OUR STORY
Whale of a time clothing was started in 2016 by its owner and founder Ellie Wales. We design statement casual clothing for young people who love the British outdoors.
Where it Started.
Our story starts in September 2016 when Ellie was in her final year of sixth form. Having been brought up living a rural Norfolk lifestyle she saw a gap in the market for fun but practical casual clothing that is kinder to the planet. With her love of art and textiles she designed three sweatshirt styles, got a small batch manufactured, and started selling them to her friends & family.
Big Ambitions.
Selling out of her sweatshirt range almost instantly, Ellie got to work ordering a restock and designing other pieces to compliment the range. With big ambitions for her new brand, she set up the Whale Of A Time website so like-minded people across Britain could shop the new casual wear must haves.
As the brand grew in popularity and stock no longer fit into the small office in Ellie’s family home, it was time to relocate to a bigger HQ in West Acre, nestled in the heart of the Norfolk countryside.
With a growing range of clothes and a big space to fill, Ellie started to build a team of people to help her take the brand to the next level including a Marketing Manager, Customer Service & Warehouse Assistant, and partnering with a PR Agency. Together, with a marketing strategy in place, the team established a large following on social media including some faces you might know!
Binky Felstead
2017
Tristan Phipps
2019
Erin Williams
2022
Reducing Waste - Every Step of the Way.
We’re a brand with a passion for reducing waste. We have a strict no plastic policy; every single piece of our packaging is recyclable; the majority of our clothes are made in the UK and the pieces that can’t be manufactured here are driven – rather than flown – from the factory in Portugal & Turkey, where they’re ethically and consciously crafted. Nothing ever goes to waste, so if a piece of fabric is ever left over, it’s made into another piece of clothing. When we say nothing goes to waste – we even sell clothes with slight discrepancies with our partner Preloved Country Clothing to keep our waste levels as low as possible.