The birth of a unique farming fashion brand

At 21, I traded tractors for textiles.

Fresh from Sparsholt College, equipped with a diploma in Agricultural Engineering and a healthy dose of naivety, my journey began with demoing Massey Ferguson’s then-latest baler, the 2370HD, for Big Bale South on the south-east coast.

There I was, right alongside the team at Burden Bros Contracting.

Jake © Wop-Wops

But it was my stint with Ktwo trailers that really set my mind racing.

The realisation hit me hard: as much as I loved tinkering with massive trailers, it wasn’t my cup of tea—or more aptly, not my pint of beer.

This epiphany had me wondering what lay beyond the great British weather and the confining workshop walls.

The answer lay in a working holiday in New Zealand, naturally following the path of many young farmers.

Fast forward to early 2020, just as the world began to change forever with the arrival of a mystery virus that was sweeping the globe, I found myself on a mixed farm just south of Queenstown.

Life became a routine of work and the occasional trip to the local Farmlands store for supplies—and while staying at the family house on the farm, I somehow received the nickname ‘Fashion Icon.’

I couldn’t quite see it myself; it was just whatever I could find to throw on, yet my attire always seemed to stand out.

© Wop-Wops

A trip to Farmlands, much like a visit to Mole Valley Farmers where you’ll find Wop-wops Clothing (in selected stores), wasn’t complete without a quick peruse of the clothing section.

It was here that I fell for Harlequin rugby shorts and Kiwi work shirts, starting what would become a defining chapter in my life.

For those who’ve experienced it, you’ll recognise the magic I’m talking about.

New Zealand felt like the UK, minus the incessant rain, with incredible, diverse landscapes.

Cattle are out almost all year, or just in for a couple of months at most; it was an entirely different farming scene, a laidback life!

Watching trucks laden with boats, heading out on a public holiday to the local lake for a few days of beers and BBQs, it hit me—they truly had the right idea about life, choosing to work to live, not live to work, as many do back in the UK.

When I returned to the UK, altered by the pandemic, I reflected on my time away.

The 9-5 routine had lost its charm, and I found myself drawn to the Kiwi-style workwear.

I saw a glaring gap in the market back home and, with zero experience in business or fashion design, I still had a burning desire to build something from the ground up.

With Google and a dream in my arsenal, I set out to carve a slice of Kiwi fashion into the UK market.

So, where to make these clothes? Google pointed me to China, the most common answer in my search.

My initial intent was to manufacture in the UK, but I quickly learned about the scarcity of factories, the high costs, and the harsh truth: most Brits weren’t prepared to foot the bill.

Plus, most of the raw materials were sourced from abroad, mainly China.

So, China it was, and let me clear up a misconception—the quality is excellent.

They will make whatever you want to your specifications, and in my opinion, China leads in manufacturing, with top-notch equipment and a superb supply chain.

It’s sad the UK can’t compete, but we’ve all contributed to this reality by constantly seeking lower costs.

The process was far from the straightforward path you might imagine, and I faced many setbacks.

However, I wouldn’t call them failures; they were valuable lessons. After all, ‘failing’ is really just learning—no one learns to walk without a few falls.

Finally, it was time to bring my designs to life, an incredibly exciting prospect. I’d chosen a manufacturer, sent over my designs, and we began crafting samples.

Then came the website creation, company registration, banking—all the boring bits that get forgotten about. Designing the website was a huge learning curve!

When the samples arrived from the manufacturer, whom I still work with today and have built a strong relationship with, I was thrilled; they’d translated my rough sketches into reality with impressive accuracy.

So there it is, China can make good quality if you ask them to; likewise, if you want cheap, they will make it cheap, but there’s a triangle in manufacturing: speed, quality, and price. You can only have two of them and never all three!

With finalised samples in hand, I faced the reality of investing enough cash to buy 500 shirts, a hefty gamble for a new brand.

This was the minimum order quantity for the factory, and I had little choice if I wanted to start a clothing brand, and three months later (remember this is coming from the other side of the world, it takes a long time), the shirts were ready to go live.

An impromptu photo shoot with mates who never thought they’d model after years of studying engines, I think some of them were sceptical about my idea, but nonetheless very supportive, and thought it was a great laugh.

© Wop-Wops

The launch in early September 2021 was modest, but successful. We achieved 17 orders on the day of launch, I know out of 500 this isn’t a big dent, but we went on to receive 140 orders in our first month.

This signalled it was time to expand our range and start building the brand as there was an appetite for my designs, so I designed more work shirts and added our own Harlequin shorts to the mix.

Our initial stock sold out by early 2022, and as we prepared for the next batch, our social media presence grew, catching the unwanted attention of a well-known sportswear brand who weren’t so keen on our logo, along with the attention of a well-known waterproof clothing brand who were keen to collaborate with us.

Although we both decided after a visit to their headquarters that it would be difficult to collaborate, it’s reassuring to know we were getting our foot in the door and attracting the attention of bigger brands.

There’s a hell of a lot more to talk about, and I just can’t fit it all in, but I hope this story sheds light on what goes on behind the scenes and offers a glimpse of my personal journey.

Maybe it encourages you to chase that idea you’ve been sitting on or simply satisfies your curiosity itch. Either way, I hope it was an engaging read, and I’d love your feedback.

Feel free to reach out at jake@wopwops.co.uk.