About Wolsey

At Wolsey we make garments with intent. We select the finest quality materials and design consciously with our Wolsey man’s busy life in mind.

Our brand comes with hundreds of years of experience, earning us the quiet
confidence that we pass on to you in each and every garment. Whether you are dressing for city life or the great outdoors – masculinity, identity and style is woven into every piece, to give you the effortless confidence of being the man you want to be.

Welcome to Wolsey; dressing the modern man since 1755.

1755

Established in 1755 by Henry and Ann Wood at the beginning of the “cottage industry”, Wolsey was built on the foundation of selecting the finest quality materials and designing consciously with the modern man’s busy life in mind.

1780

Their youngest son Thomas joined the business after Henry sadly passed in 1768, and the mother & son duo continued trading as Ann Wood & Sons. Ann passed away 1813 leaving a legacy of knowledge to her sons and business continued to thrive.

1825

Robert Walker, a son of an established Glasgow wool and hosier merchant, arrived in Leicester. Robert joined Ann Wood & Sons in 1840.

1842

Robert Walker was appointed a partner, due to his blending of two traditional knitwear industries and modernising the company.
In keeping with his Glaswegian heritage, Robert adopted the Scottish Thistle as the companies trademark in the early 1850’s.

1859

Ann Wood & Sons broke away from the “cottage industry” and initiated steam powered factories.

1864

Manufacturing had been extended to include an extensive range of underwear and outer garments.

1863

Ann Wood & Sons had become the largest hoisery manufacturer in the Leicester region. The collection achieved the highest award at the Chicago Great World Fair.
Ann Wood & Sons was at the forefront of technology, revolutionising the industry with “Unshrinkable Woollens”.

1897

To mark the achievement, this innovative brand was crowned with a new name. On 12th October 1897 the “WOLSEY” trademark was registered, inspired by a powerful classic statesman, who was buried in Leicester.

1910

The company’s new headquartes was built at Abbey Meadows, Leicester, covering 2.5 acres.

1911

Endorsement of the brand came from none other than Captain Scott and Roald Amundsen and their teams - with all choosing Wolsey underwear for their race to reach the South Pole.

1919

Wolsey underwear was supplied to Ernest Shackleton’s Murmansk expedition, bolstering the brand even further.

The company took the innovative step and ceased trade through wholesale merchants and began to supply direct to the retailer.

1920

Outdoor activities such as golf, tennis and swimming became extremely popular. Golf in particular was incredibly societal. Recognising this boom Wolsey created a line of golf hoses and socks and marketed the collection under the name “Sportsman”. It was so well received that was later extended to include a full outdoor leisure range.

1935

Wolsey was appointed to hold a Royal Warrant as Hoisery Manufacturers to his Majesty King George V. The honour of holding a Royal Warrant and supplying goods to Royal households has been held from 1935 through the reigns of consecutive monarchs to the present day.

1953

In addition to our first Royal Warrant in 1935, Wolsey has been priviliged to receive a Royal Warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

1959

Wolsey was honoured again in 1959 by receiving another Royal Warrant from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.

1974

Wolsey introduced the “Fox” motif to its golf wear.

During the 70’s Wolsey was the chosen name for many sporting organisations and teams, as well as individual sportsmen and women. Tony Jacklin the winner of The Open Championship and the US Open being perhaps the most famous.

Wolsey continued to the be the popular choice for golf wear in Asia, Australia and Canada.

1985

Demonstrating it’s continued focus on quality and craftmanship, Wolsey became the first company in the UK to receive the British Standard (BS) 5750 for quality systems in sock manufacturing.

2004

The brand introduced an update to the famous fox logo, which has been proudly worn over the world.

2018

Eddie Pepperell maintained the fine tradition of great sports people achieving success whilst wearing the Wolsey brand, as he won the British Masters.

In addition to Eddie Pepperell, amongst the professional golfers to have worn the famous fox whilst competing at tournaments around the world include Chris Hanson, Robert Rock and Toby Tree.

2020

Wolsey reached the milestone of it’s 265th birthday. A remarkable achievement for a brand that remains true to it’s founders principles.

Today

Today, Wolsey forges ahead, reflecting on the ingrained principles of a long-standing history. We continue to build on the foundation that was laid centuries ago, selecting the finest quality materials and designing consciously with the modern man’s busy life in mind.

It is this that empowers the Wolsey man to conquer any environment from city life to outdoor adventure. The values of authenticity, innovation, adventure and endurance, ensure that Wolsey will continue to be the brand of choice for today’s modern man.

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