The prized Made in Britain label is currently under review, igniting fears that some of Britain’s best-loved manufacturers may lose the coveted stamp of authenticity.
European Union officials want the ‘Made in’ location to be based on the most expensive element in a product. That means handbags designed and made in England with Italian leather by Mulberry, for example, might have to be labelled ‘Made in Italy’.

Yorkshire fabric maker Moon & Sons, which has supplied Savile Row tailors since the 1800s but buys its raw wool from New Zealand, would have to label its products Made in New Zealand

A European Commission spokesperson for industry and entrepreneurship said, ‘Of course I think it is a good idea. It is at the moment draft regulation and the main objective is to improve consumer protection.

‘If something is a traditional product made in Britain then nothing will change – in fact it will be even more of a guarantee for consumers and promote even better clarity.’
Smaller British businesses which sell products that are sourced and manufactured in the UK, and theoretically compete with the likes Mulberry and Savile Row at present, may stand to gain if the proposals are accepted.

Pip Howeson, who runs a small company making bespoke coats and jackets from her studio in London, has labeled the legislation ‘batty’, but does point out that changes could help close loopholes to provide a level playing field for firms that source and produce everything in the UK.
The 31-year-old, who makes all her products in Britain, funded her business Pip Howeson using savings, a launcher loan for the under 30s and investment from Dragon’s Den star Doug Richard and media entrepreneur Chris Ingram.

She believes rules need to be clear cut and should support businesses that are committed to manufacturing and producing solely in Britain.

She says: ‘Made in Britain should be made and entirely sourced in Britain, not the current idea the European Commission has in that the most expensive element of the product that defines its origin. This can lead to to mis-selling to customers who put local manufacture as a priority.

‘We are so proud of our manufacture in this country. Products made in the UK are usually made by happy staff and strictly quality controlled not in vast inhuman factories. with poor standards of care for workers. Made it Britain stands for a history of proper workmanship.’

Howeson says small businesses that currently use the Made in Britain label but source materials elsewhere will be hardest hit if new rules came into play.
And, although critics say new rules could be hugely damaging to many firms, Howeson believes they do not go far enough to protect Britain’s manufacturing industry.
Instead, she would support rules that listed materials separately. For example, a Mulberry handbag could be labeled: ‘Made in Britain with Italian leather’.
She points out: ‘The Made in Britain label is hugely important to both myself and also my clients.

‘I’m committed to promoting the practices of the British textile industries, and only use British mills who continue to produce fabrics of incomparable quality on our very shores. I love meeting the weavers face-to-face and I have such a good relationship with them that I have the ability to order five meters of bespoke fabric. I can then deliver a piece that is really truly unique to my client.
‘It is expensive [to make in Britain]. However the benefits really out weigh this. I don’t have to order vast volume. I have more control and I am not shipping British fabric abroad so avoid those costs and I don’t pass environmental costs, for example shipping to China, to my clients.’

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