Frank & Faith
RSPCA Good Business Awards 2011 – Highly Commended
Winter 2012: Frank & Faith is socially conscious clothing label launched in autumn 2006 by fashion designer and buyer Anya Pearson and her Chartered Accountant husband, Mark Swire.
“Our founding philosophy is that our clothes look beautiful but are manufactured in an ethical and sustainable way. Including sustainably sourced, cruelty free fabrics and yarns,” says Anya.
“Our vision is a simple one! We want to change consumers perspective on how and why they buy their clothes.
“We think it is hugely important that clothes make you look good but also make you feel good, by knowing the clothes on your back were made fairly in every way. Whether that is how the raw materials are produced including the way animals are treated, to how the garments are made and sold.
“We think it is vital to know the full story behind the things we buy, whether it’s the food we eat, the way we invest our savings or the way our clothes are manufactured.
Ethically minded
Frank & Faith produce clothes ethically by manufacturing in Britain. This say this enables them to make sure garments are made fairly, as all manufacturing falls under UK labour laws including the minimum wage, EU labour directives and International Labour Organisation conventions, protecting Frank & Faith from “Sweat Shop” manufacturing.
“We sell our clothes directly on line from our own website and we also attend trade shows in the UK and Europe where we sell our collection wholesale,” adds Anya. “We presently sell to around 20 boutiques in the UK and we sell internationally to boutiques in Japan, America, Scandinavia and Europe.
“Both my husband and I are huge animal lovers and I have not eaten meat for over 28 years so it made sense to us that our own business should also make every effort it could to make sure any animal derived products we used in our clothing was sourced with animal welfare at its heart.
“But running a business this way wasn’t easy, for example, trying to find an organic mulesing-free Merino wool to use in our knitwear collections was near impossible, but after nearly two years we did find one and proved to the rest of the industry that if you try hard enough there are alternatives out there.
“By entering and being recognised by awards like this one, highlights small businesses like ours that are trying to make a difference. Proving to the rest of the fashion industry that great fashion is possible with animal welfare central to that.”
Welfare is policy...
be the first to comment