Joshua Ellis: cut from a different cloth

Established in 1767, Joshua Ellis has earned its place in the pantheon of great British brands. The luxury textile manufacturer and accessories producer specialises in premium cashmere, wool, camel hair and vicuña fabrics, all of which are spun at its mill in Batley, West Yorkshire.

Interestingly, the company fared well during the pandemic thanks to a strong brand strategy focused on exclusivity, craftsmanship and innovation steered by a purpose-driven directive. In other words, it has steadfastly stuck to what it’s good at, expanding its product line according to what feels right and manageable. “We employ around 60 people in our Yorkshire mill and produce around 125,000 metres of fabric a year, a far cry from the amount reported by major companies in the Far East and Italy that turn out millions of metres a year,” said managing director Oliver Platts. “We are a relatively niche player in this space, but we focus on the premium end of the market with the finest products.”

The joshuaellis.com website elegantly spotlights a brand specialising in traditional woollen accessories – scarves, beanies, stoles, socks and blankets – available in a wide variety of sumptuous fabrics, colours and patterns. It’s not a fancy “bells-and-whistles” site, but it neatly conveys a “classic with a twist” visual language, stocking quintessentially chic designs in muted earthy tones, along with a smaller series of bolder, statement pieces such as hot pink cashmere scarves and vivid purple tartan stoles. This autumn, the brand has fully embraced its wild side with its “Fluro” collection (below) counting bright socks, beanies and gloves woven in traffic-stopping hues, presumably drawn from a fun ’90s rave-inspired mood board.

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More conspicuous is the success the company enjoys with its private label range, supplying fabric and ready-made pieces to top brands, including Ralph Lauren and luxury groups such as LVMH and Kering. But the nature of its production has changed dramatically in recent years, too. “When I joined, our output was 70% fabrics and 30% accessories,” Platts added. “Six years on, we’re almost doing the exact opposite, with 30% fabrics and 70% accessories. So there’s significant growth in accessories both for our own Joshua Ellis brand and under private label.” Platts explained that the seismic shift towards e-commerce, supercharged by the pandemic, accelerated sales in home furnishings and small throw-on luxuries. Indeed, sales in Japan – where Joshua Ellis own-brand products are hugely popular – have doubled in the last three years.

“Scarves may appear simple, but they are a colour vehicle for brands online,” he said. “They inject energy into collections and pop off the screen much more effectively than a plain navy cashmere coat might. Because there is only one size, returns across this category are relatively low too. Jacquard weaves with big logos [for white label items] have really taken off for us because everyone is trying to make a statement, to differentiate themselves on screen.”

‘We have a great story to tell’

Joshua Ellis was bought by the family-owned, Bradford-based The SIL Group in 2007. Unusually, sitting under the remit of this powerful parent company has not changed the brand’s stealthy approach to growth. “We have a good degree of autonomy,” said Platts. “One of the things that works to our advantage is that we can be a little bit nimbler because we are small in size, and therefore on the same page as a team. We’ve also made significant investments since the pandemic, adding new machinery to improve our efficiencies through production. In addition to this, we have a strong apprenticeship programme to help maintain skills within our sector. I’m delighted to say that the average age of our employees has shifted from 55 to 45-years-old.”

So is the secret to championing a heritage brand simply resisting the urge to be something you’re not? Platts certainly seems to think so. “If someone came to the mill and saw all the looms going, they’d be amazed at the scope of luxury labels that we produce for – brands that have become increasingly trend-led with their designs. So, it’s not that we can’t make this stuff, because we patently do, it’s that if we stuck a Joshua Ellis label on it, we wouldn’t sell a bean!

“But we have a great story to tell. We have 60 families that rely on us, in a part of the world that needs good employers. We’ve spent 250 years servicing some of the finest brands in the world with an incredible archive to show for it. We will always remain relevant to people who are interested in provenance and how their clothes are put together.”

But what about the TikTok generation and its love of attention-grabbing, “FIMH” (forever in my heart) releases? It seems that Joshua Ellis has a few tricks up its sleeve. “We are experts at making luxury woven products, but we can’t be great at everything,” Platts said. “For example, we’re not great at making structured hats, so that’s why we collaborated with Lock & Co. Hatters [in 2018]. We’ve recently partnered with [cashmere whizz] Rosie Sugden, one of the best young knitwear designers in the country, so we will grow our brand outside of the products we make ourselves in a collaborative manner, so that projects carry a strong element of our savoir-faire. We may do the same with luggage, duffle coats, lounge wear... the list could go on and on.”

Clearly, remaining cautious and keeping an open mind are not mutually exclusive concepts in the world of luxury retail. Having said that, looking at Joshua Ellis, it’s fair to say that the sky’s the limit as long as you know your strengths.