Fermoie fabric factory in Marlborough receives King's award

Launched by Martin Ephson and Tom Helme in 2010, Fermoie, based near Salisbury Road, is a manufacturer of fine fabrics, lampshades and accessories that are all created in-house and designed by hand.

Fermoie has been announced as the winner of the King's Award for Enterprise 2024 in the International Trade category, which marks an incredible achievement.

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The staff at Fermoie in Marlborough will be celebrating this month after an incredible achievement. (Image: Fermoie)

Jamie Shawcross, commercial director, said: “We’re thrilled and honoured to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise.

"We’ve worked incredibly hard to build our company and develop our export business, which has grown eightfold in just four years and now accounts for over half our annual turnover.

"We’re delighted that our hand-drawn artwork, distinctive colours and beautiful fabrics, all manufactured entirely in-house here in the UK, have found such a receptive audience right across the world.”

The award is given as a mark of excellence and high performance worldwide.

It now has showrooms as far away as Australia but the company is still based in Marlborough and is firmly rooted in the community as a previous sponsor of Marlborough LitFest.

Fermoie now employs over 50 people at its design studio, production facility and showroom.

Fermoie is based on Hertford Close, just off Salisbury Road. (Image: Google Maps)

The company assures that all cloth is exclusive to Fermoie and made to the its specification, in line with its founding environmental commitments.

In 2024, it proved this commitment by launching its indoor-outdoor fabrics woven from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles which are entirely free of PFCs, PFAS and other harmful ‘forever chemicals’.

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Fermoie directors said they are now focusing on growing the company's markets in wider Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, as well as exploring new opportunities throughout the EU and the Gulf States.

"Our company received the King's Award after growing its export business by over 800 per cent in just four years through a strategy based on creating beauty in design," said a spokesperson for Fermoie.

They added: "All Fermoie fabrics are designed and made entirely in-house and we hope to keep growing our reach each year."