15 Aug Mastering Clothing Manufacturing: Key Insights from Our Online Masterclass with Caroline Ash

On Thursday 14th August, Fashion-Enter Ltd hosted a highly informative one-hour online masterclass with Caroline Ash, Production Director at Fashion-Enter Ltd. With over 30 years of experience in production management, Caroline shared her deep industry knowledge to help attendees navigate one of the biggest decisions for any fashion brand: whether to manufacture in the UK or overseas.

Having worked across a wide range of product categories—soft separates, tailoring, dresses, jersey, and outerwear—and in manufacturing hubs including China, Turkey, Romania, Morocco, Bulgaria, Egypt, and the UK, Caroline brought a truly global perspective to the discussion.

During the session, Caroline explored key decision-making factors such as:

• Fabric and materials sourcing
• Sampling and production sourcing
• Comparative costs between UK and overseas manufacturing
• Ethical and sustainable considerations
• Planning lead times
• How to make the right decision for your brand

The session concluded with an engaging Q&A, giving participants the opportunity to ask practical, real-world questions. Topics included: how to select a reliable factory, whether an order can be cancelled due to poor quality, and whether a new brand can request production samples. Caroline offered honest, experience-based insights that attendees found extremely valuable.

Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive:

“Very informative session, very useful for start-up brands.”
“Fantastic session – super helpful and insightful.”
“Very concise and useful, thank you so much. I am investing in a new designer/producer and would like him to see this.”
“So much useful information and thank you for sharing your first-hand experience too.”

Caroline’s key message throughout was that informed planning and realistic expectations are essential. With the right guidance, brands can confidently choose a manufacturing approach that aligns with their values, quality standards, timelines, and budgets.

A big thank you to Caroline for generously sharing her expertise, and to all who attended.

Next month’s online masterclass will take place on Tuesday 16th September from 10am on the topic of: Mastering the Fashion Business Blueprint: Fine-tuning Your Plan for Success tap here to find out more and register to attend.