Ray Kelvin

Kelvin grew up in north London, attended JFS, and learned his trade early on in his grandfather’s tailor’s shop in Edmonton.⁠[1][1]

In 1988 Kelvin opened a men’s shirt specialty shop in Glasgow, founding the Ted Baker brand, which initially sold only limited-edition men’s shirts and soon opened stores in Manchester, Cambridge, and Nottingham. He relied mainly on word of mouth and early viral marketing, and anchored the brand by creating a rich personality for the fictional “Ted.”⁠[2][2][2][2]

He has explained that he named the company Ted Baker because from day one he thought the business would fail and did not want to be “Ray Kelvin the bankrupt.” He long avoided public appearances, refusing to be photographed and maintaining the pretence that “Ted” was a real person.⁠[2][1]

Six years after its founding, Ted Baker opened a store in Covent Garden, London, and Kelvin bought the company outright from part-owners Goldberg and Sons; in 1994 stores also opened in Soho, Nottingham, and Leeds. In 1995 the brand launched the womenswear line Ted Baker Woman, and it later grew into a global lifestyle brand spanning menswear, womenswear, childrenswear, fragrances, eyewear, footwear, and accessories.⁠[2][2][2]

In January 2011 Kelvin was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the New Year Honours for services to fashion.⁠[1]

In 2018 an online petition by employees called for a change in Ted Baker’s company culture. The petition said “200 Ted Baker employees are breaking the silence,” described dozens of incidents of harassment at the company, alleged that Kelvin would suggest that female employees sit on his knee or ask to massage their ears, and said this was part of a culture that left harassment unchallenged. Kelvin had long been known for regularly hugging his employees; he denied the allegations.⁠[3][3][3][3][3]

In December 2018 Kelvin took a voluntary leave of absence from his role as chief executive, with Lindsay Page serving as acting chief executive; the company appointed the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills to conduct an independent investigation into the allegations and into the company’s policies and procedures for handling HR complaints. Ted Baker’s shares fell sharply in December after the allegations surfaced.⁠[3][4][4][3]

On March 4, 2019, Ted Baker announced that Kelvin had resigned as chief executive with immediate effect and that he would not receive any salary or benefits in connection with his resignation. Kelvin said that Ted Baker had been his “life and soul” for over 30 years, but that stepping away was the right thing to do so the business could focus on the brand and face 2019 with fresh energy. Executive Chairman David Bernstein said the board was determined to learn from what had happened and to make appropriate changes while maintaining the positive aspects of the company’s culture. By then Ted Baker had grown from a single shop in Glasgow to more than 500 stores worldwide.⁠[3][3][3][3][3]

On April 11, 2019, Ted Baker announced that the independent investigation by Herbert Smith Freehills had concluded and had identified several areas for improvement in the company’s HR policies and procedures; the company took steps including renewed training for all employees on HR policies and acceptable workplace conduct, maintaining an independent and confidential whistleblowing hotline, and strengthening board oversight of people and culture matters. On the same day, Lindsay Page was formally appointed chief executive.⁠[4][4][4][4]

In 2022 Kelvin acquired the British outdoor waterproof accessories brand Sealskinz, which had more than 20 years of history developing and manufacturing waterproof accessories for outdoor activities; Kelvin became its owner and creative director and designed and developed Vitae, a line of performance-driven everyday wear.⁠[5][5][5][5]

Following a Christmas pop-up in Marylebone, London, in November 2023, Sealskinz opened a permanent 1,000-square-foot, two-floor store nearby at 1 Hinde Street in November 2024. Kelvin said he wanted it to be not just another store but a hub for the entire Sealskinz community, adding that he had “lived and breathed retail” his entire life.⁠[5][5][5]

On April 21, 2026, The Venture Room released a street interview filmed in Marylebone, London. Kelvin first introduced himself as “Tim Baker” before giving his real name, explaining that when he started the business he did not want it to be about him but about the brand. In the program he said he did not come from a wealthy family, loved design, color, print, and clothing, knew how to make a margin, and built the business from one shop in Glasgow to about 500 stores around the world; he also said Ted Baker’s market value once reached about 1.6 billion, and that he now runs Sealskinz nearby.⁠[6][6][6][6][6][6][6]

He recalled that when he started out in the 1980s he had no money for advertising, so he approached the staff of a barber shop and a café in Soho, gave each a Ted Baker shirt and collected £200 from each, and photographed them for a double-page advertisement in GQ magazine headed “All these businesses have got one thing in common. They all wear Ted Baker shirts,” with the businesses paying for the advert.⁠[6][6][6][6][6]

“My principle’s always been four P’s: people, product, passion, and then the profit.” He believes the first three must be right first: build the brand, care for and look after your people, and the numbers will follow (at 17:06 in the video).⁠[6][6]

“It’s about personality, working hard, and not letting anything beat you.” He sees this as what set him apart from most people (at 16:54 in the video).⁠[6]

“If you can’t afford advertising, get partners to pay for it with you.” Citing his early arrangement in which a barber shop and a café shared the cost of a GQ advertisement, he showed how collaboration can win exposure even with limited funds (at 17:30 in the video).⁠[6][6]

Sealskinz: Official website: https://www.sealskinz.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[7]