White Stuff is a British fashion and lifestyle brand that sells women’s, men’s and kids’ clothing, accessories, homeware and gifts in over 120 shops in the United Kingdom, shops in Germany, via mail-order catalogues and through its website. The brand has become known for its traditional British styles, idiosyncratic boutique stores and innovative marketing campaigns. White Stuff was founded in 1985 when two friends, George Treves and Sean Thomas, decided to form a business to fund their love for skiing. Starting under the name “Boys from the White Stuff”, their printed T-shirts and sweatshirts became instantly popular in the alpine region of Val d’Isère. The pair opened the first White Stuff Clothing store in London in 1991.

White Stuff was founded in 1985 by two friends, George Treves and Sean Thomas. Keen skiers, the pair decided to work together to find a way of funding their passion. They devised a business plan to sell T-shirts with abstract motifs that would appeal to skiers. They thought up the name “Boys from the White Stuff” – a play on the title of the popular film and TV series “Boys from the Blackstuff” by Alan Bleasdale. Sean Thomas sold the initial batch of 100 T-shirts very quickly in the company’s inaugural year, while George Treves stayed at home in the UK to work on a course at a catering college.

The following season, they began printing sweatshirts as well as T-shirts which, according to Treves, “started to gain Alpine kudos as a grassroots level; it had an aspirational value for holidaymakers who had seen ski workers wearing it”. Treves and Thomas toured the French Alpine ski resort town of Val d’Isère, selling their products in hotels and bars from a suitcase. During the off-season, when they could not sell their garments, Treves worked as a decorator and Thomas as a driver.

At the turn of the 21st Century, Treves and Thomas were continuing to design White Stuff’s clothing lines. In February 2004 Thomas and Treves hired Sally Bailey, former Brand Director of Miss Selfridge, to help develop the brand. Over the next five years, Bailey moved the White Stuff label away from its original image as a winter wear retailer to begin focusing on a more bohemian, urban audience. Bailey stepped down from her position as CEO in 2013 and was replaced by Jeremy Seigal, formerly of Watson and The Perfume Shop. In 2018, Jo Jenkins, previously at Marks and Spencer joined the company as CEO. By 2018, the company had grown to have more than 115 stores across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, including stores in Guernsey and Isle of Man. White Stuff is also available in many House of Fraser and John Lewis stores in the UK, and in Germany as part of Karstadt.