B S Suthi & Bros has recruited five staff at its Oldbury factory, as reported by Dudley News via Yahoo News UK, to make garments for Lockwood Clothing, giving small British brands a working example of local garment production adding jobs.

Dudley News reported that the factory hired four seamsters and one finishing and dispatch team member, lifting its workforce from 20 to 25, with all new employees from the Black Country.

Dudley News reported that Lockwood Clothing, run by Jacob Lockwood and his wife Ruth, produces British-made outerwear from their home, with much of its manufacturing done in the West Midlands, and that Mr Lockwood left the forces this year after 16 years to run it full-time.

B S Suthi & Bros Ltd, established in 1969 according to its website, is a family-run UK manufacturer of outerwear, workwear and waterproofs whose Oldbury factory the Made in Britain directory says houses more than 25 skilled machinists. Lockwood Clothing is a premium British-made outerwear brand founded by Jacob Lockwood, a former Coldstream Guards soldier.

Pav Suthi, owner and managing director of B S Suthi & Bros, said in comments carried by Dudley News that the five roles are a huge boost and that British manufacturing is still alive. Jacob Lockwood, founder of Lockwood Clothing, said in comments carried by Dudley News: “I wholeheartedly believe in the future of British manufacturing.” He said the close working relationship with a factory nearby lets the businesses share ideas and troubleshoot quickly.

The hiring reflects a small brand-and-factory pairing in which a founder-led label provides production work for a local garment maker, rather than outsourcing production overseas.

Source Fashion event director Suzanne Ellingham told Sourcing Journal in July that the industry has shed 71,000 jobs since 2019, a backdrop that makes five local hires notable.

For the sector, Make it British reported that UK searches for clothing manufacturers are up 90 per cent on last year, yet factories are still closing because supply and demand are mismatched.

The wider signal for the sector is that local hiring by small garment factories depends on brand customers committing to British production, as the Suthi and Lockwood partnership shows.

Source: Dudley News (via Yahoo News UK) / Made in Britain / Sourcing Journal / Make it British