Rita Britton is somewhat of a fashion legend. 

For 50 years she ran an independent fashion store in Barnsley, Yorkshire called Polyanna, which was an International hub for luxury fashion stocked with Rita's unique style.

When Polyanna closed in 2014, Rita focused on developing her own brand, Nomad, made in the UK with fabrics sourced from Yorkshire mills such as Abraham Moon and Joshua Ellis.

Rita has a very loyal customer base, and she knows a thing or two about retail and fashion. So it was fascinating to hear her thoughts on manufacturing in the UK as part of a panel discussion we held at the Make it British virtual event in 2020.

I’ve picked out some of Rita’s best bits for you to listen to here on the podcast, including her thoughts on educating people to buy better and buy less, why there has never been a better time to bring manufacturing back home, and how the UK makes some of the best textiles in the world, yet we are encouraging young people to work in nail bars and do eyebrows rather than work someone and make clothes!

Literally, every line Rita comes up with is a gem - there are some real pearls of wisdom in here, which are great to hear from someone that has been in the fashion industry for as long as Rita has.

Discover:

• The companies Rita has founded and her mission to reduce waste in the fashion industry 04:17
• Rita's thoughts on how waste could be reduced at the retail and consumer end of the fashion supply chain 06:46
• What Rita's thoughts on young customers and their care for the planet compared to the older generation 08:53
• How Rita believes the fashion industry is totally sales driven and how she's trying to do things differently at Nomad 12:28

More Rita Britton & Nomad Atelier

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