Wilson & Co: A British-Made Menswear Brand

At Best of Britannia this year I came across a recently launched brand, Wilson & Co. As they manufacture menswear in the UK, I wanted to introduce them to you as a young startup brand. I asked the founder, George Wilson, a few questions:

Please introduce yourself and the brand. How long have you been going? 

My Name is George Wilson, I am a graphic designer and I am the founder of Wilson & Co England. We are a brand that's dedicated to designing and manufacturing all of the collections in the UK. The brand idea has been in the works for around a year now but we officially launched on the 1st August 2016. 

How did you come to start up Wilson & Co? 

Around 4 years ago, when I was 18, I started designing a streetwear brand. This consisted of t-shirts, beanies, sweaters etc. But, after a few months of trying to get noticed, I realised that it was a very popular trend as I was getting at least 5 follows a day on social media off similar brands, so I parked the whole idea. Around a year later, I decided that if I was going to do something I wanted it to be worthwhile. The concept of Wilson & Co was born. With no knowledge of, or any education in fashion, I knew this would be a challenge but with pure passion and drive I learned everything about the process of designing clothes myself. Luckily enough I was able to design the logo and all of the branding myself and a couple of years later I launched the first collection.

Do you design the clothes? What is you aim in terms of style and types of product you offer? 

Every item in the first collection was designed by me. One of the main reasons I started the brand was for my love of clothes, so I base the collection on what I would like to wear. The whole aim of the brand is to provide quality men's clothing that is made in the UK. I stand by that and I will do everything I can to keep all of the manufacturing in the UK. I base the design's on traditional English fashion with contemporary twists, something that would appeal to men of all ages. Detail is a huge thing at Wilson & Co and I am a massive fan of small details that distinguish us as a brand. Our leather patch branding and pocket details are examples of this and I will continue to incorporate small details across items in the future.

What sort of man do you see wearing your clothes? 

I don't have a specific man in mind because the ethos of the brand is to appeal to men of all ages. I would say that they would have an interest in well made clothing and they like to stand out a bit, or favour items that differ from the norm. I love the idea of a younger man and older man both being able to wear the brand comfortably together. As Wilson & co progresses I would like to create a broader collection which will make it a lot more diverse, without compromising design or quality.

How would you describe you own style? 

I love to down-style with a pair of selvedge denim jeans, a pair of boots and an overshirt or work jacket. I also like to throw in a knitted jumper when its cold. I am definitely going to include similar items in future collections to make the brand more diverse. 

Where does Wilson & Co go next? 

I am currently designing the next collection for spring/summer next year. It is going to be bigger and better and we are launching a Kickstarter campaign after Christmas to help fund it. This will allow larger scale production and will also give me a budget for marketing and advertising which will really help get the brand out there. As Wilson & Co is only a few months old, there isn't anything too extravagant in the pipeline but with everyones support we can continue to grow and hopefully open a popup shop somewhere in London next summer. 

Visit Wilson & Co to browse and buy. For Grey Fox Blog readers there is an exclusive 15% discount with the code 'greyfoxblog15' at the checkout.