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What is the heart of your brand?
Fumie and Rachel met while traveling in India and instantly bonded over a love of fashion, design, and the desire to bring their creations to life in a sustainable way. FARA was born from this tiny seed, and slowly but surely blossomed into the most beautiful flower. But the heart remains, based around a love of adventure and travel, dreaming of new places, and the freedom to do so comfortably and chic.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
We draw inspiration from our travels between the city and the jungle, and London and Goa. We aim to create collections that blend seamlessly into tropical life and city life all the same.
What materials are you using to create your line?
We utilize natural fabrics, that cause as little stress on the environment as possible. The heart of our collection is silk. Incredibly sustainable, and equally luxurious, this is our favourite medium. We also create with hand loomed raw silk, similar to linen in feel, but native to India, where our collection was born. We also use hemp modal and chiffon when we create something that calls for a bit more freedom or everyday vibes.
What makes your brand sustainable?
Many things! We put a lot of thought into sustainability, and have often taken the harder road to keep in line with our sustainable practices. Our brand has grown organically without outside funding, and this has allowed us to keep our morals strong. Firstly, on an environmental level, we produce no overage. We create garments that will fit a number of different bodies, so there is less need for many different sizes which allows us to only produce what will sell.. Further to this, we create in small batches, so we’ve never produced overage. Sometimes this means things sell out way too soon, but this is what it means to be sustainable.
On a human level, everyone involved in our brand is paid a fair and living wage. Our tailors work on a fair trade basis in a safe environment. We take a lot of care to listen to our customers, and grow and learn from the feedback we receive, and this has often shaped our ever-evolving brand into beautiful new directions. We also believe in collaboration over competition, and sharing of ideas is key to this. We must work together to create a sustainable fashion future.
On a personal level why, how & when did you decide to create an eco-friendly brand?
Living in India, you realise quickly the impact our every action has on our planet. Most parts of India, especially the more rural areas, lack proper trash disposal and recycling centers, which means that the country has a massive garbage problem. There is no sanitized facade to hide the waste that humans leave behind, but instead it is front and center, on the side of the road, in the streets, in the ocean. Starting our brand was not about making lots of money, instead, it was about doing what we loved, building something that had been a dream. It was absolutely essential to us that our brand not contribute to this waste problem, and instead work towards setting an example for other brands.
Do you believe in the future of humanity?
We are mothers, so yes, all we care about is the future of humanity. And building our business in such a way so that our children can be inspired for a better future.
What are some easy steps you can do to live a more sustainable & conscious lifestyle?
Clothing is a great place to start! We have an ethos around buying smarter, buying less, and buying consciously. FARA has selections that both serve as everyday basics, and show-stopping once in a lifetime gowns. We believe that curating a wardrobe full of fairly traded, sustainable fabrics is the root of a conscious lifestyle. If you can find a few items that you’ll cherish always, then there is no need to buy cheap, poorly made, unsustainable fast fashion.
In terms of being sustainable for the environment with your clothing, wash your clothing with care. Make sure there is no undo stress on the fabric so that it lasts as long as possible. When it becomes too old or worn to wear, find ways to reuse it, either in crafting or creating cushions. Reuse, Reduce, Recycle….you know the saying!
What are you most proud of?
Quite a big question! We are most proud of our children, of course. For they are learning our ways, and the future is looking sustainable and bright! But, we are also so proud of FARA, and the brand it has become! We have put all of our energy into FARA for many years, and it has become our love child; we’ve been through so many highs and lows. Its part of our story, and it is our journey.
Where do you see your role in creating a non toxic environment for future generations?
Our aim is to keep pushing our brand in every way, from environmentally friendly packaging, to looking at our carbon footprint, experimenting with plant-based dyes and eco-friendly yarns. We are always diving deeper into how our footprint can be as small as possible, to support a slow fashion industry. We also pass this knowledge on to our children, and they are the future.
What are your hopes for the future?
We hope that the sustainable fashion industry becomes just ’the fashion industry’. These sustainable practices should just be the norm, that’s the only way forward. The future is held in the balance due to our impact on the planet and we need to keep that focus.
What is your mission? Call to action?
To buy sustainable products from small businesses. Become a conscious consumer, and learn what it is you actually need, vs. what the fast fashion industry leads you to believe you need.What’s sexy about eco-friendly fashion to you?
Sustainable, eco-conscious, slow fashion is sexy to us because it lends a peak into the mind of the creator and the consumer. Thoughtfully minded. Fast fashion is grotesque to us, and the ideas that this industry has implanted into people is causing global warming, among other things. To us, sexy is style, sexy is taking something you’ve had for years and reusing or reinventing it!
How do you think we can convince the fashion world to switch to sustainable practices?
By working together. Collaboration over competition. The sustainable fashion industry is made up of a lot of very small, competing brands. But we believe that if we really want to change the fashion industry, we must band together and share ideas, practices and resources.
How do you vote with your dollar?
We support other small, sustainable businesses. I love finding women-led brands from all over the world, and purchasing from these brands, that I can so relate to. When purchasing anything, I always look for the product with the least plastic, the most simple ingredients. I only buy what I need, and if I have extra cash, I donate it to organizations that have boots on the ground, fighting to save wildlife, or vulnerable populations.
What are some of the major challenges you have met?
One major challenge that we’ve faced is breaking peoples perceptions of how much sustainable items should cost. We’ve had some wonderful conversations with people about why our prices are what they are. We can explain and account for every dollar that you spend, when purchasing a FARA piece, and I think the willingness to have a conversation with customers about this, has allowed people to understand and appreciate our pricing.What does the term “Ecovocateur” mean to you?
A play on words, I’d guess! I think of evoking thought, and conscious thought at that.