Will UK Brands Commit to Producing 1% of Their Clothing in Leicester?

A fairer garment industry in the United Kingdom requires skin in the game, labor activists say.

It's why the likes of Labour Behind the Label, Remake and No Sweat have signed an open letter urging Britain's biggest apparel purveyors such as Marks & Spencer, Matalan and Next to commit to manufacturing at least 1 percent of their production in the East Midlands city of Leicester, once a booming center of "Made in the U.K.," now a shell of its former glory that's near-synonymous with poverty pay and exploitation. It comes a year after 500 workers waved picket signs at Spinney Hill Park to stump for decent work and equitable wages.

"We see Leicester's potential to become a model hub for a more sustainable industry, but in order to realize this vision, we need U.K. brands to step up," the letter said. "With the looming challenges of climate breakdown and economic pressure, now is the time for U.K. brands to lead the way in a new direction, putting sustainable jobs at the heart of their business model."

Boohoo Group was among the few household names to invest in Leicester, albeit under less than salubrious circumstances. In the wake of a 2020 scandal over unsafe conditions and sub-minimum wages at its suppliers, the e-tail giant helped fund the creation of the Leicester Garment and Textile Workers Trust with the goal of employing "guidance, advocacy and remedy" to tackle "some of the immediate and future needs" of Leicester's workers. This was followed by the establishment of a state-of-the-art "center of excellence" on Thurmaston Lane that would provide job opportunities, training and development. Four years later, the problems of Leicester's mostly immigrant and second-generation workforce—many of them women—have intensified, the trust is "restrategizing," per one insider, and the model factory has shuttered .

Decades of globalization have also left their mark, said Kaenat Issufo, community engagement lead at Labour Behind the Label. Brand relocation and cost-cutting measures, she said, have translated into fewer hours and dwindling wages, leaving workers to "shoulder the economic burden alone while compliance and labor rights violations go unchecked both here and abroad."

But it's not too late for Leicester, the letter said. With "decent wages, workers' rights guarantees and a commitment to training and upskilling the workforce," the city could still become a "beacon of ethical fashion production" that allows brands to dodge the hefty carbon costs of long-distance shipping. Doing all this would also bring economic stability to a city that once "clothed the world," ensuring that workers receive fair wages, propping up the domestic economy and curtailing Britain's reliance on "unsustainable" global supply chains that are vulnerable to geopolitical disruptions.

Speaking to a translator in Gujarati, one worker described the 1 percent pledge, if it happens, as a "huge step forward" that will allow everyone to benefit from the work opportunities it brings.

"We all need work; we are struggling," the worker said. "Right now, I have only a few hours of work and this means I am unable to afford a living, let alone a decent living. We don't understand who is responsible for this but whoever it is needs to do something about this."

Squeezed by the ever-rising cost of living, workers in the U.K. garment sector face an "urgent crisis," Issufo said. "The majority of them are simply not earning enough for a decent quality of life for themselves and their families. With brands refusing to take accountability for supply chain abuses and the government failing to enforce penalties, these workers bear the full brunt of job insecurity and financial strain."

The letter, which is backed by a public petition with more than 2,800 signatures, said that the British fashion industry can demonstrate a "new model of success"—one that benefits workers, local communities and the planet—by committing to sustainable, well-paid jobs, not only in Leicester, but globally.

"From high fashion to the high street, U.K. brands lead the industry," it said, pointing to the results of a 2022 Make It British survey, which showed that 69 percent of consumers are more likely to buy U.K.-made products post-Brexit and the pandemic. "Now is the time for them to extend that leadership to the realm of social and environmental responsibility."