Which Textiles Are Made in the UK?

British manufacturers and traders are making texts in the country. 

And they’re doing it with a lot of money. 

They’re investing in textile factories, importing and exporting textiles from overseas and using their factories to produce textiles that are exported to the rest of the world. 

We spoke to four textile manufacturers and textile traders to find out what they’re making and why. 

“Textile manufacturing is the fastest-growing sector of the UK economy,” says Steve Roddick, director of the textile trade association, the Association of Textile Manufacturers.

“We’re seeing more and more people moving into textiles.

We’re seeing textile exports, particularly for textiles coated with polyurethane.” 

But is it sustainable? 

“It’s not a sustainable industry.

You’re going to get less value out of the product,” says Stephen Gorman, co-founder of Textiles International.

“I think a lot is dependent on the environment.

There are some places that have the most protection and then it’s all downhill from there.””

We’ve all heard the term green textile but I don’t think that’s the right word.

It’s not sustainable.

It takes a lot to make a green textile.” 

What does a textile make? 

According to the British Textile Association, there are more than 30,000 textile factories in the British Isles. 

But the industry has suffered in recent years from rising costs. 

According with the British Board of Trade (BBT), the average wage per textile worker has fallen by 11% in real terms over the last 15 years. 

The BBT has warned that there are many reasons for the falling wages, including a rise in the cost of labour and automation, as well as increasing demand from the consumer market. 

These issues have made it a difficult industry for British manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace. 

In 2013, British textile manufacturers had to cut wages and pay rates by 5.5%. 

The average pay per textile wage fell by 12% in 2014 compared to the previous year. 

This year, the BBT said that the average wages of British workers will be down by 6.6% this year compared to last year. 

 What about the quality? 

Many of the textiles we spoke to said they are very high quality. 

Ian Bower, president of the British Cotton and Textile Society, said that textiles were produced in a “top notch factory”. 

“The British cotton industry is a really, really good one,” he says.

“They have been doing this for the last 100 years.

The quality of the cotton is excellent.

It has been a very long time since we’ve seen a textile that is this good.” 

In fact, the British textile industry is estimated to have earned the country £1.6bn in exports last year and employs more than 20,000 people. 

What’s next for textile manufacturing? 

British textile manufacturers have been looking to the global market for a while now. 

During the first quarter of this year, textile exports rose to £8.5bn, up by 10% on the same period last year, and were the second highest in the world behind China. 

At the same time, imports from the European Union (EU) rose by 1% to £7.9bn, a 14% increase over the previous quarter. 

On top of that, British companies are planning on increasing their overseas investments and increasing the number of overseas locations they have set up in the next few years. 

 “We’re looking at a lot more of an export-led future,” says Bower.

“Our exports will continue to rise, but our import revenues will continue increasing.” 

“We will continue exporting to the US, to the Middle East and to Asia.” 

Will textile prices rise? 

Ian Roddack of the Textiles Association says the textile industry will continue in the future. 

However, he warns that prices for fabrics are rising due to the increasing demand for textile fabrics, particularly with consumers moving towards high-quality textiles and the introduction of artificial fabrics. 

Bower says that as demand rises, prices for the fabrics will go up, which will also drive down the number and quality of textiles in the market.

“There will be a huge increase in the prices for textured products,” he adds.

“But the textile sector has got a long way to go before it can compete with that demand.” 

Why do textile factories overseas want to invest in Britain? 

The British Textiles industry employs more people than any other textile industry in the nation. 

Some of them work in the factory, which is located in Stirling, in the heart of the Scottish city of Stirling. 

Many textile companies are also based in the United Kingdom. 

It’s estimated that there were more than 250 textile factories across the UK in 2015,