THE boss of a Manchester family firm is celebrating after winning a top industry award.

Clothing manufacturing firm Karpelle Ltd was named ‘Fashion supplier of the Year’ at the prestigious Drapers Awards.

The firm's managing director Howard Klepper, who lives in Hale, said: “It is a real achievement to be awarded first place in this prestigious category and is true recognition of the international team’s hard work in delivering terrific customer service and high quality clothing to our growing list of retail clients.

"The acquisition and attainment of new business is a true testament to our commitment to customers.”

According to Mr Klepper, the firm's focus on providing UK tailoring skills with the resourcefulness of Eastern European manufacturing, has been key to its success.

The cloth sourcing, design, pattern construction and product development takes place in the head office in Manchester and also in its technical centre in Arad, Romania.

The business manufactures around 480,000 garments annually from eight factories across Romania and Macedonia.

Clients include some of the fashion industry’s major players including Austin Reed Group, Barbour, Boden, Hobbs, Jacques Vert Group, John Lewis and LK Bennett.

Karpelle was established in 1986. Its main activities are focused on the manufacture and supply of high quality ladies wear, to the better end of the retail market in the UK.

The origins of the company are based on clothing manufacturing within its own UK factories. In order to remain flexible, in 1991 it began to manufacture clothing in Eastern Europe, where it was possible to tap into a wealth of opportunities.

Building on it early success, 95 per cent of Karpelle’s production is now in Romania and Macedonia, complemented with five per cent in Asia.

Karpelle employs 44 staff in the UK and over 40 overseas.

Mr Klepper, who is part of the third generation involved in the family firm added: "The judges were particularly impressed with Karpelle’s examples of excellent customer service and positive working relationships with retail partners, reliable delivery of orders, safe working environmental standards and production of great quality products."

The Drapers Awards are the highest profile gathering for fashion retailers in the UK, bringing together the very best that the UK fashion business has to offer. With 15 targeted categories, the awards cover every aspect of fashion retailing from Best Store Design of the Year to Fashion Marketing Campaign of the Year. Karpelle contended alongside five other clothing manufacturers for a winning place including Captive Clothing, Carmel, Earth Squared, Haddow Group and Shanghai Everise Sports & Leisure Garment Co.