The disruption in trade with China has made British retailers reconsider the wisdom of having long supply chains, and turn back to British manufacturers. Suddenly, security of supply — and not cost — is paramount. Textile companies in Leicester are getting a boost from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Alkesh Kapadia of Barcode Design, a local fashion manufacturer, said that he’d received a flood of orders from worried customers.

Manufacturers having their own supply chain have been hard hit by the Coronavirus. Italy, for example, is a major supplier of yarn. Kate Hills of Make It British, a manufacturing advocacy group, said that British clothing retailers and brands are now focused on sourcing their fabrics domestically. One of the biggest economic casualties of the crisis could be the international supply chain which will help Britain’s textile manufacturers.