From his Ossett attic to supplying Regent Street, this is how Mallin and Son is putting Wakefield on the world's fashion main stage

In 2019, Ryan Mallinson launched his business re-waxing wax Barbour and Belstaff jackets, among others, from the attic of his home in Ossett.

The 40-year-old dad-of-two set up the business after noticing that there weren’t many places in the UK where you could get an old wax garment reproofed, with fashionistas having to wait between a month to six weeks to get their jackets repaired from the official retailers.

Through the power of word-of-mouth, Ryan would spend hours after his day job driving around West and South Yorkshire picking up the jackets and returning them after re-waxing them, saving his clients hundreds of pounds by not having to repurchase the jackets, which typically cost between £250 and £500 to buy brand new.

Ryan said: “About four years ago I bought an old Barbour jacket that was a bit worse for wear and I was looking at ways to spruce it up. I found that you can re-wax these jackets instead of buying a new one, so I decided to give it a go.

"I made an absolute mess of it, so I had another try. I then realised that if I needed it doing, others would need it as well. I’ve always had an interest in fashion and with the increasing trend of sustainability, I thought it could be a business idea.

"I then used to go around Leeds city centre handing out leaflets to people wearing the jackets, and I spent my evening and weekends picking up and dropping off the jackets I worked on.”

During the pandemic, Ryan took his business online moved into his business premises at Springfield Mill, where he has now waxed thousands of jackets from clients all over the world including Japan and New Zealand.

It is here where he designs his line of heritage inspired garments, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, and wool accessories, which are ethically made.

He said: “After building the brand and being signed with one of the world’s leading wax jacket manufacturers, working for their Regent Street flagship store in London, I decided to release a small run of sweatshirts with a screen printed design and a patch that is inspired by football kits of the 1930s.

"The run was successful and I’ve build this heritage clothing brand on the back of the jackets.”

Ryan uses wax from Halley Stevensons in Dundee, a leading manufacturer in sustainably produced waxed cotton, to reproof the jackets, which he says is key to his business.

“I make sure I use ethical suppliers and work with good people,” Ryan said.

“The process of waxing jackets is an old method and comes from northern sailors who used to coat their sails and then use them as clothing to keep warm whilst at sea.”

Ryan credits the community that he has built through posting on social media as he was building the brand as one of the driving forces behind the brand’s success.

And with celebrities from David Gandy, a Tour De France winner, and Sky Sport presenters wearing Mallin and Son garments, the sky is the limit for the Wakefield-based brand.