"It all starts with a vision. Today a piece of fabric, tomorrow a sleek fitted-top."
The creative process from concept to garment is never the same and differs vastly from designer to designer, label to label, and market segment to market segment. But most brands, from mass retailers to high-end makers of ready-to-wear fashion, all agree that to achieve this vision, research must come first. This can usually mean building mood boards that embody the design direction or spending days, sometimes even months studying trends and textiles, tirelessly sourcing for inspiration. The amount of research put into the initial stages of the creative process is essential in shaping a collection.
For Fairmonde, we knew from the very get-go that on top of all the tried and tested ways, we wanted our creative process to be led by our gut and our instincts. As women who also golf, we were our own target market and that meant that we had the luxury of being able to put ourselves into our consumers’ shoes. Our aim as a women’s golf wear brand is to meet the demand for apparel that can easily transition from work to play.
But getting our vision from the drawing board to the store rack required much more than just pure intuition. Somewhere in our imagination, we like to believe that it’s easy to decide on something and have it magically end up just as we’ve imagined. In reality, things don’t often turn out that way. As you’ll find out, our process is a series of choices that are reviewed, modified and refined relentlessly, over and over again, even towards the finish line.
The thought process behind our designs is essentially a three-dimensional form that represents an idea or a vibe that aligns with our brand DNA. We go along with it and work around the inspiration to draw out more from it, constantly refining and always perfecting. At times, we like reacting to an impulse. If it feels right, that’s the way to go.Our concept of marrying fashion and function isn’t a radical one, but we certainly wanted to innovate and stand out even more with our unique silhouettes, fabric selection and unquestionable versatility.
To bring our design vision to life, our next crucial step was to carefully select the right suppliers and manufacturer. We’re proud of our mission to be fully sustainable and we want the people and companies we entrust our vision with to also be on the same boat.
That’s why it makes sense that we only partner with the industry’s bests like Coats (the world’s leading thread company). We also work closely with our suppliers to ensure ethical and social responsibility in providing fair wages and safe work conditions.Because as much as we tirelessly obsess over fit, materials and quality, we also know that it shouldn’t come at the expense of our planet or anyone. Our clothing should make you look and feel great, inside and out.
When it came down to the functionality, wearability and durability of our garments, we couldn’t stop asking ourselves plenty of questions:
"Will it be easy to wash?"
"How comfortable is it to wear for long hours?"
"Are the styles timeless?"
We didn’t want to leave any stones unturned, exploring all types of fabric options with technical and performance capabilities. In our minds, we knew exactly what we wanted: a lightweight, moisture-wicking resistance fabric with an ultra low odour feature, which we eventually sourced from Italy. The level of quality in the material we chose promises to deliver not just comfort, but also practicality, while drastically reducing environmental impact.
Once we’ve finalized on our prototypes, production begins. One thing that we are adamant about from the very start is that we would never sell out and be part of the fast fashion industry. All FAIRMONDE™ collections are produced in limited quantities to prevent wastage in resources and excess in inventory. In fact, we’re in the process of developing innovative ways to incorporate leftover or unused fabrics in the production of special sustainable collections in the future.
Speaking of sustainability, which is one of our top priorities, FAIRMONDE™ is committed to fabric lifecycle processes, including but not limited to reducing the amount of water, hazardous chemicals, pesticides and fertilizers, adopting eco-friendly production processes and using less energy. We constantly ensure that our operations are motivated by the 3Rs - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. These practices are factored in at the very beginning during the design stages as we draw up plans for not just our garments, but also our packaging materials, clothing labels and tags. Before any of our pieces hit stores or end up in your hands, they undergo rigorous inspections and quality checks to ensure that they match our exact specifications and expectations.
