It can’t be often that a fashion empire has been fired into life by something as mundane as the humble Wellington boot but this is exactly what happened in the case of Joules Clothing. Joules is an English brand which has gone from success to success over the course of the last decade and a half. Indeed, it was the mundane quality of the Wellington boot which planted a seed of inspiration into the mind of founder Tom Joule and led him to start the collection which is now a multi-million pound business and set fair for the future.
Pink Wellies
The young Tom Joule started his life in country clothing working with his father at equestrian events and country fairs around the country selling garments from a stall. The garments were not their own designs but rather other brands which they sold to the country set, competing with other stall holders who had similar stock. Joule began to think about how muted and restrained the clothing was and felt that the styles on offer were not reflective of the colourful nature of country folk in England. He decided to experiment a little and produced 100 pairs of bright pink willies to sell at such events as Burghley and Badminton. Now his stand had merchandise that was distinctly different from everything else on offer and the wellies proved to be a great success.
Moving Forward
In 1999 Tom purchased 80% of his father’s company and by the following year he was selling his own collection at the events. Fun, funky and colourful, yet durable and practical, the range was doing well until struck by an enormous blow in 2001. Overnight, the foot and mouth epidemic shut down the very events that were Joule’s selling platform at a time when he had re-mortgaged his home to fund a large order of stock. He was forced to take his clothing around retail outlets and what looked like a complete disaster became a positive turning point in the company’s history. The clothes were a big hit and now, although still sold at equestrian events, the collection is principally marketed through retailers, online retailers and a string of Joule’s own stores across the country. By 2010 Joules clothing had grown from a few wellies into a £50 million operation.
Today
Joules clothing is country fashion which has moved away from green wellies and drab anoraks into bright, colourful collections inspired by the country life and the English coastline. The rural outerwear is still eminently practical but features printed linings and coloured buttons. The children’s wear is equally colourful and incorporates fun animal characters in the designs and now Joules is even producing dresses and swimwear with great success.
Tom Joules backed his early growth by assembling a talented team to drive the company forward including designer Chloe Ward whose career included working at Jasper Conran. Joules Clothing now also owns the manufacturing centre in China where the garments are produced and so the company have full control over the designs and the quality of the output. It started with pink wellies but now Joules Clothing is about far more than that. Each season brings new ideas and funky designs and the Joules spring summer 2013 collection is no exception.
About the Author
Sally Stacey is a keen blogger with an eye for colourful and innovative fashion
