They were told it couldn’t be done – that it would be impossible to manufacture affordable underwear in Britain because of the declining textile industry and unskilled – and unwilling – workforce.But today Mary Portas’ ‘Kinky Knickers’, a range made only in the UK, went on sale at Boots.The Queen of Shops herself was on hand at the product launch in a central London branch of the nationwide chain. She showed off a pair of lilac lace knickers that have been handmade at a textile factory in Middleton, near Manchester.
Boots will initially sell the products from their website boots.com, before stocking the range in shops in the next few weeks.Dubbed ‘the Great British knicker experiment’, the aim of Mary’s project was to revive Britain’s textile industry and prove it was possible to make affordable, quality underwear here again.Views of the Channel Four show, Mary’s Bottom Line, have been able to follow Mary’s progress as she sought a sewing room, lace manufacturer and capable workforce in the UK.
Colette Foster, co-executive producer of the documentary, told the Daily Mail earlier this month that the project had very nearly never got off the ground because retailers doubted it could be done.‘I thought shops would jump at the chance to sell a truly British product at an affordable price – particularly with the benefit of hours of television exposure on a prime television channel,’ she said.
‘How wrong I was. When I telephoned major chains to find out whether, in principle, they would agree to sell the British pants, they told me I was dreaming – that I wouldn’t be able even to get them made here. As far as they were concerned, British mass-production was a thing of the past, and wasn’t coming back.’However, as well as the knickers now being on sale at Boots, a number of other leading retailers have agreed to sell the range, including House of Fraser, John Lewis and Liberty.In line with Mary’s promise for them to be affordable, all the knickers have a 10 price tag.
The success of the project is largely down to the machinists Mary found to work at the family firm of Headen & Quarmby in Middleton and Nottingham-based lace-maker Jim Stacey.The trainees hired to work the machine in Middleton included Andrew, 20 from Rochdale, a young father determined to provide for his fiance Sarah and baby son Bryan, and single mum Georgina, 25, from Middleton, who left school with no GCSEs.While all the trainers have appeared on the TV show, Colette said they were all told the opportunity would not be a ticket to stardom but a job with long hours on low pay.
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| Mary Portas at a Boots store in central London with her Kinky Knickers range, which has been created by a British workforce |
Boots will initially sell the products from their website boots.com, before stocking the range in shops in the next few weeks.Dubbed ‘the Great British knicker experiment’, the aim of Mary’s project was to revive Britain’s textile industry and prove it was possible to make affordable, quality underwear here again.Views of the Channel Four show, Mary’s Bottom Line, have been able to follow Mary’s progress as she sought a sewing room, lace manufacturer and capable workforce in the UK.
Colette Foster, co-executive producer of the documentary, told the Daily Mail earlier this month that the project had very nearly never got off the ground because retailers doubted it could be done.‘I thought shops would jump at the chance to sell a truly British product at an affordable price – particularly with the benefit of hours of television exposure on a prime television channel,’ she said.
‘How wrong I was. When I telephoned major chains to find out whether, in principle, they would agree to sell the British pants, they told me I was dreaming – that I wouldn’t be able even to get them made here. As far as they were concerned, British mass-production was a thing of the past, and wasn’t coming back.’However, as well as the knickers now being on sale at Boots, a number of other leading retailers have agreed to sell the range, including House of Fraser, John Lewis and Liberty.In line with Mary’s promise for them to be affordable, all the knickers have a 10 price tag.
The success of the project is largely down to the machinists Mary found to work at the family firm of Headen & Quarmby in Middleton and Nottingham-based lace-maker Jim Stacey.The trainees hired to work the machine in Middleton included Andrew, 20 from Rochdale, a young father determined to provide for his fiance Sarah and baby son Bryan, and single mum Georgina, 25, from Middleton, who left school with no GCSEs.While all the trainers have appeared on the TV show, Colette said they were all told the opportunity would not be a ticket to stardom but a job with long hours on low pay.
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