Balancing Heritage and Innovation

When a heritage-inspired British menswear brand, known for its soft tailoring and elevated casualwear, set out to navigate the complexity of data, sustainability, and future-proofing, they turned to Future Fashion Assembly. In this candid conversation, Oliver Spencer’s General Manager, Tom Bodaly, shares what it takes to balance heritage with innovation.

Our Ask Me Anything (AMA) virtual conversation featured Tom Bodaly, General Manager of Oliver Spencer, alongside fashion leaders joining from the UK, the Middle East and Italy, to share the realities of driving change inside a brand steeped in heritage.

For Oliver Spencer – a heritage-inspired British menswear brand known for modern tailoring, craftsmanship, and elevated casualwear – the question wasn’t whether innovation was needed, but how to make it practical, affordable, and human-led. From a single shop on London’s Lambs Conduit Street in 2002, Oliver Spencer has grown to four stores and an international online business, as well as being stocked in leading department stores including Selfridges, Liberty of London and Mr Porter. This context of sustainable growth, alongside its design reputation, makes the innovation journey even more significant.

As Sofia, Future Fashion Assembly’s CEO, emphasised during the AMA:

“Innovation doesn't necessarily mean technology. Innovation is a new way of thinking, a new way of doing things. It’s about mindset ultimately as well.”

Around 40% of the collection is still made in England, reflecting Oliver’s uncompromising standards for provenance. Fabrics are at the heart of the brand, sourced from artisanal British and Italian mills, with choices ranging from breathable linen to cosy wool – each selected for both quality and sustainability. This deep respect for materials underpins Oliver Spencer’s mantra to buy less, buy better and reinforces why its innovation journey is so closely tied to fabric provenance and responsible production.

The Challenge

Like many brands, Oliver Spencer faced the hurdles of compliance, sustainability, and digital transformation. Their entry point came through the Low Carbon Transition Program, funded by the British Fashion Council.

Tom recalls:

“It was predicted that it would be about a three week process to collect and audit all of that data and produce some results. And it ended up looking a little bit more like 12 weeks… There's so much that data can tell you and can obviously highlight where you can improve, but it can also tell you a lot about what you're doing really well.”

The report surfaced valuable insights but left the team asking a bigger question: what next?

Assembling Together

Working with Future Fashion Assembly, the Oliver Spencer team mapped their operations end-to-end, surfacing challenges in sourcing, merchandising, and retail operations. They reviewed their competitive landscape and prioritised areas where innovation could meaningfully support the team and free them to focus on creativity and growth.

Tom shared:

“With my position in the business as GM, I've a unique overview… it was actually very therapeutic sitting down with yourself and you holding my hand through each of those stages and saying, it's okay, I might have something for you.”

The process clarified pain points and priorities. The goal wasn’t to adopt every tool at once, but to identify where innovation could make the biggest difference first. As Tom explained:

“Being the size of business that we are… with any tech solution integration requires quite a heavy lift. So what it really meant is, and what was great that you really assisted with Sofia was streamlining and optimising those aspirations to fix everything quickly and identifying the priorities and the low hanging fruit.”

Materials emerged as a key focus. Sourcing and fabric waste were identified as areas where efficiencies and circular practices could create meaningful impact.

“Since its inception, Oliver Spencer's been a fairly timeless proposition… fabrics, textiles and raw materials are at the heart…we make products so naturally where we can improve and optimise our output, this will always be our main point of focus.”

By reframing innovation as a practical enabler – not a disruption – the groundwork was set for Oliver Spencer’s next chapter, one where insight turns into action.

The Unlock

For Oliver Spencer, the process reaffirmed that innovation is not a destination but an ongoing practice – one rooted in the same discipline and creativity that define craftsmanship itself. Small, targeted shifts can have outsized impact when guided by insight, intention, and collaboration.

Through its partnership with Future Fashion Assembly, they gained clarity on where to focus and how to act. The process turned complexity into confidence – helping the team identify where innovation could drive measurable results without losing sight of what makes the brand distinctive.

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