The art of Romo: where family heritage meets elegance, design creativity, advanced manufacturing, and global ambition
For more than 120 years, Romo has been driven by a passion for distinctive design, exceptional craftsmanship, and the belief that beautiful interiors should stand the test of time. Founded in 1902 by Robert Mould, this fifth-generation family business has grown from its Nottinghamshire roots into a globally recognized name in designer fabrics and wallcoverings, while retaining the creativity and personal values that have shaped it from the beginning.
At its core, Romo brings together generations of experience with a distinctly British design sensibility. The company’s extensive library of classic and contemporary designs, versatile plains, and sophisticated color palettes offers endless possibilities for creating cohesive, characterful interiors. Behind every collection, a dedicated in-house design studio, led by Design Director Emily Mould, researches, sketches, paints, and develops ideas into beautifully considered fabrics and wallcoverings. Today, Romo brings together six distinctive brands: Romo, Black Edition, Kirkby, Mark Alexander, Villa Nova, and Zinc Textile. Each has its own character, aesthetic, and dedicated in-house design studio.
That combination of family stewardship, creative independence, and design expertise still shapes Romo’s direction. For Felicity Mould, Director of People, Culture, and Communications, the company’s story is personal. “My great-great-grandfather founded Romo in Nottinghamshire. We started as a small furniture maker and now we’re an international interiors company, specializing in fabrics, wallcoverings, and accessories. Our business has changed a lot, but our family values, focus on quality, and passion for design are still at the heart of who we are.
“Creativity, craftsmanship, and a deep understanding of our customers drive our design process. Our talented in-house teams develop original collections by combining hand-created artwork, trend insight, technical knowledge, and close collaboration with our manufacturing partners.
“We balance heritage and forward-thinking in everything we do. Creativity and craftsmanship are central to our design process, but our lasting success comes from the values that guide our relationships, decisions, and growth.
“Staying true to our values and building strong relationships with suppliers and customers have helped us maintain our reputation,” Felicity shares. “We take great pride in doing things with care and consistency, whether in design, service, or how we work with people.”
“Our board looks to the long term, so we can do things properly instead of chasing short-term results,” Tom Wagstaff, Head of Business Operations explains. “We keep investing in efficiency, people, technology, and organizational capability. This helps us respond to a changing market and keeps us focused on our core values.”
Romo shows its commitment to long-term growth by investing in people, technology, and infrastructure. Most recently, the company invested significantly in a fully automated robotic crane storage system, warehouse, and precision fabric cutting machines, along with various technology such as large digital printing, for its patterning production and sampling processes. These upgrades are just part of its new global headquarters, which brings together modern offices, highly automated production, in-house catering facilities, and a fully integrated manufacturing environment.
“Our headquarters is a long-term investment in our people, customers, and future growth. We now have substantial stockholding capacity, so we can offer excellent product availability and, when possible, ship orders the same day. With our global distribution network, we provide fast, reliable service around the world. Creating a workplace that reflects our product quality and supports our people’s well-being was a big part of this investment,” Tom says. “What makes the facility stand out is not just the amount of technology, but its quality and the attention to detail. We worked closely with specialist manufacturers to design custom systems, ensuring high-quality machinery and dependable technical support.
“Advances in manufacturing technology are opening new opportunities for vertical integration. We’re bringing more processes in-house when it makes sense,” he continues. “This gives us flexibility for small-batch manufacturing of our patterning and sampling, as well as customer customization, maintaining the premium quality and service levels people expect from Romo.
“We launch collections twice a year and work with designers, retailers, distributors, and agents in more than 70 countries. Romo has built an international reputation while staying true to its family heritage. Generations of expertise, bold creativity, and meticulous craftsmanship define Romo and the family of brands that have grown from it. As we keep expanding around the world, we focus on strengthening the foundations that built our success. Our customers, quality, and people are always at the center of what we do.
“Our top priorities are to maintain excellent customer service, uphold our high standards, and support the wider business as it develops new products. We’ll keep improving the customer experience with personal service and a growing, innovative digital presence,” Tom notes, optimistic about the future.
“Romo’s success has always been about our people as much as our products,” Felicity says. “We have so much talent and experience in our business. Many employees are celebrating incredible milestones: 25, 30, or even 40 years of dedication to my family’s business. We’re proud of our heritage, but we’re just as excited about the future and the opportunities ahead.”
