Made in Leicester: How do you rebuild after a supply chain scandal?

This article is part of a series in which we unpack what the “Made in Great Britain” label stands for in 2025 and what it tells us about the future of onshoring. Read our series about “Made in Italy” and “Made in India” here.

Five years ago, the small English city of Leicester was shaken by a scandal of the fashion supply chain, which revealed worldwide. The Labor campaign group behind the label claimed that in some Leicester factories, which mainly delivered a quick fashion giant Boohoo, has found evidence of modern slavery, with some clothing workers only paid 3.50 GBP per hour (less than half of the national minimum wage at that time). The government hired an official investigation and renovation plan and a mass amplifier of fashion brands began. In just a few months, Leicester passed from over 1,000 fashion abrasions to no more than 50, since the orders were dry.

The city's industry, once dying out, now shows flicker of life. Last week, the remaining manufacturers of the city placed in the United Front on the relaunched and expanded Leicester trade fair. After they were persecuted by what several discussion participants referred to as “sensational” press and have been stigmatized by the scandal for half a decade, they say that they are ready for a fresh start. The organizer of Event, Jenny Holloway, founder of the London -based manufacturer Fashion Entering and the Upskilling Hub Fashion Technology Academy, based in Leicester, told the participants that the 2020 scandal was “very exaggerated” and “blown out of all proportions”. She insisted that the few “villain dealers” had been stamped, although there are continued reports from clothing workers who counteract this. According to Holloway, Leicester is ready for a lighter, more ethical and circular future, led by the clothing and textile manufacturer association (ATMF), from which it was appointed chairman at the beginning of this year.

For some, the event was a welcome realignment of Leicester's potential strengths as a production node-namely the potential to offer small, on which operating systems with fast turnarounds and minimal waste, which the supporters say that the high costs for the production can ethically compensate for in Great Britain. Several brands and retailers took part in the event, including John Lewis, Debenhams, Gymshark, Asos, Sainsbury's, never completely dressed and Seidenfred. Peter Chandler, head of the Leicester city council, told the participants that Leicester could “be a unique position in order to be the center of textile production in this century”. Rosie Wrighting, the Labor MP for Kettering (a neighbor -neighbor Leicester), said that Leicester must “speak proudly about the production of clothing because it is part of our economy and our culture”.

Others remain skeptical. The conservative MP Shivani Raja represents Leicester East, where the unemployment rate is the national average thanks to the closures of the clothing factory. Her mother was one of those who lost her work when the scandal broke. According to Raja, her focus is on finding new employment opportunities for your voters in other industries instead of reviving the fashion industry. “The world has changed a lot,” she says. “Why take a dead horse?”

The American lawyer Jennifer Wascak, who spoke in Leicester Made, was involved in the city's renovation efforts during the pandemic. It had stumbled on a petition submitted in accordance with Section 307 of the US Tariff Act, which forbids the import of goods that were made by forced workers, and the view that it could be a useful leverage for Leicester clothing workers. WASCAK was a co-founder of a Community Interest Company named Justice in Fashion in 2020 and organized drop-in consulting clinics for clothing workers. What she found asked for her perception of progress and proved how difficult it would be to really coordinate the exploitation.