Leicester garment makers color of crisis as fast-fashion brands squeeze suppliers | Manufacturing sector
Leicester’s garment makers have said they are in crisis as a growing number of fast-fashion brands are forcing through discounts, making last-minute cancellations and imposing financial penalties for what suppliers claim are tiny errors. In the east Midlands city – where manufacturers make clothes for a range of brands including Boohoo, Misguided and Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and the online specialist Missguided – hundreds of garment businesses have shut in recent years, local organizations say, and suppliers warn that more are likely to follow. The non-profit cooperative Labor Behind the Label estimated there were 1,000 factories in Leicester in 2020 and that number has now halved. Factories say their profits are being squeezed by punitive practices, last-minute cancellations and unexpected changes to orders as retailers attempt to rein in costs amid disappointing sales....
