A third-generation British fashion house group; family-led, Manchester-based, globally active. Founded by Lal Kumar in 1967 from a single market stall in Chorlton.
From a market stall to a global business.
Whispering Smith is led by Rajan Kumar as CEO, with his children Rohina Kumar as Global Brand Director and Rohil Kumar as Managing Director. Together they lead the group's six consumer brands and its private-label production for the world's leading fashion retailers, run from the Manchester headquarters at 274 Deansgate and the brand showroom and design studio in Fitzrovia, central London.
The business was founded in 1967 by Krishna 'Lal' Kumar, from a single market stall in Chorlton, Manchester. Over the decades that followed, Lal grew it into a global design and production group, which passed to his sons Rajan and Sanjay. Today his grandchildren run it alongside their father. The headquarters is still in Manchester. The family is still at the heart of it.
Our mission is design excellence across every brand we build — our own and our partners' — delivered to unwavering standards of quality, ethics and integrity.
The leadership.
Three generationsFive decades.
Founded by Krishna 'Lal' Kumar; a single Chorlton market stall in Manchester.
First dedicated warehouse opens; 7,000 sq ft in Manchester.
Warehouse expansion to 60,000 sq ft; growth into wholesale supply at scale.
500,000 sq ft Briscoe Lane warehouse opens; e-commerce supply scales rapidly.
274 Deansgate acquired as the group's new Manchester HQ.
Group strategy launches: 8 consumer brands across menswear, womenswear and youth.