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IN CONVERSATION WITH TOM HOLMES OF WAX LONDON

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In Conversation with Tom Holmes of Wax London


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 a recent episode of the MenswearStyle Podcast we interviewed 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 chatted about expanding into unisex sizing, how the design and manufacturing process works, using end of roll fabrics, and what inspires their collections each season.



“We started the brand five years ago, but the last 18 months has been an exciting time for the brand. We make all our outwear in London, which has been a cornerstone of the business. We're also using really great mills across Europe, and we work with one factory in Bangladesh. Being able to physically go to our workshops and see our garments being made here in London has been a great benefit. We opened our flagship store near Carnaby Street this month. It's obviously quite a strange time to be doing it, but equally, we might not have had the opportunity otherwise. I think it's good to see younger, smaller brands getting that chance. We're sharing the space with a friend of the brand, Round Hill Roastery. The club house feel is what we’re going for, not a shop packed full of products trying to get people to spend money. We want to make people understand who we are as a brand. Physically seeing the customer has been a really nice thing, and we’ve noticed a large number of girls buying our brand for themselves. This has been a pivotal moment for us because we've always spoken about being unisex, and the shop has shown us we should pursue that. To be sustainable we use upcycled fabrics where we can. Due to Covid-19, there has been a lot of fabric cancellations. Suddenly there's lots of rolls of fabric that have been produced that the mills are just sitting on. We also work with some Portuguese and French mills who have rolls of fabric dating back to the 1930s just sitting in their warehouses. This focus on sustainability has been our vision since day one.”



This is a shortened transcribed edit of episode 93 of the MenswearStyle Podcast with Tom Holmes, Co-Founder of waxlondon.com. You can listen to the full version below or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast player.


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