Twentieth Century there were 9,000 people employed in the cotton industry in Ashton-under-Lyne, operating 2 million spindles.But after years of decline the last commercial cotton spinning mill in the UK closed.Three years ago a company called Culimeta-Saveguard, who had been spinning technical fibres in Dunkenfield on the outskirts of Manchester decided to bring cotton spinning back to the UK.English Fine Cottons now supplies well known designer brands and high street retailers with cotton yarn that is used in bedding, shirts and outerwear.I took a tour round the mill and chatted with Andy Ogden, General Manager of English Fine Cottons.In this interview you'll hear all about how English Fine Cottons came about, and how they are closing one of the broken loops in the UK's fragmented textile supply chain.Show notes for this podcast - makeitbritish.co.uk/033More about English Fine CottonsMy visit to Tower Mill when it was still a building site in 2016Stay in TouchBritish Brand Accelerator - Find out how you can work with me to build your British-made brandMake it British websiteJoin Make it British - become a member of our community and promote your business in our directory or UK-made brands and manufacturersMake it British on InstagramMake it British on YouTube - subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch many of the podcast episodes as videos.