It started after leaving agricultural college, when I headed out to New Zealand to work on a beef and sheep farm — just as the world was closing down.

Whilst working in rural New Zealand, I started noticing what people actually wore day to day. It wasn’t anything complicated — just clothing that held up and got used properly. Especially the work shirts. People wore them constantly, not because they stood out, but because they worked.

It made me realise this wasn’t just about where I was — it’s the kind of clothing you’d want in your own wardrobe. Pieces you reach for without thinking, because they just work.

Wop-Wops was built from that idea — that good clothing doesn’t need to try too hard. It just needs to work. So that’s what we focused on: pieces you can rely on, and end up wearing more than anything else you own.

Early on, we started noticing the same thing. Once people began wearing Wop-Wops, they kept going back to it. At first, it’s just something new in your wardrobe. But over time, it becomes the one you reach for most. Not because you think about it — just because it fits, holds up, and does what you need it to. Before long, it’s the one you wear more than anything else you own.

After a while, you stop thinking about it. It’s just there — in the wash, back on again, worn through the week. It doesn’t get saved for anything, it just gets used. And that’s usually when you realise it’s the one you wear more than anything else.

After a couple of years travelling with a pop-up shop to rural shows — meeting you, and refining our product along the way — we’ve built a range of western inspired clothing. All of it starting from a simple work shirt.