Earlier this month, 14th May 2026, Jenny Holloway, CEO of Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) and Chair of the Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Federation (ATMF), delivered an inspiring seminar to the future buyers, sourcing managers and fashion entrepreneurs of tomorrow at De Montfort University.

The session brought together undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines including buying, digital and fashion management, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the future of UK manufacturing and contribute directly to an exciting new industry initiative.

Jenny commented: “I had the privilege of meeting a wide cross section of undergraduates today from different disciplines such as buying, digital and fashion management and they were absolutely on-point.

“The objective was to gather data via an anonymous survey regarding the new website we’re creating for the sector.”

FEL, alongside Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Federation (ATMF), the Garment & Textiles Workers Trust (GTWT) De Montfort University (DMU), Fashion Roundtable and Katherine O’Driscoll from the consultancy agency SP&KO have joined forces to develop the new “In Factories We Trust” platform — a digital directory designed to support ethical, transparent and traceable UK fashion manufacturing.

As part of the research process, students were asked to take on the role of buyers for retailers and brands, reviewing the type of information they would expect to see when selecting a UK factory partner. Their feedback will play an important role in shaping the future design and functionality of the platform while supporting the continued growth of UK garment manufacturing.

Jenny added: “There was some excellent feedback and guidance. Thank you all! Looking forward to reviewing those surveys and keep in touch!

“For those of you graduating this year thank you for attending during such a busy period and best of luck! You’ve ‘got’ that final dissertation!”

The seminar received excellent feedback from both students and academic staff. Carolyn Hardaker, Professor of Teaching and Learning and Head of School of Design Innovation at De Montfort University, said: “Thank you Jenny the students / future fashion industry professionals enjoyed the opportunity to provide feedback!”

Rachel Higginbottom, Senior Lecturer, Programme Leader and Design Researcher in Digital Design, Fashion and Textiles, added: “Thank you, we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the work you and your team are doing, especially the new website project and the advocacy work.”

Students also praised the session, with Avneet Lalria commenting: “It was so interesting learning more about the future of UK manufacturing!”