Wallass & Co

"Made in England" look is a hit overseas

Jon Wall has been involved in the textiles industry all his life, since he started working in his father’s small weaving company at the age of eighteen.

But unlike a lot of his colleagues in the business, Jon has weathered the storms of change that have rocked the industry over the last twenty years or so. And seven years ago he emerged with his own speciality design and weave company, Wallass & Co, which is now taking orders from famous fashion houses around the world.

Acquascutum, Kenzo, and Hermés are just some of the big names that are boosting business for the company based in Baildon, West Yorkshire. Cracking the difficult markets of Japan and Italy, where style reigns supreme, has perhaps been one of the biggest success stories of the company.

Jon said: “It’s true that the Japanese and the Italians are sticklers for high style but they all love that classic “Made in England” look. Our high quality speciality fabrics, such as the Venetian blazer stripes and cavalry twills, as well as luxury suitings, are very much to their taste. For a small company such as ours, the long-term future in the overseas market is all about increasing the quality and recognition of our brand.

“Whilst the high volume runs have been taken by the low cost producers, we at Wallass along with other high quality flexible manufacturers have found an increasing desire by many customers to differentiate from the volume area”.

Wallass & Co signed up to UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export programme which helped them to focus on growing their export market. Jon Wall also tries to attend the International Business Network (IBN) events held regularly across the region.

Jon added: “I’ve found that the IBN events are great opportunities to listen and learn, as well as keep an ear to the ground in the wider business world. Staying motivated is not always easy, so it’s good to have a chance to get tips from other companies and hear about the highs and lows in other sectors of business.”

For many years Jon has been attending Premiere Vision in Paris - the world’s major fashion and textile trade show. But this year was the first time he attended as the owner of his own company. The show generated orders and inquiries from over ten different countries for the company.

As the Textiles and Fashion specialist for UK Trade & Investment in the region, Lorraine Ellison has been carefully following the company’s progress.

Lorraine said: “It’s my job to help identify ways and means of developing international trade for companies in the region and it’s been a delight to work with Wallass & Co. During what has been a particularly rough period for the textile industry, this company is a real success story. Jon’s drive and vision together with his refusal to compromise on quality are what give the company its competitive edge.” 

Yorkshire Forward’s Targeted Export Support Scheme (TESS) has also played a part in the company’s export development. The programme funded attendance at Premiere Vision and will enable a trip to cement business in Japan later in the year.