Sales growth and efficiency gains have helped UK fashion manufacturers “recover their margins and put them on a firm footing for 2026”, a sometimes upbeat quarterly performance report shows.
Archivo
New figures from inventory management specialist Unleashed reveal Q3 2025 revenue from sales rebounded with small- and mid-sized firms generating an average of £500,517 – nearly 5% more than the previous quarter.
But it’s not all rosey as profitability, measured as gross margin percentage (GMP), dropped slightly (-2.5pp) compared to the previous quarter, “as lead times, purchasing volumes and stock on hand value all dropped”. Here, lead times fell from 32 to 22 days (-31% quarter-on-quarter), while purchase orders (POs) and stock on hand declined 56% and 33.5%, respectively.
Joe Llewellyn, GM of ERP Small Business at The Access Group, parent company of Unleashed, said clothing, footwear and accessories manufacturers had “moved quickly to protect their margins” with the last quarter “characterised by a determined push towards efficiency.
“Sales revenue was healthy, even if it didn’t reach the dizzy heights of the same period last year. But our data shows that purchasing and lead times were both down quarter on quarter, a sign of weakened demand reflected in the contracted PMI for this period.”
He added: “This, along with ongoing cost pressures, prompted fashion manufacturers to act. They’ve moved from cautious ‘just in case’ stock building in Q2 to a leaner ‘just in time’ approach, cutting their margins and stock on hand to protect their margins and cash flow.”
Looking ahead, Llewellyn added that “operational excellence” would be key to succeeding in a low-growth, high-cost environment.
“Going into 2026, fashion manufacturers will need to make the most of data to enable forecast-driven replenishment, track landed costs in real-time, and identify and convert excess stock into cash. Doing more with less is the new reality, seen in the continued trend in industrial automation.”
February’s Spring Fair has announced the full content programme for its February edition with a big focus on licensing via its Licensing Lab sessions.
Spring Fair
Licensing Lab, the event’s dedicated stage and experiential hub will be “championing the commercial power of licensing, storytelling and brand collaboration”.
Contained within the Home, Gift and Fashion event taking place (1-4 February) at NEC Birmingham, Licensing Lab will bring together leading licensors, agencies, retail buyers, and brand innovators for “insight-rich sessions designed to inspire, inform and ignite new opportunities”.
Positioned within Spring Fair’s new creative direction ‘Retail Alchemists – Masters of the Mix’, the programme highlights include Bagpuss Family Fandom (11am, 1 February) describing how ‘Comfort Brands Are Winning in ‘Unusual’ Times’. Delivered by Michael Ford, CEO & Creative Director, Threewise Entertainment, the agency behind the Bapguss character, it “explores how nostalgia IP continues to dominate in moments of cultural uncertainty”.
‘Beyond the Brand Slap: What Do Authentic Collaborations Look Like?’ (2pm 1 February), is presented by Jeremy Orriss & Anne Bradford, Difuzed, unveiling “what real partnership looks like – rooted in shared values, storytelling and long-term consumer relevance”.
‘Inside the Design: How Liberty’s Studio Turns Heritage into New Opportunities’ (11am 2 February) sees Alice Molyneaux, head of Licensing and Brand Partnerships, Liberty, “take a rare look inside the department store’s design studio”.
‘Wallace & Gromit Cross Borders: How Aardman Adapts to Audiences Worldwide’ (12 noon, 2 February) features Susan Bolsover, senior licensing manager, Aardman, showing how “timeless characters, strong identity and cross-cultural charm are helping Wallace & Gromit reach new generations around the world”.
‘Stand Out with Ease: How Working with Designers Drives Retail Success’ (2pm, 2 February) features Emma Lawrence, Emma Lawrence Designs, delivering a practical session revealing how “illustrator-led licensing offers originality without requiring blockbuster characters”.
‘The Licensing Link: Connecting Data, Design and Doing Better’ (11am 3 February) allows Andrew Xeni (Fabacus; Nobody’s Child; Soreto) and Helena Mansell-Stopher (Products of Change) to deep-dive into how “structured data, sustainable design and digital visibility transform the licensing value chain”.
‘The Power of Quiet Licensing: The Joules Blueprint for Sustainable Growth’ (2pm, 2 February) features Victoria Downes, Licensing manager, and Josie Will, Business Development manager of Joules, sharing how “values-led, subtly integrated licensing (including its celebrated Peter Rabbit collection) strengthens relevance, trust and cross-generational appeal, while also expanding its own IP into lifestyle categories”.
Finally, ‘Licensing Law Made Simple: What Every Brand and Retailer Should Know’ (3pm, 3 February) by John Burns, JMW Solicitors, “navigates IP, contracts, approvals and risk when sourcing or selling licensed products”.
Also, Spring Fair introduces its three-day ‘Merchant’s Corner’ feature, “bringing retail’s future into sharp focus”, offering independent retailers, brands, and buyers “practical insights, data-backed strategies and future-facing inspiration. It aims to demonstrate how “physical retail, digital innovation, community connection and commercial creativity come together to empower modern retail success”.
Designed as an indie-shopfront-inspired space at the heart of Hall 3, The Merchant’s Corner brings together “leading independents, retail strategists and high-street champions to share what’s really working in today’s market”.
Sessions include, ‘eCommerce Best Practices for 2026’ (10:20, 1 February, noon 3 February) featuring CDA’s Stuart Alldis sharing the “mistakes to avoid, the metrics that matter and why discovery stages save money and maximise ROI”.
‘Hard Times, Smart Retail’ (11:10 , 1 February) brings together Anna Donoghue (Piglet in Bed), Shirley Maciver (Orange Blossom), Graham Soult (CannyInsights), and Catherine Erdly (Resilient Retail Club) to reveal tactics for “keeping independent retailers profitable, blending digital tools, alternative revenue streams and smarter margin management”.
Other sessions include the ‘Faire Forecast 2026’ with Charlotte Broadbent from Faire sharing the “data-backed trends shaping next year’s buying landscape”; ‘Invisible Influence: Social Commerce 2026’ on “how shoppable content and algorithm-led discovery now drive purchasing decisions”; and ‘The High Street Comeback’ on how “independents are driving local revival and attracting younger shoppers’ with Renes Fashion.
London exhibition ‘Performance Without Toxicity’ opens next month (26 January to end-June) at the Fabrica X innovation gallery in King’s Cross, and as the title suggests, the ‘powerful’ event aims to point the spotlight the technologies now redefining performance wear for a “cleaner, healthier future”.
Vivobarefoot
Organiser The Mills Fabrica points to a global sportswear market — set to be worth $350.45 billion by 2032 — “facing mounting pressure to move away from toxic petroleum-based materials as consumers become increasingly concerned about their health”.
So Performance Without Toxicity showcases the innovators “who demonstrate a roadmap to a future where high performance and environmental health can go hand in hand”.
Topping the bill as lead innovation partner is Japanese technical outdoor and lifestyle apparel brand Goldwin, whose design philosophy centres on the belief that clothing should elevate the harmony between people and the natural world.
The exhibition spotlights breakthroughs from its portfolio companies backed by a corporate venture arm, including a “boundary-pushing” collaboration with London-based brand J.L-A.L.
Other key exhibition collaborators include elastane producer Hyosung, compostable, bio-based shoe producer Balena; regenerative footwear company Lenzing and The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp, co-demonstrating bio-renewable materials at a commercial scale; repairer/upcycler United Repair Centre, and footwear innovator Vivobarefoot.
“Collectively, these innovators chart a positive path away from ‘performance at any cost’ toward performance with purpose where advanced materials, circular systems, and human health drive the next era of sport and apparel design”, Mills Fabrica said.
Do you prefer your Christmas in a hot or cold climate? No bother, Farm Rio has both covered with its Holiday Season 2025 campaign.
Farm Rio
‘Glad to be together, wherever you celebrate’ is the philosophy behind the fashion retailer’s global campaign “that unites both hemispheres in one vibrant ‘cheers’”!
The campaign fits in well with the brand’s “passion for culture in all its forms” ethos, “design[ing] clothing for life’s happiest moments… that moves effortlessly from sand to snow, from creative winter layers to the ease of summer warmth”.
Set between Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema beach and Europe’s Alps, the campaign “plays with contrasts, remixing local traditions and celebrating the joyful, festive maximalism that defines the season”.
New York, Paris, and London appear as key destinations, each unveiling a limited-edition printed tote bag and T-shirt as “colourful souvenirs of this global spirit”.
But this isn’t all. At the heart of the season campaign is The Farm Rio Gift Shop, a one-stop shop offering over 100 gift ideas including “everything you need for everyone you love”, from bags, scarves, homewares, to cards and mugs.
To complete the season, the brand recently launched its Holiday Capsule featuring “sleek tailoring, bodycon silhouettes, and glossy fabrics featured across bold rose prints and 3D embellishments.
To celebrate the season, selected store windows, including London’s Carnaby Street, also feature luminous installations in partnership with Pirilampos do Planeta co-design project, committed to responsible socio-environmental practices.
Politics8 years ago