About FWP By Rae

FWP by Rae was born out of a love for responsibly made 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! There seemed to be no middle ground.

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 blank garments, 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.
Not only was it 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 pretty terrifying, especially as I was now the main carer and provider of 2 children.

However it was the only option if I wanted to stay true to myself and my brand, so in May 2019 I launched my first in-house t-shirt designs followed by the fine knit sweatshirts. Then in 2020 I took the next big step and branched out into woven fabrics, experimenting with colour and prints, and in Summer 2021 I launched my first very small collection of blouses and dresses.

As this part of the brand developed, FWP became very much about Fabric, Words and Prints.

I'm on a continuous 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 fully audited for fair trade and ethical fabric production, with my main supplier having an in-house spinning and knitting mill, meaning the fabrics used in our t-shirts and sweatshirts are all made on demand and fully traceable.

I still run the business solo from my home, now just one child as one flew the nest, and a needy dog that is like another child. Thankfully I now have a small family run team looking after all of my stock and doing the fulfilment, along with some fabulous freelancers to help me with the things I can’t do.

I hope you have fun browsing and shopping, as that is what it’s all about, wearing pieces that make you smile and feel good about yourself.

Rae x