UK Garment Industry Hit as Fast Fashion Brands Shift to North Africa

The fast fashion brands, which fuel the dependence on cheap clothing, have withdrawn from the market, forcing dozens of factories to close their doors. As a result, the "village of sweatshops" in the UK has become a "ghost town". The rush of major clothing brands to suppliers in Morocco, Turkey and Tunisia is also not without consequences on the sector, reports The SUN, revealing that at least 1,000 workers have lost their jobs and are struggling to feed their children. The residents of Leicester are struggling with this situation, which arose following a general outcry over low wages and working conditions in the East Midlands city, which was compared to the slums of Bangladesh.

"When we moved in, we were surrounded by clothing manufacturers, but they’ve all closed down," says Pete Tuli, a business owner who recently opened the Digital Press signage company in a former garment factory in the North Evington neighborhood of Leicester. He explains: "Last year, you could still hear the machines, but this year, nothing. Two things happened. On the one hand, there were public relations issues following all the reports on the factories during the Covid periods. Secondly, it’s always a matter of who is the cheapest." "With Temu and Shein (two Chinese companies) selling even cheaper clothes made in China, companies have to face competition. So it’s no longer logical for them to source clothes in Leicester," he added.

According to Tuli, with the increase in tax rates and national insurance under the Labor regime, it is impossible to survive. "The manufacturing industry needs a lot more support if it is to have a future in this country," he assured, believing that the English authorities should follow in the footsteps of US President Donald Trump by imposing tariffs that would make importing goods into the UK more expensive. "We will have a hard time being competitive as long as it is as cheap to ship products from Morocco and China," he is convinced.