ATMF Brings Leicester Manufacturers Together to Strengthen the UK Industry Voice
Leicester’s garment and textile manufacturers came together at the Fashion Hub on 20th August for the latest Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Federation (ATMF) meeting, with collaboration and a stronger collective voice at the heart of the discussion.
Despite the summer holiday period, the meeting attracted a strong turnout both in person and online, reflecting the growing appetite among manufacturers to work together on the challenges and opportunities facing UK production.
The key announcement was the forthcoming “Unlocking Public Procurement: Unifying the Voice of the UK Fashion and Textile Manufacturing Industry” meeting, taking place at Portcullis House, Westminster, on 16th September 2026.
The event will bring together manufacturers, industry organisations, MPs and government procurement bodies, with the aim of creating a clearer, shared understanding of the barriers facing UK fashion and textile manufacturers seeking public-sector contracts.
For ATMF, the Westminster meeting represents an important next step in bringing the industry together around a common position. Rather than individual factories navigating procurement opportunities alone, the ambition is to create stronger collaboration across the sector and identify practical ways to make public procurement more accessible to UK manufacturers.
The meeting will be hosted by Rt Hon David Lammy, alongside representatives from the Garment & Textile Workers Trust, UK Fashion & Textile Association, ATMF, Fashion-Enter Ltd/FashionCapital and a broad group of industry stakeholders. The focus will be firmly on collective action: what needs to change, what the industry can offer and how government and manufacturers can work more effectively together.
The Leicester meeting also provided an opportunity to update manufacturers on several ongoing initiatives, including the final data upload for the In Factories We Trust website, the submission of the Home Office PQQ for military wear, Manchester Made & Regions November 26, and new economic modelling examining the wider benefits of UK manufacturing.
The momentum reflects a wider change in the way Leicester’s manufacturing community is approaching the future. Recent ATMF initiatives have increasingly focused on connecting factories with retailers, policymakers and one another, recognising that collaboration can give UK manufacturers greater visibility and access to opportunities.