Tom Holmes, Co-Founder of Wax London / Contemporary Menswear

Wax London was founded with a dedication to create premium menswear with sustainability at it’s core. They aim to bring the manufacturing of British outerwear back to the UK, and the majority of their outerwear pieces are made right where they started in London. They believe that positive change comes from setting the right example which is why they strive for best practice across all production and operations. From sourcing the most sustainably produced fabrics, using natural dyeing techniques, manufacturing closer to home and donating profits to charity, Wax London's quest to reduce environmental impact and to help those in need remains close to their hearts.

In this episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interview Wax London Co-Founder Tom Holmes about how the brand was launched five years ago. The initial idea was to bring outerwear manufacturing back to the UK, and now they boast a full range of essential menswear garments with a new and first store near Carnaby Street in London. Our host Peter Brooker and Tom Holmes also chat about expanding into unisex sizing, how the design and manufacturing process works, using end of roll fabrics, and what inspires their collections each season.

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Transcript

Unknown: 0:10

Hello, and welcome to another episode of the mentor style podcast. I'm your host Pete broker. And on this episode, I'm going to talk to Tom Holmes, co founder of wax London. And I'm going to pull a short clip from the website here which you can find by the way at wax, London calm, craftsmanship, quality and care remain at the core of everything we do. During this time of reflection, we want to celebrate the backbone of our business, the talented craftsmen and women who share our factory floor, over 50 years of experience and multiple generations contribute to every garment, something which we are proud to share with you. So meet our makers, and then they go on about short video when you can catch all that over on the website. So that interview of Tom to come, Tom is really nice, down to earth guy, we speak about the design process sustainability and at one point I referred to his business as a tiny inflatable boat. I think you do get within the spirit that it was intended, at least I hope you do. But before we get to Tom, don't forget to check out the show notes at menswear style dot code at UK and we're on the social at men's wear style. If you want to tell us about your brand, maybe you want to come on the show. Maybe you want to tell us about your journey. Maybe you want me to call your business, a tiny little boat and a DBA. Email us at info at menswear. style.co Uk Okay. Let's get to it. This is a good one. And I hope you enjoy it. Here is that interview of Tom Holmes, co founder of wax London. Well, it's my great pleasure to introduce Tom Holmes, co founder of wax London. How we're doing today, Tom? Yeah, all good. All good. Thanks for having me. How you doing? No, well, good. Thanks, mate. So, Tom, Please, could you just introduce yourself and maybe brag a little bit about wax London? Sure. Yeah. So my name is Tom started the brand, kind of five years ago with myself and my two, two partners, one of whom is actually my wife. So Steffi, and its crew director, and then our business partner repeated saying he's kind of on the more commercial side of the business. Yes. So started five years ago. We started the original kind of concept for the brand was was really working without sweat bringing it back to the UK. And then wax definitely expanded from there. Ah, yeah. And I'd say the last 18 months has kind of been a real moment for the brand. So an exciting time to speak with you for sure. One foot. So what is your background? So five years ago, you started the brand, what was your prep and your and your education going into this? Yeah, I worked with a couple of other brands before but essentially a graphic designer. It was what I was what I trained as wins, that was necessarily anything that I wanted to pursue after uni. So he's kind of worked with spatial design, a little bit of graphics, but then also working with other brands, and working with kind of Richard on production that kind of like production and manufacturing side of fashion. And then Steffi is St. Martin's alumni. So she's kind of, okay, bona fide designer, whereas me and Richard just bragging it says, So Steph is basically the brains of the operation. Yeah, and the beauty and the beauty, which is, but I think that's on my girlfriend's business card as well. So yeah, exactly. So I made in London, I'm sorry, I was gonna ask about the brand is that all the garments made in London? I know that you saw some of the fabrics from Italian mills and British Mills as well. Perhaps you can elaborate on some of that place. Yes, we make all the outwear in London, which has been a really kind of a cornerstone of the business of that kind of manufacturing close to home. We're using kind of some really, really great Mel's from Europe, also from the UK, a couple of Haley Stevens, British Mediterranean kind of quite famous cars that people would know. Then we make everything else pretty much in Portugal, and then we work with one factory in Bangladesh, but they're kind of top of their class in terms of the way that they treat their staff, which obviously I don't know if you know, but that's a big part of kind of how we started the brand honesty in the way that we're making. And pricing it and all that type of stuff. So yeah, great. I think now especially with, with Brexit, the UK is becoming more and more of a preference option, especially from a finance side of things maybe wasn't a few years ago just with the uncertainty that surrounding Europe. So I think we're well poised and that sort of thing, obviously being able to actually physically go to the workshops and see it being made in a much easier way. So yeah, lots of pluses working with with the UK for sure. Okay. And so did the e commerce store come first? And then the flagship store come after? What was the order? Absolute? Yeah. So when the website was the kind of the way we launched the brand, we've got wholesale was a pretty good arm of the business as well. So we kind of wrapped really well in the UK, America, and then we actually open the store a month ago. So really fresh. on that. Yeah. Just off Carnaby Street. And it's been great. I mean, it's obviously quite strange time to be doing it. But equally, maybe we wouldn't have got the opportunity hadn't had it not been for this time. So yeah, seeing is a positive story for sure. And when you say opportunity, don't let me put words in your mouth. But is it has the landlord giving any dispensation for rates in terms of you know, exactly, it must be very hard. Yeah. Okay. And I think just a lot of people are really struggling. And I think it's good to see younger, smaller brands getting that chance. Which if you walk around, you know, most areas right now, there's a lot of opportunities that maybe weren't there before, but and it actually worked, which has been really great. So yeah, it's been a good good experience, for sure. Right? Well, I guess, if your wife was an attendee of St. Martin's and Carnaby Street or setting off something, is it Newburgh street? You're just off kind of Newburgh? Exactly. Yeah, exactly. It must be a dream come true. Right. That's great. Absolutely. I mean, it's a great moment. For all of us, I think to have that open. But yeah, obviously. Stephanie as well, not not saying mothers in their lives. Great. And what can people expect if they were to come down the store? So we're sharing the space with kind of a friend of the brand, which is a coffee roastery called roundhill roastery. Which is a really kind of Yeah, great coffee roasting business out of Radstock. Just that's in Bristol. And he's the founder is actually a personal friend of mine. So there's like an in store kind of coffee experience. And I think if it weren't for, obviously the kind of strange times we're in definitely having that more club, more of a club house feel would be what would be going for, obviously a little difficult with, with with what we're going through, but it's definitely not a pack full of products trying to get you to spend money. It's trying to, you know, make people understand who we are as a brand. It's welcoming, inviting. Yeah, and seeing it more as a an introduction to the brand than necessarily just trying to throw products at people. It's Yeah, was the concept. Nice. Well, it's weird. I actually just had a conversation with David Boyd. He's opened up the the RS Carnaby Street store around the corner for the Rolling Stones. Okay, yeah, yeah, we've seen that Yeah. And and we were just commenting on how it really is important for people to have some kind of experience when they go out and see a shop anymore because it's it's an investment in their time say like, Look, come down and see what we're about. I mean, you can pretty much see what people are about by going on their online store. So it's I think physically seeing the customer for us has been a been a really nice thing we've got met also something that's really interesting is the amount of girls buying it and I think that's definitely been a quite a pivotal pivotal moment for us and seeing that because we've kind of always spoken about you know, a lot of the products to be unisex. I think that'll be a moment this The shop is shown us we should pursue that. But do you mean pursue the unisex option or actually divide it up and have a man and women's section? I think probably short time it's unisex and then long term looking at maybe a man or woman's option but I think the way the world's going and you know, unisex is a you know, a right away that we'd be looking to go probably especially in some of the kind of Jazzy, easier kind of weapons. Interesting. And so, tell me about the design process. Do you as you and your wife produce the designs and then does she get the final say and then do arguments, home tables get turned over? What's a day in the life like? Yeah, I mean, we're pretty we call Have you know, we've been doing it for five years together? I think we're definitely unique for our age to be married, I look around at my friends, it's not loads of my friends are married. So already, it's quite unique, and then to also work together, it's quite a, I think people will probably look at that and be like, Wow, that's a lot. But I think, you know, I wouldn't change it for the world works really well. We have certain kind of boundaries that we try not cross talking about work at home, obviously, sometimes you've got to but yeah, generally, I mean, it works really well. And I wouldn't, I wouldn't change it. The design process, definitely. Richard and myself have an input. But Stephen is definitely the kind of leading creative force, you've got a little theme around who was great. And we'll have our two cents, but she's definitely got final say. Okay, as in most things in life, I guess. Absolutely. And so what's the production run likes on these garments? Are they kind of big in nature they made to order? Can you talk about that a little bit? Yeah. So I think we've, obviously we've got a wholesale, you know, relatively large wholesale business. Now, I'm sure that, you know, the way that that works is you're kind of we're kind of led by that lead time that's required. So you know, right now, if we, for example, what is it? October, were getting in all of next winters product. So autumn 21. It's all designed, we'll be getting all the samples in mid November. Obviously, that's quite a long time before we actually would be producing it, then we're showing it in January. So with Polly King sales agent, you know, pretty reputable one. And then we'll be going into production probably March next year on that. And we definitely, I mean, the difficulty with any small brand is minimums, and all that type of stuff, which has been a real struggle, but also a strength of making in the UK, because I think a lot of the UK factories are a lot more flexible on that on that side of things. But we're now in a lucky position, we've got to the point where we can kind of actually produce some, you know, decent sized orders, we're not talking massive orders, but definitely enough to, to make the factories actually want to be working with us and excited about it. So yeah, it's quite an exciting time to not have to be worrying about about that. But definitely, we're not make we're not trying to mass produce, we're using upcycled fabrics where we can, most things we're not repeating. So it's kind of one off. Yeah. So that gives a little a little light into what are the upcycled fabrics? How does that process work? Are these kind of end of raw materials that I hear sometimes about? Exactly. So it's either Well, when with COVID, for example, I think there was obviously a massive decrease in a lot of cancellations in order. So there was suddenly all these rolls of fabric that have been produced, that the males are just sitting on. So we're looking at using those where we can we also work with some Portuguese and French males who have just got rolled some of them dating back to the 30s that are just sitting in these warehouses. Wow. Wherever. Which is, yeah, that is crazy. Yeah, that's Yeah. Which is, which is it's like a treasure trove for a designer to walk around. I bet. Yeah. And so trying to try to use those wherever possible, and just limit the, you know, the water consumption, all the things that come with producing new fabrics. So that's been a focus of the brand from day one was that kind of, yeah, sustainability and all that type of stuff, which is obviously having such a moment now. And I think it's, you know, what needs to happen. So it's just nice to know that the values we set out whether that kind of becoming much more prevalent in just the day to day life. I've only just thought of this, and maybe you can colour in this, it's, I wouldn't even call it a theory. But it does seem to me the more brands and captains of industry that speak to it's more of the kind of up and comers in the in terms of the smaller brands versus like the pro marks and the Asian names that have more of a focus on this and have had more of a focus on this, not just in the last 18 months, but in the last eight years. So yeah, I do kind of think, well, how come if these guys that might only have a handful of stores dotted around these guys, it was so important for these guys to get it right. And yet, the big guys just kind of going well. Let's hope no one talks about this. Well, I mean, I don't want Yeah, I can't comment too much on what big I think it's going to change. I think we're seeing a change already. If you look at what's going on at high street level, you know, it's just like a kind of, I think a non negotiable really moving forward and I think if you're gonna if you Do you want to add a brand that's going to be here in 10 years, it's just something that you've got to do. And I think probably with those larger businesses, it's just about it wasn't in the common conversation, so you can just not do it, which is obviously not not the correct way to look at things, but it's just the reality of life, I guess. But I do think that everyone's going to have to get on board with it. Because, you know, changes have to happen, or we're heading down a pretty scary path, really. But also, I guess, the bigger the brand you are, the more machinery and the politics you have to negotiate. Exactly. To change it, the harder it is to turn the Titanic around than it is, you know, just your speed. But it does seem I hate to you'll be like, how did the How did the podcast go? Yeah, he called my business a dinky. Yeah. I mean, compared to definitely what we are so. Well, I mean, listen, I really love some of the garments on the on the site that I had a nose through earlier. I was looking at the Julian jacket. That's sold out. Yeah. Oh, man. Yeah. When's that coming back in? And he knows things that are on there. And they're out of stock, it means we're doing kind of small runs about coming back in so I can I'll make sure to let you know. And that one's back. Yeah. What is say yours and your wife Stevie's. What is her inspiration for the design process? Does she look at films? Or does she have like a favourite designer? First? I mean, she definitely you'll definitely have her own designers. And I think each each season will have they'll be you know, starting points with collections. So for example, this collection was kind of nostalgia was the way that she was looking at and looking back memories of your childhood and you know, all those moments when you're young, but I think there's there's an overarching, you know, handwriting to the brand, which is evolving all the time. But, yeah, film music if you look at a lot of our styles, and named after musicians or famous actors that inspired us, so yeah, it's definitely kind of getting that inspiration from the culture and, and world around us. London is obviously such a diverse and inspiring city. So, so much, so much inspiration here. Yeah, so it's all around us, I would say, and what films are you looking at? I mean, again, and again, don't you go last night, so Oh, nice. That's on the AI player, I think isn't it? I'm gonna have to. Yeah, I think maybe it's one but that's what we watched last night. So I mean, really the best movies and films? Yeah, you know, do we put the chat jacket which named after Chet Baker and the cat trouser, which is named after vain. So it's all these different inspirations around us, basically. Nice. And the Whitlam coach jacket. So the weapon case, jacket is a place and the same way. So our best selling shirt is wins just outside of Essex. Right? Exactly. I know that I played football down at Whitman football club and gotta go and got in a fight afterwards, outside of the carpet. I didn't I watched on I watched other people. Well, yeah, you got into our best selling overshot, which is the Whiting that's my cousin's surname. So we kind of maybe want some more things on that when it's selling. But yeah, just you know, lots of different iterations on how we name things and get inspiration from nice, and till maybe you can touch upon what the future holds for the brand. Do you think? I mean, I know we talked about like, later seasons, which by the way, must be crazy that you're doing a season, a year ahead, when you also have things like Christmas coming up. And you know, what do you do around? Yeah, yeah. And I was working in a shop, Christmas was huge. He had to prepare for it months in advance. Absolutely, which I think I mean, most I've, you know, seen lots of the interviews you guys have done, a lot of those brands would be working to the same schedule that we are, I think, the focus for us as a brand. And I think the focus, if you will, to speak to nine out of 10 you know, small business owners is definitely that direct to consumer model of just owning our own relationship with our customers. for so many reasons, especially through this kind of pandemic that we've gone through, obviously, all the uncertainty that surrounded that, but we've had such a great reaction from all the, you know, community around us, I think as we go forward, that's definitely the space that everyone's going to be trying to own and just really improving our customer journey and improving the, you know, the, the journey that we're trying to offer people so that's probably the focus moving forward and then obviously having those key partnerships as well. Yeah, and I think that that leads into by doing that you can have that shorter lead time and be more reactive and, you know, not sit on all this stock and all this type of stuff. So there's just so many benefits to working that way. But it's kind of a chicken and egg. We've got to have these wholesalers to help grow the business. And yeah, it's an interesting and exciting journey for sure. Interesting. Well, listen, thanks for taking time out to talk about that journey. wax. london.com is the place people can go and also if you're in town, do head down to Soho, just sorry. Carnaby Street just off Newberg Street and you find your shop there and have a coffee and sit around and no through so many closer. I'd love to do and if you're on Instagram, make sure you're checking out wax London clothing, I believe on Instagram for people. Brilliant. Well, thanks very much pizza. So much mate. great talking to you, guys. Yep. Thanks. Bye, bye. Bye. How about that Tom Holmes? great insights there. I think what it's like right now in the retail sector. So make sure you're supporting the good guys and head over to wax London calm and treat yourself or your loved one. In the meantime, thanks for tuning in. If you like what you're hearing, do leave us a review. It does help how he goes around the joint and until next time,