UKFT champions UK textile manufacturing and supports this part of the sector with a tailored membership offer. Textile members have full access to the core UKFT membership benefits, as well as the following:

• Matchmaking: through targeted introductions to new clients
• Tradeshows: advice on access to financial support for international textile tradeshows through government funding, in addition to support to export and reach new markets
• Networking: exclusive networking opportunities with other manufacturers and businesses across the rest of the industry
• Partnerships: facilitating introductions between member businesses for collaboration, partnerships and best practice sharing
• Promotion: the opportunity to promote your business to the network through the UKFT newsletter, website and social media
• Textile Forum: UKFT is one of the founders of Textile Forum, a show established to provide short-run textiles to the fashion design community. Contact us about exhibiting at info@ukft.org
• Royal visits: UKFT’s President HRH The Princess Royal regularly visits UKFT manufacturing members, from central London to rural Scotland to celebrate Britain’s rich and varied manufacturing heritage
• Manufacturing Heroes: a campaign to uncover the hidden heroes behind the UK fashion and textile industry. UKFT is working with members and their teams to highlight the inspiring images of the environment and people that work within the production side of the industry
• Letsmakeithere.org: UKFT’s new-look, free sourcing database for UK fashion and textiles, which is now available in 7 languages. UKFT members will receive enhanced listings, promotional spotlights and UKFT member badging
• Access to funding: UKFT can offer advice on attracting investment for your business, as well as highlighting relevant funding opportunities for the industry, both local and nationwide
• Bid support: UKFT will support members’ funding bids where appropriate
• Textile Technician training programme: Funding is now available for businesses to train young textile technicians across the UK. Find out more here
• Skills development: UKFT aims to raise the skills and productivity of the people who work in the fashion and textile industry to the highest level, ensuring the UK sector remains competitive in a global marketplace. Find out more about what we are doing and how you can get involved here
• Apprenticeship and training advice: Access to UKFT’s skills and training team for tailored support from developing a training strategy for your business, to identifying appropriate training and qualifications, to introductions to training partners
• Export support to enter new markets and expand globally
• Textile Trend forecasting: UKFT produces the British Colour and Textile Trends for each season in association with The Campaign for Wool to promote British weavers of quality wool fabrics to an international audience at Première Vision
• Work with our academic members to support the development of industry-fit training and career advice. Donate surplus materials to training programmes; host student tours of your premises; introduce students to your business
• Representation: UKFT represents the needs of the manufacturing industry to both local and national government, as well as promoting the industry as a whole to the national and trade press
• Make your voice heard on a variety of issues from pay (UKFT gives regular evidence to the government’s Low Pay Commission on the impact of the National Living Wage) to employment conditions (UKFT is working closely with the Home Office and the GLAA with the aim of eradicating labour exploitation in garment supply chains as a signatory to the Apparel and General Merchandise Public and Private Protocol). More here.
• Environmental programmes: UKFT promotes the environment and sustainability through initiatives including the Climate Change Levy and provides guidance on REACH chemical policy. More here
• Secretariat: UKFT provides the secretariat for two textile trade associations, the Lancashire Textile Manufacturers’ Association (LTMA) and the Silk Association of Great Britain (SAGB).

More about UKFT’s work with textile businesses can be found here.

For more information and to join, please contact membership@ukft.org.