The Hull-based maker creating timeless pieces by hand

Tom Bielby didn’t set out to build a brand. He just really wanted a smock.

What started as a uni-era obsession with vintage military gear turned into a solo operation based in a 3x3m cabin in his parents’ garden in Hull. Armed with £1,000 of student loan, a sewing machine, and a bath full of fabric dye, Tom began making clothes the only way that felt right: slowly, by hand, and with an eye on the details most people miss.

Bielby’s runs out of a studio in Hull, and the process hasn’t changed much. Tom still does everything himself. He works with vintage machines. He still builds every garment from the ground up; just good gear made by someone who knows his stuff.

We caught up with Tom about why the clothes he makes are built to stick around.

What first drew you to making clothes, and how did Bielby’s begin?

I can’t think of a single event that drew me into making clothes, I just instinctively liked clothes in my teens, the love for making clothes was a gradual process over time, it was at my first year of uni when it was concrete.

Bielby’s began in a cabin in my parents' garden after I moved back home following uni. I saved £1k of my student loan to buy a machine, fabric, dye, and all the other little bits and bobs needed to make a smock (I really loved the Gunner smock back then—still do). Long story short, I handmade and dyed the smocks in the bath, selling them on Instagram and reinvesting all the money I made into new machinery to make a variety of clothes—like a buttonhole machine, so I could make jackets with front openings. A few months later, I had four machines, a press, and a small cutting table. That 3x3m cabin was the perfect leg-up I needed to get the show on the road.

Your work is deeply tied to tradition and vintage methods. What inspires the techniques and tools you choose to use?

The simple answer to that is, I wanted the clothes to be as authentic as possible, that includes using period machinery when possible. 

Can you walk us through your process, from idea to final garment?

It always starts with a vintage piece that I’ve collected and would like to make—not reproduce per se, but more use as a foundation. Once I take a pattern, pockets and fabric choice usually follow. It’s really that simple: an authentic piece made on vintage machinery with modern fabrics and hardware by a single pair of hands.

How do your surroundings, and where you’re from, influence your work and aesthetic?

There's a great family-run vintage shop in Hull called Beasley’s. They’ve been on the go for longer than I've been on the planet, run by the nicest people. They, Bobby, second-gen Beasley in particular, really get some great vintage military in. That's where I bought my first pair of US Army fatigues, which I make my own version of today. Beasley’s played a really big part in influencing my now deep love for vintage militaria and workwear.

Is there a particular piece that you’re most proud of? 

I’m really proud of my fatigues. Can dress em up or down, keep em clean or rough em up and they look amazing, comfort off the scales. The perfect daily work horses.

Why is making quality goods so important (to you)? 

I want the customer to be happy 100% of the time, that can only be achieved with a quality product and great service, consistently. Roll that in with a huge respect for the craft and some pride, and you get, one hopes, a great small collection of clothes.

Bielby’s isn’t chasing trends or timelines. It’s a quiet operation built on precision, patience, and a real respect for style and the fabrics that shape it. Every piece speaks to where it came from—both in process and place. And while the machines might be vintage, the vision is anything but old-school. It’s about making things well, and letting the work speak for itself.

Check out Bielby's work here. And follow UPNORF here.