LONDON — David of all trades.

David Gandy Takes Wellwear to Selfridges Model and entrepreneur David Gandy is taking his brand Wellwear from direct-to-consumer to the masses by partnering together with his first stockist: Selfridges.

“Once I was young I at all times went as much as London with my mum and grandmother to see the Christmas lights and do some Christmas shopping. Selfridges was at all times a highlight of the day; it seemed such a magical place,” Gandy told WWD, recalling his first memory of the shop.

Wellwear launched in September 2021 with the aim of making environmentally friendly staples in solid colours — no fuss, just comfortable clothing that Gandy finds himself drawn to outside of his work life.

He decided to pursue Selfridges for its work within the well-being and menswear spaces, plus it’s certainly one of the few department shops that’s vocal about sustainability. The corporate has set out a 2030 goal of reaching 45 percent of circular transactions to return from circular services and products by stocking products that meet its environmental and ethical standards.

“I actually have at all times loved how [despite being built by an American], Selfridges is an iconic British institution that continually moves with the times,” Gandy said.

“It’s probably the most forward-thinking department shops within the U.K., with a powerful reach outside of the London bubble, which I believe is so essential and something brands can often forget,” he added.

Wellwear has been percolating in Gandy’s mind for greater than a decade. Within the meantime, he explored the trials and tribulations of establishing a brand via his partnerships and collaborations. His eight years of working with Marks & Spencer helped.

Gandy may be very much in charge in front and behind the camera, where he has full creative control over his brand, but finds that “problem solving the day-to-day nitty gritty” is essentially the most rewarding a part of the job.

“Regardless that I actually have at all times been self-employed and run my very own personal brand, being a founding father of a fashion label might be the toughest thing I actually have ever done,” explained Gandy, who praises his team for living and respiration the brand the identical way he does.

He’s also putting on his mentor hat for the following generation of models. “I actually enjoy giving young talented models a platform to flourish within the Wellwear campaigns. It’s been so rewarding seeing these models have success of their careers with the assistance of the pictures now we have taken of them,” Gandy said.

“From Day Considered one of launch, we never desired to be classified as a loungewear brand,” added Gandy, who was keen on moving the narrative forward for Wellwear.

The brand has introduced latest categories akin to outerwear and swimwear within the last six months, which have been a “huge success.”

“We’re going to maintain expanding the clothing collections we provide whilst keeping comfort on the forefront, and I’m definitely not ruling out other categories,” said Gandy, who for 2023 desires to deal with Wellwear’s international markets since 11 percent of sales are coming in from the U.S.

Last week, Gandy frolicked within the U.A.E. competing within the 1000 Miglia UAE Experience, an invitation-only racing event where Wellwear was the official clothing partner. Gandy got to drive his Matilda XK120, which he has been waiting three years for.

Gandy shouldn’t be hanging up his modeling waistcoat just yet, though. “I’ll after all be continuing to model for other brands in addition to my very own, and I’m coming to the tip of an intensive two-year house renovation so I hope to enjoy that with my young family,” he said.