Luxury garment manufacturer in Bethnal Green goes for growth

An East London manufacturer that produces garments for world-renowned fashion designers has doubled its production capacity and tripled its turnover after expanding its team and specialist machinery.

MAES London in Bethnal Green has used a £39,000 funding package from NatWest to purchase six industrial sewing machines, an industrial iron, and a fuse press. To help with transporting this new machinery into the building, MAES may want to check out Machinery Skates For Sale as well as other transport support to ensure they are brought in safely and ready to be used for their garments. The funding has also helped finance the staff required to operate the machinery, bringing the team to a total of 12 employees.

Founded in 2018 by fashion designers Diana Kakkar and Joshua Rosario, MAES London has established itself as one of London’s leading manufacturers for luxury womenswear, producing garments for many designers that showcase at London Fashion Week. It offers its clients a range of services but focuses on sampling and small production runs.

Since launching, turnover has increased by 200 percent year on year and the number of clients has doubled, driving increased orders and bookings through to May this year.

As the business continues to grow, Diana and Joshua plan to expand their Bethnal Green studio to accommodate additional staff and machines, increasing their production capacity as well as the services on offer to clients.

Diana said: “We want to bring manufacturing back to East London by offering designers a fashion-led studio that understands the quality they require, respects their ambition, and can help them to achieve their vision. East London was renowned for manufacturing and from our base in Bethnal Green, we want to be part of its revival, encouraging people to support local businesses, fair wages, and sustainability.

“With the support from NatWest, our recent expansion will allow us to meet increased demand, whether that is fulfilling smaller orders, supporting UK designers or extending our reach globally. We have just celebrated our two-year anniversary as a business, and we look forward to what the future will bring.”