The directors of a Wiltshire fabric business have welcomed a representative of the palace as the recipient of the 2024 King's Award for Enterprise.
Launched by Martin Ephson and Tom Helme in 2010, Fermoie, based in Marlborough, is a manufacturer of fine fabrics, lampshades and accessories that are all created in-house and designed by hand.
The successful business was announced as the winner of the King's Award for Enterprise 2024 in May, and just two months later has hosted the Lord-Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mrs Sarah Troughton, who toured the Marlborough site on behalf of His Royal Majesty The King.
Fermoie currently employs over 50 people at its design studio, production facilities and showroom in Marlborough, and Mrs Troughton was delighted to see how every lampshade and cushion was crafted expertly by hand.
Martin Ephson (left) and Tom Helme (right) with the Lord Lieutenant for Wiltshire, Sarah Troughton. (Image: Ben Phillips Photography)
“We were honoured to welcome the Lord-Lieutenant for Wiltshire and I am delighted to see the hard work of our teams recognised by the prestigious award," said Jamie Shawcross, director of Fermoie.
"We’ve worked incredibly hard to build our company and develop our export business, which has grown eightfold in just four years.
"There’s a real appetite among international customers, particularly in America but also across Europe and further afield, for beauty in design and print.
"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 King's Award accolade, awarded to directors Martin Ephson OBE, Tom Helme OBE and Jamie Shawcross, is recognised as a mark of excellence and high performance worldwide.
The Marlborough company claims that its international success comes from a strategy based on creating beauty in design and print, including original hand-drawn artwork and unique colours.
From touring the site on Friday, July 19, Fermoie's attention to detail and personalised touch on every single piece was obvious to Wiltshire's Lord-Lieutenant.
The Lord Lieutenant was impressed with the company's attention to detail and hand-crafting. (Image: Ben Phillips Photography)
The company assures that all cloth is exclusive to Fermoie and made to 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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