Jess O'Riley and James Robinson on setting up Making Room

This week, we welcome two of our recent graduates back on campus so they can catch us up on their game-changing project that's bringing garment production back to Manchester. Jess O'Riley (@j.o.studioo) and James Robinson (@coldonasunday) met for the first time on one of their last days on campus at MFI and realised how much they had in common, as well as how differently they were building their respective fashion brands. What unifies them is a passion for designing and making clothes, but that's hard to do as a small brand. Rather than tap out, they joined forces to establish Making Room (@making_roommcr), a micro-factory and open studio in Manchester, dedicated to ethical, onshore fashion manufacturing. It's about time that small brands can have their collections made in Cottonopolis again. In this episode, we discover the back story, the mission and what the future holds for the city's most accessible micro-manufacturer. Did you enjoy the episode? Send us a text. 💬Subscribe now for new episodes every other Monday. Please take the time to rate and/or review us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your pods. We cherish every rating and review. They help to ensure this project continues.Join Wear Abouts over on Instagram for bonus video content: instagram.com/wearabouts_podYou can also follow Manchester Fashion Institute on Instagram: instagram.com/mcrfashioninstituteAnd check out our courses here: fashioninstitute.mmu.ac.uk