Ruth Kelly - Founder
Ruth has three decades of fabric and raw materials experience from a variety of global companies, encompassing brands, manufacturing and education. Prior to founding Weft x Warp, Ruth led the Women’s’ Fabric Development Team at lululemon. Here she showed her technical knowledge of athletic apparel fabrics to be one of the best in the industry, integrating her creativity, leadership and problem-solving skills.
A true global fabric expert, Ruth has worked in Raw Materials Teams for apparel manufacturers in the UK, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. Experience over multiple products and fabric types, has provided her with an international network of connections, and the practical in-depth knowledge of the fabric development, sourcing, validation and production processes.
During her time lecturing in ‘Global Supply Chain Management’ at Nottingham Trent Business School and in ‘Global Textile Processes’ at De Montfort University, she pursued her love of learning and inspiring others, while perfecting her research and education skills.
Ruth has a Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Textile Technology from the University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology, UK, and holds her designation as an Associate of the Textile Institute (ATI). She is also a certified 200-hour yoga teacher graduating from the Mind-ful-on, lululemon Yoga Leadership Teacher Training.
Ruth lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband and three children. Growing up in the UK, and having lived all over the world, Ruth deeply appreciates common human connections, within the teams she leads and the partnerships she creates. When she’s not mothering, working, or practicing yoga, she sings, goes to book club and cycles to raise funds for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.