Inkspin’s impact on the bespoke tailoring trade has been noted across the bespoke tailoring industry, with clients such as Lambton Tailoring & LGFG Fashion House who dress Jordan Peterson, Ozzy Osbourne and Tommy Fury to name but a few. We talk to the start-up’s founder Jilly Norton about Inkspin’s journey so far, what makes the company different, its successful partnership with Premier Digital Textiles and the importance of UK sourcing amidst Trump’s tariff war.
Could you tell us a little about Inkspin Jilly, and your journey so far?
Of course. Inkspin, a digital textile printing company for the bespoke tailoring trade, has been trading for two and a half years. The company is still new but we’re getting our name out there. Initially focusing on jacket linings with unique designs for celebrity clients, we soon expanded our services due to demand from bespoke tailors and garment manufacturers such as Lambton Tailoring.
Anyone looking to produce 500 suits off a manufacturing line with a standard lining won’t come to us because of the margins they work to. We’ll work with some of the tailors on Savile Row, who have incredibly wealthy clients who might want something like a Florida flag in the lining of one of their £5,000 bespoke suits. They like we’re UK-based, and that I can meet and talk to them directly.
What makes Inkspin different?
A few things really. Unlike other digital printing companies that simply print and supply, Inkspin collaborates closely with garment manufacturers and tailors to create and print designs that can be seamlessly integrated into the bespoke garment manufacturing process. This partnership approach ensures the final product looks fantastic and meets the high standards of made to measure and bespoke tailoring, where garments can be sold from £800 upwards.
The company’s designer understands what’s needed and is also an expert in made to measure garment manufacture. He ensures the printed designs are compatible with the specific garment’s pattern and the wearer’s unique measurements. Take someone like Eddie Hall for example. He won the 2017 World’s Strongest Man competition and is an LGFG fashion house customer. He’s quite a unique shape, and he’s quite different to some of their other well-known clients which include Jordan Peterson, Tommy Fury and Ozzy Osbourne. Put simply, our work must be bespoke.
What led you to working with Premier Digital Textiles?
Inkspin’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction steered us to Premier Digital Textiles, who we reached out to discuss our fabric needs. We were particularly interested in fabrics that could withstand the rigors of bespoke tailoring while maintaining fantastic print quality and consistency.
Through collaboration with Premier, Inkspin has been able to source high-quality fabrics suitable for a variety of garments, including jackets, trousers, shirts and waistcoats. Inkspin continues to work closely with both its customers and Premier to ensure the evolving needs of the bespoke tailoring trade customers are being met and that the best possible products and services are being provided.
Can you give an example of what you do for celebrity clients?
Sure. LGFG’s client, Jordan Peterson, wanted a range of clothes for his recent tour. We worked in collaboration to turn their design ideas into reality to create bespoke printed fabrics suitable for their garment manufacturing. It’s important to mention here that we print in the UK and source our supplies from within the UK as well. This narrative is valuable to our customers. Toby Lunn of Premier has met Adam, my print technician, based in Leeds and they’re able to review the suitability of fabrics.
How much does UK sourcing matter to Inkspin?
Our UK base is a key differentiator against competitors who print in China and typically require larger order quantities. Our minimum order quantity is only one meter, which is a significant advantage, especially for customers who are used to a minimum order of 50 meters for a woven or dyed fabric. We offer design services and printing at our low minimum order quantity.
It’s important to remember that the UK market is substantial. Partnering with Lambton in Leeds has been key to our success as not only are they brilliant MTM garment manufacturers, but I am able to utilise their customs expertise and dispatch services. I supply Lambton, and they handle customs and delivery for all my customers. This is crucial for efficient shipping. By eliminating fabric sourcing issues, I can focus on fulfilling customer orders quickly, thanks to our UK-based operation and proximity to Premier in the northwest of England.
I’d imagine short turnaround times are commonplace for Inkspin?
Very much so. Next day turnaround is critical for us which is why I don’t want to buy from abroad. I have other suppliers who offer their services, but then there’s customs, and it takes weeks. If something gets stuck in customs, there are major delivery problems. A quick turnaround is critical.
Annually, we have a big contract for the Caribbean Premier League. The fact that Premier can get me the materials I need in a short turnaround is really helpful because the customer will sometimes need more shirts and we have to meet the shipment date.
Being a UK based printer with a UK supplier makes a huge difference, and Premier being in Bury means they are not far from us.
How would you explain your working relationship with Premier’s Toby Lunn?
It’s important that the relationship we have with Premier has always been beneficial. The ability to see the garments in person and discuss our needs with Toby is invaluable. Our orders may be small and bespoke, but the service we receive, first from Elen and now from Toby, has been excellent.
When our print team were first testing Premier’s French Velvet, we were able to consult with Toby and find solutions to print challenges which included input from another one of Premier’s customers. This collaborative approach has been key. Toby’s understanding of our business and the garments we print allows him to suggest relevant products, like the Mesa, which was immediately popular with one of our retail customers.
I also remember Toby and I trying to track down the Duchess Satin fabric before Christmas. Toby was brilliant because the fabric also had to be printed and shipped to the garment manufacturer in order to meet schedules. We ended up with about 150 meters, and I only needed 10. He was brilliant; we were constantly texting, asking where the driver was. That kind of thing is really important.
Being able to communicate directly and quickly with Toby or Elen about urgent orders and having them respond promptly is crucial to our business. This partnership and the ability to work closely together is essential to our success. It means Inkspin can gain a significant advantage over competitors.
Is quality control important to the final products?
Very. We check the quality of Premier’s fabrics to ensure that nothing has been damaged during manufacturing. Because bespoke garments are made to your unique measurements, one of the important quality control checks is to remeasure the finished garment and compare it to the original measurements. This ensures that there has been no shrinkage or other changes. Premier’s fabrics have all passed this final quality control step with flying colours.
At Inkspin we prefer natural fabrics because that’s what the bespoke tailoring trade and their customers want. We now print on a total of 13 fabrics, 12 of which come from Premier. The new Mesa fabric has been great, and we’ve been doing some test printing and sewing of some shirts. Those are just coming back to our garment manufacturer, because one particular client wants to order 25 of each shirt.
What’s happening now and next for Inkspin?
The latest thing we did, which has gone down really well, is utilising Premier’s French Velvet, a stunning fabric that we use for jackets. People are absolutely loving that. So, we’re rolling that out with one of our customer’s brands called Etch, a custom suit platform, we have created five different velvet designs for their range. Now that clients in Scotland have seen all the samples, they want to do Black Watch tartan velvet dressing gowns for one of their hotel clients. The velvet has excited everybody, as has Premier’s Duchess Satin that we’re printing on for bespoke waistcoats.
Ultimately, we are a very niche company. And it’s really important to have a good relationship with Premier. They provide fantastic customer service and understand that we’re trying to build a business too.
