The fashion landscape is now so diverse that sportswear and even workwear has found its way into the mainstream with many styles becoming eminently cool. Country clothing has also found something of a new life with many celebrities adopting traditional styles in their wardrobe choices. It would also be true to say that some brands have offered a contemporary twist on country clothing that has transformed functional and frankly rather dated looks into something else altogether.
Joules Clothing
It is often a single garment design or a simple twist of fate that can kick start a success story and so it was with Joules Clothing. Who would have thought that the humble Wellington boot could be the inspiration for a great collection but that is exactly what happened with Joules. Indeed it was the very fact that Wellingtons were so uninteresting and functional which inspired the founder Tom Joule. He decided that wellies didn’t need to be boring!
A Colourful Idea
A young Tom Joule started his working life with his father selling country clothing at equestrian events and fairs. They were not selling their own designs but rather brands that others were selling too and they were finding that they had too much competition. Joule began to think about how muted and restrained the clothing was and believed that the personalities of the customers were not reflected in their clothing choices. An experiment was in order and Joule produced 100 pairs of bright pink wellies to sell at his next events. He now had something distinctly different from the competition and the tactic worked as the wellies flew off the stand.
Moving Forward
The Joules collection had been born and by the following year Tom was selling his own collection at events across the country. The clothing was durable and practical and yet was also fun and funky with bright colours and patterns. Then, just as things were taking off there was an enormous problem. The Foot and Mouth epidemic of 2001 shut down most of the country fairs and equestrian shows where Joule was selling his wares. This was potentially disastrous as he had re-mortgaged his home to fund his enterprise. However, the potential catastrophe was actually a great turning point as Joule was forced to offer his styles to retailers. They couldn’t get enough of his range and Joules clothing became a huge success story.
The Collection
Joules clothing is country fashion which has moved away from traditional green wellies and drab anoraks into bright, colourful styles which are inspired by the country life and the English coast. The rural outerwear is still eminently practical but features printed linings and coloured buttons. The children’s wear is extremely colourful and features fun animal characters in the designs and now Joules is even producing dresses and swimwear with the same bright and breezy look.
Country clothing doesn’t have to be boring and whilst the country look may not have featured on your radar, there are times when we all need something practical to wear so why not go funky with it?
Article by Sally Stacey