{"id":162129,"date":"2019-09-02T11:28:18","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T11:28:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theindustry.fashion\/the-interview-cathal-mcateer-founder-and-creative-director-folk\/"},"modified":"2021-08-12T14:04:07","modified_gmt":"2021-08-12T14:04:07","slug":"the-interview-cathal-mcateer-founder-and-creative-director-folk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theindustry.fashion\/the-interview-cathal-mcateer-founder-and-creative-director-folk\/","title":{"rendered":"The Interview: Cathal McAteer, founder and creative director, Folk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cult British brand Folk has created an exclusive collection with John Lewis & Partners called It\u2019s All Good Folk \u2013 now selling in select John Lewis and Folk stores. It\u2019s a new sustainable range, celebrating a shared commitment to inspiring design, responsibly produced,<\/strong> with a nod to some of the brand\u2019s archive classics. Folk founder, Cathal McAteer, talks us through it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How did the collaboration with John Lewis come about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve been changing their business on the fashion side for quite a while. They started with the women\u2019s, and now there is big changes to the menswear offer<\/a>. So, they\u2019ve been talking to us for maybe a couple of years now, but through distribution issues and so on we\u2019d not been able to work with them, until now.<\/p>\n

\"Folk<\/p>\n

What is the sustainability angle to It\u2019s All Good Folk?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve been trying to really engage with our sustainability credentials for quite some time, and how to do that properly. We felt that we didn\u2019t just want to integrate certain fabrics in to the main collection, as we wanted to do something a bit more meaningful way. We\u2019ve been researching ways to do that, and the idea of launching it with John Lewis meant we would be able to do that in a much bigger way, and accelerate our whole investment and journey into this. Through that, we\u2019ve launched this new It\u2019s All Good Folk sub-brand that promises to have a 360 degree look at making the garments in the best way we possibly can, with a kind of manifesto that says we will do our utmost to meet all standards and go many steps further \u2013 only using sustainable fabrics.<\/p>\n

So what would you say is at the core if this new sub-brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sustainable fabrics, durability and timeless design are at the core, which has been developed with the \u201cWear it Out\u201d concept in mind. This encourages consumers who buy a piece to get maximum wear out of it and, if it\u2019s damaged or worn out, return it to Folk where it will either be repaired or recycled.<\/p>\n

\"Folk<\/p>\n

What is the branding and with there be more collections?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The branding on the label is It\u2019s All Good Folk. This is a Folk brand, it\u2019s not a brand that is owned by John Lewis. We\u2019re just locking horns with them and using each other\u2019s resources to launch this brand, as a Folk brand. We\u2019re selling it on our website and in all our stores too. We\u2019re working exclusively with John Lewis and our own stores to launch it, but this is the start of something that we will grow and the public will decide how big it gets. It could possibly be wholesaled in the future. It\u2019s whatever is best for the brand. I\u2019ve just delivered the first collection to John Lewis, then the second collection goes out in four weeks, and the third one goes out in 10-12 weeks. They are all for just my shops and select John Lewis stores. The next collection after that will be the same, because that\u2019s already been bought for next summer, then we will look at it together and decide where to take it.<\/p>\n

How has the collection been received in stores so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They\u2019ve had a really good time with it. The hero piece, which is the multi-coloured leaf print camp collar shirt, has been the best seller. It\u2019s also the most vibrant piece. The feedback has generally been very good, but it\u2019s only been in the stores for just over three weeks so far. There\u2019s about 20 pieces in the first collection, then there\u2019s another 16 in the second drop, and another 10 in the third. The whole aesthetic of the offer is celebrating Folk\u2019s history, so there\u2019s an archival reference to some things. We\u2019ve pulled out a design or a specific detail, fabric or print and we\u2019ve put those in. It\u2019s got a utilitarian feel to it. Not workwear, more your everyday stuff, so not restrictive shapes. It\u2019s easy wearing and really good on the eye, but it doesn\u2019t have the kind of textural fashion design pomp that the main collection has, though it is still very designed and detailed. We\u2019re making garments as cleanly as we possibly can, but in terms of the initial contact with the consumer, they will see a brand that they will buy for how good it looks. The sustainability credentials will be a nice bonus.<\/p>\n

\"Folk<\/p>\n

How do the price points differ to the Folk mainline?<\/strong><\/p>\n

They are approximately 20% cheaper than Folk. We don\u2019t think the price is so much of an issue. There are demands to the buying of this type of production, such as buying Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) fabrics, organic cotton and recycled nylon. There are certain minimums to these fabrics, or you end up paying a premium, but because we\u2019re buying more through John Lewis it has allowed us \u2013 with economy of scale \u2013 to actually reduce the prices. We didn\u2019t go out to make garments cheaper, but through buying power it has enabled us to make them cheaper. So, it\u2019s kind of win-win for the consumer, and for us. Of course, I could charge the same prices as Folk and make more money, but that doesn\u2019t go with the ethical and moral credentials.<\/p>\n

Is working with John Lewis good for Folk and raising brand awareness to the mainline too?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think so, they\u2019ve got something like 90,000 people working there. It\u2019s been interesting for our 45-person company to talk to such a massive company. It\u2019s going to be good exposure for us, for sure. Also, I have an affiliation with John Lewis as a customer myself. I bought my first computer there when I was set up business a long time ago, as well as my towels and frying pan! John Lewis is the place to go to when you buy your first flat. It\u2019s a great British company that takes care of their people, and they are pretty inspiring that way. They are successful at it too, with that ethos behind them. For us to work with them is pretty great.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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