Paul Walker, Co-Founder of Walker Slater / Heritage Tailoring

Walker Slater opened its first store in Edinburgh offering unstructured suits, in Tweed and linen together with their rugged style of knitwear. The brand utilises local fabrics and yarns into menswear items that are soft but also have a seriousness to them that renders it suitable for formal use whilst avoiding the stiff construction of the past. Walker Slater pioneered the unstructured suit whilst at the same time following a very traditional formal range of worsted suiting. Today they have an impressive list of ongoing brand partnerships which includes the Ryder Cup and the Scottish National Team.

In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast, we sit down and speak to Paul Walker, the Co-Founder of suit and tailoring specialists Walker Slater. Paul talks about his background, inspirations and how the idea for his business was born from a discussion in a pub in 1989. He highlights his love for Scotland, how the brand first started using Tweed fabrics and when they first opened a bricks and mortar store and eCommerce website. We also get an insight into their latest London store opening in Holborn.

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Transcript

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Hello, welcome to another episode of The menswear style podcast. I'm your host Pete Brooker and on this episode we'll be talking to Paul Walker co founder of Walker Slater, co founder Paul Walker started on his own project along with partner Francis later back in 1989. designing and manufacturing clothing from a farmhouse close to began in the Scottish Highlands got that right. Moving shortly after take their first bricks and mortar shopping Ebers historical Old Town. The story is going to continue his move down to London the expansion of Walker Slater the brand so that interview of Paul coming shortly Stay tuned. But first let me tell you crashed on me fell foot burst the household chores. Let me tell you about our website menswear store.co.uk Click the Member Area button on the top right of the homepage. And you'll be taken to our discounts and loyalty section. This is where you'll see exclusive discounts and privileges from hundreds of your favourite High Street brands within fashion, lifestyle, beauty and more we currently have 20% of that new balance 15% of it Hawes and Curtis 10% of it Tim Lewin 50% of a cornerstone and we've just added more 15% of our pasta 20% of pursue fitness 35% of my protein. It's all going on there. You can use these discounts both online and in store, helping you to save over 2000 pounds per year. menswear store.co.uk so go have a look. Top right Member Area button click you'll be away. Lastly, if you're on the social type in menswear style into your smartphone there and will come up almost everywhere. If you'd like to get in touch with the show or become a guest and talk about your brand, your journey. everything that's happened to you in the last 20 or 30 years then email us at info at menswear startup co. uk. Here is that interview with Paul Walker, co founder of Walker Slater. Okay, it's my great pleasure to introduce Paul Walker, co founder of Walker slater.com. Walker Slater retail. How are you doing today, Paul? I'm fine from Monday morning. Thanks, Paul. Maybe you can give us an introduction to who you are and how Walker Slater became to be? Yeah. Well, um I've been living in Scotland since 84. So I'm kind of a naturalised Scotland. My children, certainly Scottish accents. The the inspiration came through the mountains where I was, I was in studying up in Dundee, and did a little trip over to Maryville one year. And there I met a good friend of mine, Sean, who was busy going around the bar selling shirts, I thought, hey, that's really cool idea. You can actually be creative and do something on clothing and make it into a revenue generating business. And yeah, that was very interesting, because they then went on to become white stuff. And oh, mainland bar thought it was also good idea. Julian and Tim, then found his fat face. So out of that bar in 87. Came these three clothing him Wow, I think in their own way. Yeah. Obviously, they were London boys. I mean, Shawn and George, you know, white stuff. We're very London orientated and to Julian down in Hampshire, and then Francis and I moved up to Scotland so took us maybe a bit longer to get where we were going to go to, but we don't live in the I've got I know. Do you guys ever get together in the same bar and talk about they do they're all over the world? I yeah, I do see the guys. I don't see so much. Yeah. To Julian the certainly the voice in the white stuff still. That's a very romantic story. I love it. So, yeah, we were we moved up to the highlands. And you know, we had this idea that we'd sort of be into the snow snow industries, but he had snow never really came and actually, your pals had a business called acid snow, they made snowboard so we shared a bond with them. And you know, after a bit it became it became pretty obvious that you know, there was a there was the curve is going the wrong way for us. So I think being just living up in the highlands was amazing. Right being up near Can you see in Inverness, and just that countryside of rugged and the people are pretty rugged, too. But they, they, they Yeah, they looked after us. They took us in the sense that you know, they were they were kind of them, they they might have been and I think that For us, the direction changed when we started to be asked to make bricks, you know, shooting bricks, things like that for like rugged sort of crawling around the hillsides and stuff. So got into tweed, and just really kind of became very interested in it and you know, different weights of it different patterns, different structures, and you could just do so much with it, you know, you could do everything from a heavy coat to as we developed, and I think we became the pioneers of the lightweight, you know, three piece tweed suit. And by that time we don't in stores in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is a natural move, you know, from being a wholesale brand. So we used to basically make clothing and then take it out to New York, or Paris or other glamorous sounding places and try and sell it to retailers. And they would stock it. And you know, sometimes it went well, and other times, maybe not quite as well as you wanted it to be. ended up building up stock and thinking Gorgonzola stock, it was before the days of the web. So bricks and mortars sort of kicked in around about 97 I believe it was, when you guys fought tweet is going to be the way to go. And you introduced tweet your line, and it was Harris tweed, in particular, if I'm if I'm not mistaken. Yeah, it was actually, before that follow up. I mean, you know, we, as I said, we work with, you know, we started in 89. And I think by about 93, we were certainly working with tweed, right? By 97, we developed a strong relationship with Harris tweed, because, you know, they're, they're an iconic it's something that is well known in Scotland. And it was, it was something that we could get hold of, I mean, down in the borders. Also, we were working with a number of tweed Mills there. I mean, in those days, you had gardeners or sell Coke, you had Dixon's all these names have since gone, you know, but at the time, it was it was a mirror, rich tapestry of places to go to and just, you know, it was very glamorous for me, you know, people like Joseph Abboud and Ralph Lauren, Americans that caught on to it actually far more so than we, you know, the British designers have in terms of incorporating it into their collections or doing things with the fabric. Yeah, I think so. I think there was this this sort of almost being more British in the British way suffered from that actually, as time has gone on, you know, with Tommy Hilfiger is probably done rather well at being American you know, but at that stage the aspiration was the very much the British look and how has like the landscape of tweed I'm sorry, the pressure on tweet I'm just deeply fascinated by tweet because it's, it's one one of like the oldest fabrics I believe it has like one of the oldest patents and registered paintings in the UK. And so you can't just go out and make tweet willy nilly there has to be something that gives it the official rubber stamp and says this is this is Harris tweed. How has since you started up and since you became really interested in tweed cut smash to say four years later, and it's maybe just more I wouldn't say accessible but perhaps a lot more easier to manipulate and produce like city tweet, for example. And kind of like the the tweet the photo tweets like the the re on tweets, etc. How have you seen it, like from your standpoint, change over the years? I think that first of all, we got to define that there's a difference between Harris Tweet, tweet, so you know, tweet is generally a willans fun young, so it's not twisted when it's fun. It's not twisted, which is what the Yorkshire sort of old suiting Mills would produce, you know, much stronger twisted yarn. So tweet is Woollens fun, it's a straight yarn and has trade. Yeah, it has an Act of Parliament that protects it, but that's something to do with the island to do with the Outer Hebrides, the borders tweets and the Yorkshire tweets, and the and the Italians make tweets to the Portuguese. And you know, it is something that's that's made all over the world. I think that when people start using man made fibres into it, it totally isn't tweet because they're trying to get the tweet look. But the it's about is everything that tweet isn't you know, it's not sustainable tweet is and then it's not got that depth of colour and that softness, and just the things that really can make tweet directly. Yeah. And you kind of in a way feel like when you do see all of the the cheaper ends of the people that are imitating tweet Did you feel at a node you felt like it somehow it saturates what you're trying to do or kind of dilute with no, I don't actually see it even I think that it's such a different thing. You know, I mean, it it is a It's so spot from such a long way away that you can it's, I feel that it doesn't really impact on the genuine article that we produce. Yeah. When you decided to, to launch the e commerce site, and what was the process there? Because I'm curious, I've, I've ran an independent fashion store myself, like, five years ago now. And the whole process of getting stock onto a website and then making making the online shop viewable and getting people to the online shop as well. I mean, it's a monomer monolithic task, how did you find that whole process? Probably about the same as you did? When? Yeah, it was, it was a 10 year process? And when did it start? When did you physically go, Oh, I can see other people doing this, I, you know, we need to be part of this game website probably wasn't something like 9590, you know. And it was a, I mean, to my mind, it was a beautiful website had lovely pictures on it, I had all these things that it was just like, it didn't, didn't sell anything, but it enhanced to me enhance the way that we looked, you know, to anybody that was interested enough to look in it. Yeah. We then went to various versions, and they were all fairly painful and not not overly not rewarding. But by the end of it, I mean, a friend of mine, who, in tight within the early days, you know, he helped us and move to Santa magenta basis, which I think was very, very interesting. And once we got our heads around that, and then we moved on some more professional sort of people to help manage it. And, yeah, we got there, but it's the presentation is everything from the site, you know, the pictures have to look right. And yeah, colours have to look right with descriptions. You know, we have we have a really good web team as well. They're very, very curious and dedicated. And just, yeah, and then I don't miss too much. Yeah, that's true. I have found when building our website, it's something that you need to think well, we can't just put products on mannequins, and then Photoshop out the mannequin, it needs to have something of a personality and it needs to have. It needs to be contextualised, I think people can see themselves or just spend a lot of time on the web store almost full down rabbit holes. That's the whole idea that we that we had. And I think you've managed to achieve that with your website, very wise. It's really nice to navigate around. And it's also like a homage or a brochure to a lot of Scotland as well, because there's some really nice imagery, I'd like to see a lot more. I mean, we've got ambitions to do more. And we have some really talented and good writers who are interested in doing stuff. And, again, photographers, too. So I think, watch this space, I'm hoping it's going to develop as well as it has over the last few years in the next few years. Maybe you can tell us about some of the projects that you've got on the go so I know that we've well. Sorry, darling back we've got some stores in London that people can visit there's there's film road as Covent Garden. Is there any more plans to expand the retail space here? Yeah, very much. I mean, I think what's what's worked particularly well for us as the splitting of men's and ladies from in vivo, the difference you know, that you know, a lot of guys like shopping in a guy's shop and a lot of ladies like shopping the lady shop is worked very well for us in Edinburgh. So we're going to duplicate that idea into London. And that's more space. That's more bricks and mortar or, yeah, it's it's significant days. It's really topical as well, actually, because we're hoping to open this Friday. Wow, that is incredible. And we have a we have a brand new 500 square metre store, which for us is the biggest store we've ever done. It's even bigger than the Glasgow stone is opening 19 doors down from our current store. So great Queen Street. Great. Wow, fantastic. So walk between Holborn and Covent Garden tubes, you know that. It's a really interesting store because it was an old sort of, I think back in the day, it was a Masonic something. But basically they redeveloped the block and they opened up the stores and they've been you know, they've made this space that's new in London. So nobody's been in it before. And then it's a two story. We're going to open the first floor first and then downstairs which will have all the specials and the main measure that's going to come in the spring ones when the weather's a bit better. As no one's been in there before. I'm assuming you had to go in and do the shop fair and you had to do it again. To be honest. It was a big undertaking. I mean, when we arrived there wasn't even a toilet and now you have to put the plumbing and electrics in the ceiling in the air conditioning. You know, all the wiring and the flooring and everything else. So, yeah, big ask, actually. But we had a we had a very good team of guys that got on with it and, you know, thankfully touchwood I'm hoping that we'll be ready to open the doors on Friday. And remind us again, please. Well, we'll find that the official address is 19. Great queens Drew, and well, I can't wait next time I'm in the area. Alex, is the manager a bit delighted to see wonderful. Can I ask what is it a conscious decision to keep the stores quite close together? Because you've already got one in Covent Garden? Was there a plan to kind of stretch out and do it a bit further? Yeah, I think the fact is, we see them almost as one store, but they're in two buildings. Okay. You know, it's the teams, the teams have a, you know, teams work together. Obviously, they could signpost, the stores to each other, you know, it's the men's relations is there. It's worked very well in Victoria Street. And anymore. And I think that, you know, London is, obviously it's our capital city. So to have something that replicates what we have in Edinburgh makes sense. You know, we don't want to become a chain of stores, but we'd like to have a good footprint where we are. And where do you spend most of your time for? Are you kind of between? Yeah, I live in Edinburgh. The work you travel quite a bit. So last week, I was in Milan, and the beginning of the year, we're in Florence for pity exhibition, where we, you know, where we show twice a year. And we manufacture in Portugal, Italy, Russia, and Turkey. So it's quite a bit of keeps you pretty busy. Grey, and, or maybe just a word on the partnerships as well, so people can find out about the partnerships that you're involved with the Ryder Cup with the Scottish National Team of rugby team. So the weekend yellows a bit hard, but yeah, I've gained for both both sides. But I mean, yeah, it's, I think it's been very good to the experience of having the experience and it's been a privilege actually to work with these organisations, they, they really make you up your game as well, you know. So we've got a very good partnership side headed by Claire, she's, you know, she looks up to those. And it's, yeah, it's very, very important to the business and will continue to be so you know, the Ryder cups particularly interesting, because the next, the next one in Europe, obviously this one in America this year, but two years after that, the next one comes to and comes to road. So we love Rome. Well, yeah, I wrote the European Cup. And it'll be it'll be played in Rome. So we're looking to partner with an Italian mill. And we've got some ideas and produce a collection, particularly for that, which will be really interesting, because, you know, the Italians are always a hard nut to crack, you know, because everything in it is so beautiful. Yeah. You know, I didn't even I didn't even know Rome at any golf courses. You'll find it does. Well, I mean, I do love the I went up to Rome a year or two ago with the missus, and we got talking about how beautiful it is to just walk around the city is one of the most walkable cities I think you'll ever find in Europe, which is convenient for them. Because they can't dig underground. I think they got like one tube line or one tube stop. Each time they keep on digging, they keep finding bones or ruins and they're like, oh, Christ, let's put it on hold another year, just digging up fossils is very difficult. It's just like history on history, isn't it? Is there any other partnerships coming down the line that you can talk about? Is there anyone else picking up the phone to you and saying, can we can we work together? We got a really we don't want to have, you know, the partnerships that we have very well selected? And yeah, there's a couple that we're working on, and, you know, keep posted as they develop. But it's, I think the important ones for us at the moment and to make sure that we were doing right with the ones that we have. Yeah. And it's also it's not tweeted that you're doing so you're you've recently released a denim line as well. So there's other things that are going on underneath the walker Slater umbrella is that anything that you've really been like? I think we're quite curious, you know, we've always made jeans or shirts or Yeah, back in. We've we've straddled those industries, you know, the sort of even back in the day before super dry was super dry. You know, we used to work a little bit of a cult clothing and people like that. And it's like, you know, it's like I think we've always seen the industry is one industry that just different segments within it. Yeah. And also just going through the website. I don't know why in my mind, perhaps when I think of proper tweed, like Harris tweed, I think of maybe, loftier price points, but there's some really accessible price points with a lot of the suiting and a lot of the jackets on there. So, you know, like the waistcoat for 95 pounds. I mean, they all look fantastic. And I think people have a lot of fun just going through the website and seeing some of the pairings that you've done there with the different colour ties. And yeah, no, I'm really impressed and wait to come down. important, I think it's got to have value. You know, I don't want to be I think we've got to be careful. But you know, we keep it real people, you know, it's, it's harder and, and, and the products, they hold the value and people respect that, I think when they when they? And do you designs fluctuate much? Or have you always kind of kept to a similar cut or similar suit silhouette? You know, they progress, they definitely progress and they move forward. You know, there's a lot of new ideas coming through for spring 21, which will be shown in June and piti. And I think actually doing doing the wholesale and the piti. You know, this again, is very interesting, because it makes you become a lot more seasonal than you might otherwise be. Right. And, and which designers do you look to? Or do you kind of take any nods from any other designers, either that you've seen in pity or you just see on on the catwalk in general? Not really, it's not. It tends to be more than medium near films and pictures and you have feelings from things. You have your own personal design, you know, favourites. And you like them for different reasons. Probably. What films are you? Are you watching at the minute What films are on the mood board for you? Oh, that'd be Tally. All right. Well, yeah, that's it. I mean, these little series, I'm not a big film watcher. But you know, there are some topical ones that you look at your interest. Okay, well, Listen, I'll be very intrigued to see some of the releases and see if we can join the dots with those. So thank you. I'll see if you can spot some. Yeah, I'll be very keen to look at them. Walker slater.com is the website where people can just fall down the rabbit holes and have a look at all the wonderful clothing that you've got on there and also film ROH Covent Garden. Not to mention the places in Scotland but all the stores will be listed on the website. Paul, thank you so much for coming on and talking about your brand has been a real pleasure. Thank you. Many thanks, Paul. Really enjoyed that one. Learning about tweet. I mean, Jesus tweet is still such a beautiful history. I want everything to be cloaked in tweet, I want my chair that I'm sitting in. I want the cat that's just walked in the room. I want you to be wearing tweed. But now on cat. I digress massively. So again, thank you, Paul. Thank you for listening while you made it this far that deserves a little metal. And you know you're sharing and you're telling a friend we love that about you. And until next time, remember it's only fashion people and you're never fully dressed without a smile.