Burberry Opens Centre For Manufacturing Excellence In Yorkshire
Image Courtesy of Burberry
In February 2020, luxury fashion brand Burberry opened the doors to a new Centre for Manufacturing Excellence at their Castleford site in Yorkshire.
Continuing their long-lasting investment in manufacturing, the new training facility is designed to nurture talent and protect the traditional, artisanal skills that underpin Yorkshire’s textile industry.
Developed in partnership with UKFT, the Burberry Centre for Manufacturing Excellence will be the first formalised training programme at Castleford.
Burberry said an increasing number of runway and fashion lines are being produced at Castleford which require a different skill set. The firm's Heritage trench coats are produced at Castleford, as well as select outerwear collections and bespoke projects.
"Upskilling and multi-skilling employees is in line with our commitment to manufacturing in the UK and Castleford and nurturing future talent with vital skills, development and training," said a Burberry spokeswoman.
The programme will include a "train the trainer" programme, which will equip team leaders with the skills needed to teach trainees. It will also provide training for new starters which will improve and standardise the skill level of trainees
Burberry are partnering with the UK Fashion and Textile Association to provide a bespoke suite of training opportunities for their own manufacturing teams as well as enabling new routes into our industry for the local community.
The UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT) will provide training to deliver a sewing machinist development programme to expand the skill set of Burberry's highly trained sewing operatives.
“We have created some of our most iconic products in Castleford and Keghley for over 50 years. We firmly believe in protecting artisanal skills, nurturing talent and investing in British fashion manufacturing through programmes including the Burberry Centre for Manufacturing Excellence” said Lise Edwards-Warrener, VP Internal Manufacturing at Burberry.
Burberry manufactures its world famous trench coats in Castleford and Keighley and is keen to invest in both sites.
