Manufacturing in Leicester
The art of making goods in Leicester can be traced back as far back as the Romans, however the area really came to the fore from the mid-19th century in the form of factories and warehouses.
By the mid-20th Century the success of its hosiery and footwear industries, and the growth of textile giants such as Corah and Wolsey, led to the slogan that; ‘Leicester Clothes the World’. By 1936 the city was recognised as the second richest in Europe thanks to its booming textile industry.
While manufacturing has been in decline across the UK in recent decades there are many modern industries thriving in Leicester with firms based in and around the city focused on professional and financial services, advanced manufacturing and engineering, life sciences, space and digital technology and of course textiles design, manufacturing and technology.
Leicester Textiles Today
While UK manufacturing has declined from its peak in the last century, Leicester has continued to maintain a hub of textile manufacturers and garment makers. Every component is available in Leicester to make a complete garment.
The benefits of UK sourcing are vast and are necessary to move towards a carbon neutral future. Leicester offers end-to-end speed from design concept to made product, eliminating waste and unnecessary freight and transport costs.
It supports retailers with accuracy in their buy volumes, meaning that orders can be confirmed very close to purchase – which in turn reduces waste in over buying and the reduces the risk in getting trends wrong and creating unwanted stock.
It also provides work for employees in Britain, providing them with skills and a career in UK textiles.
Multi Cultural Leicester
Leicester is a vibrant and multi-cultural city, due its history of receiving migrants from all over the world.
The nineteenth century saw the arrival of Jewish, Irish and Italian migrants, who were joined by Belgian refugees during the First World War. The 1930s and 40s saw the arrival of refugees from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, as well as a second wave of Irish migrants. In the 1950s, the city’s Caribbean population arrived, predominantly from Antigua and Jamaica. Migrants from the Indian subcontinent began to settle in Leicester in the 1960s and their numbers were greatly bolstered by the arrival of East African Asians in the early 1970s.
In August 1972, Ugandan president Idi Amin announced that Uganda’s entire Asian population had 90 days to leave the country. Nearly a quarter of Ugandan refugees who came to Britain in 1972 settled in Leicester.
Since the 1980s, Leicester has seen the arrival of many small migrant groups, including those from Vietnam and the former Yugoslavia, as well as refugees from Monserrat. During the 1990s, the Somali community grew significantly, with migrants moving from the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway. Since the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, a significant amount of Eastern Europeans have arrived in Leicester.
This means that in Leicester, no one ethnic group is in the majority. The white British 45% and Indian 28% are the largest ethnic groups. The remainder of the population comprises a diverse mix of ethnic groups, including White Other 5%, Asian Other 4%, African 4% and Pakistani 2% making for a culturally diverse region.
