Tony O’Connor, a leading designer, who brought Marks and Spencer menswear to London Fashion Week for the first time in 2014 with his Best of British collection, will be at this year’s Meet the Manufacturer event to celebrate the best in British design and manufacturing with his Great British Fashion showcase.

He will be showing a range of outfits from a raft of different designers and manufacturers that capture the strength of skills and breadth of styles available in the UK today.

“I’m delighted to be working together with Kate Hills on this showcase, which I hope will inspire and surprise people, showing British manufacturing at its best. I’ve met a lot of great people along the way in putting this display together exclusively for Meet the Manufacturer and I look forward to meeting more at the event in May. My aim is for British fashion to be the new buzz word for luxury,” said O’Connor.

Collection

The top designer will be showing a range of 16 outfits across men’s, women’s and kidswear from a cross section of suppliers, giving an overview of different styles, from contemporary through to the more traditional. In his travels, O’Connor has gathered a raft of images, which will be displayed at the event, giving a snapshot of the manufacturers in situ and a taster of these skilled craftsmen at work.

Meet the Manufacturer will also provide the platform for him to preview his own new menswear collection – CONNOR – ahead of showing fashion press and buyers during London Fashion Week. Using only British manufacturers and fabrics, the collection includes tailored suits, outerwear, knitwear, shoes and accessories.

“This is another first for Meet the Manufacturer. We’re very excited to be working with Tony, who is renowned for his vision, and I’ve no doubt that his showcase will highlight the great talent that we have in this country and bring a ‘wow’ factor to our event,” commented Kate Hills, CEO and founder of Make it British.

Programme highlights

Meet the Manufacturer takes place from 25-26 May at the Old Truman Brewery, London. Organised by Make it British, the campaign for the return of fashion and textiles manufacturing to the UK, it includes a two-day conference programme. It features a line-up of eminent speakers plus a trade show, showcasing some of the top knitters, weavers, tanneries, leather-goods makers, CMT units and lingerie factories in Britain today.

New for 2016 is Innovation Accelerator and Designer’s Den style competition, for enterprising manufacturers and designers to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. Another first is me and my manufacturer for designers and manufacturers to come together for a panel discussion to share the secrets of building a good partnership with your factory.

Make it British has also collaborated with the British Fashion Council (BFC) to co-host a debate and networking party at the Meet the Manufacturer event on 25 May to bring together key designers and manufacturers to discuss positive fashion and sustainability in the British fashion industry.

www.meetthemanufacturer.co.uk

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