About FWP By Rae

FWP BY RAE – THE STORY OF HOW IT ALL BEGAN

FWP by Rae was born out of a love for stylish quality clothing.

As someone who loves a classic laid back look, I was fed up of buying t-shirts that were either cheaply made or completely over priced – £90 for a t-shirt – really….!

I previously co-owned a small independent wine company (The French Wine Project) with my then husband, and I spent a lot of time researching wines in order to write up tasting notes (I do have 2 WSET certificates and know something about wine believe it or not).

While writing up notes I found that a lot of descriptions and some words in particular kept jumping out at me, also giving meaning to things outside of the world of wine.

I’m a lover of a good slogan/graphic Tee, so I soon had enough inspiration for some designs. I spent 3 months researching printers and ethical t-shirt producers, borrowed £1500 for packaging and stock and put Bon Vintage along with Rosé into production and firmly crossed my fingers. Luckily for me my background is media and my 25 years in the industry helped with my marketing strategies.

To begin with I sourced ready made products, manufactured in ethical factories, meaning the clothing is made under good working conditions with fair wages and using raw materials like organic cotton, Tencel, Modal, recycled polyester. All the printing or embroidery is done here in the UK.

However, within the first 2 years, the company I used stopped producing the garments that I loved, and as I couldn’t source the cut and style I wanted it forced me to take on the design and manufacturing process myself.

It was not only a massive learning curve, but a huge financial risk. In late 2018 I had separated from my husband leaving me broke and with complete financial independence, so the thought of taking on such a big task was terrifying, especially as I was now the main carer and provider of 2 children.

However the only way was forward, so in May 2019 I launched my first in-house t-shirt designs followed by the fine knit sweatshirts. I am now slowly branching out into woven fabrics and experimenting with colour and prints. I’m still on a big learning journey, and with each item I produce a new skill is added to my tool box.

I continue to strive to create stylish products that are ethically produced, sustainable and affordable. I only make small quantities to avoid waste.

My factories are audited and thorough checks are done with regards to cotton growing (always GOTS approved organic), the manmade fibre processes (Lenzing certified), the fabric mills and the workers.

It’s still just myself the kids and the dog, and the brilliant Lyndsey who I couldn’t do this without.

Check out the full range in our shop 

Rae x