Rory here from Anglers Only HQ.

At the beginning of the summer in 2023, we released our 'Origin' snapbacks and truckers. I'm really pleased with them, and judging by feedback and sales, they seem to have gone down pretty well with you lot too.

Ever since we dropped them, something's been nagging at me.

You'll notice that right there in the middle of the badge it says "Designed in Britain". I feel like this bit needs further explanation...

We're a British company. We make products inspired by our experience of living and fishing in Britain, and we do our best to make stuff we think our fellow anglers will like (whether they're from Britain or beyond!) This design is supposed to reflect that.

Like almost every other brand in your life (fishing or otherwise) we have to source products and components from many different places.

Our origin hats are a great example. The design (as in the patch, the colour scheme etc) was conceptualised and "made" by me, here at my desk in a little corner of Berkshire; the embroidered patch itself was then constructed by a little company we use in Dongguan, China; the woven labels were made in the UK (with materials that were, I think, sourced from China). The base hat was made in Vietnam. All of those different components were then brought together and assembled into the final product by me here in the UK. So, you know, we don't make everything right here in Britain exactly, but then we sort of do as well. The easiest and most honest way to say all that is "Designed in Britain". That hat is very much a product of our little British company.

We're a fishing company, we care about the environment and doing what we can to mitigate our carbon footprint. Trust me, if there was a company in Britain that manufactured hats to the quality level we require (and did so at a reasonable price), then we would do business with them. Sadly there isn't so we have to look elsewhere for the right product.

Some people have an idea that sourcing from abroad is a bad thing, but I don't see it that way. Much like the football club you support, we're in the business of finding the best value (at the best quality) in the market. Sometimes that means looking beyond our own shores.

In the interests of transparency, I felt it was important to be clear about that.