What sustainable fashion truly is, and why is it so important? An interview with Sonia Mota - co-founder and designer of the Francis Stories brand.
Autumn is just around the corner, and I couldn't have imagined a better start to the new season than inviting Sonia Mota, co-founder of women's knitwear brand Francis Stories, to join me for today's post.
Personally, I discovered this brand last winter on the Rêve En Vert website, which is a retail platform for sustainable and ethical goods. Francis Stories immediately aroused my interest due to their timelessness, versatility, neutral aesthetic, brand ethos, and philosophy. You might remember their jumpers, Louise and Sophie, from this post about my winter loungewear capsule. I've also included both sweaters in my 70-item all-year-round basic wardrobe, so you see how I style them in my daily outfit inspirations here.
Last week I had the opportunity to have an inspiring conversation with Sonia. We have been chatting about her passion for design, sustainable fashion, and why it is so important. Sonia also talked about her beginnings in the fashion industry and shared tips on what aspiring designers and entrepreneurs should keep in mind when starting a business. And in case you would like to take a look at the new Francis Stories collection (released just a few days ago), you can check it out here.
Hi Sonia! First of all, thank you so much for your time and for joining us in today's post. You are the co-founder and designer of Francis Stories - a sustainable knitwear brand. Can you tell us about your journey to launching the label?
Sonia: Hi, Ewelina! It's my pleasure! Yes, I'm the co-founder of Francis Stories and the designer and creative mind behind the brand. Since I can remember, I have always loved fashion and design. It's been a passion of mine for years. In my late teens/early 20's, I decided I wanted to do something more active in the fashion industry, and not only from the point of view of a consumer. I studied fashion design and branding, worked at a high-end fashion store, and also worked in a fashion magazine. However, although doing all this enabled me to learn a lot, none of it really made me feel like I was adding good value to fashion. I always felt this urge to create, to express my ideas, not only in terms of a product but also in terms of how to look at the product, how to style it, and how to live that product's philosophy.
It was very clear at this stage that I needed to create a brand of my own, and one of my biggest passions in fashion has been, for years, knitwear. I love the touch, the textures, and the intricate patterns of knitwear, and how you can create deceptively simple designs but with some precious details. And from that urge, Francis Stories started to gain shape. We are still a relatively young brand, just turning 5, and while we've come a long way in defining a clear identity for the brand, one that focuses on beautiful design and products that can last for decades and that promotes a more conscious and restrained fashion consumption, we still feel the brand identity keeps evolving and getting refined with every new season.
What is the story behind your brand's name? Why Francis Stories?
Sonia: This is a commonly asked question that is not very easy to answer. Coming up with a name for the brand, I wanted to convey a sort of personal connection, an idea that this is not just another industrialized brand that caters to all and none. I wanted to make it feel more personal, and I wanted people to associate that with a name that stuck, as if a friend's name, such as Francis, which is a beautiful name I just adore. In addition to that, we at Francis Stories want to depart from the idea of just dropping collections X times a year and want to give more meaning to the new pieces that we launch - I love creating visual stories with a concept and a philosophy that people can relate to. I want people to feel immersed in those stories, and I want each new set of products we launch to be viewed as sort of an additional (not necessarily a new in chronological terms) chapter on the life of this "friend" Francis. In the end, Francis Stories just made sense to us!
Can you explain why sustainability is so essential to you and what are the pillars of responsible fashion at Francis Stories that you are most proud of?
Sonia: From the outset, we knew for sure that our approach to creating Francis Stories had to be different from the traditional way of doing fashion, and being sustainable was not a design feature of the brand, something we said, "oh, we have to try and do it this way," but rather something that was rooted within ourselves and is part of our DNA, and that's why Francis Stories is that reflection of our beliefs. We know that there are many points of view on how to be sustainable - it's a rich field with lots of healthy discussions that are helping us all move forward. What I think is core for all sustainable-minded people and businesses is simply this - we have to consume less and better. It doesn't really matter if you are focused on recycled goods, vegan goods, or all-natural goods. At the end of the day, all of us agree that choosing better products when buying reduces the need to buy more further down the road, and that reduces the stress on the planet, ecosystems, and people. This is not only our main pillar. I would say this is the very foundation of the brand. On one side, we work on creating products that we believe will have high longevity in both aesthetics terms as well as physical properties terms so that the need for replacement is much lower and less frequent. On the other side, we want to provide as much information about our products and our process to our audience so that they can make the best-informed decision. It is not interesting for us that people buy just for the sake of having the garment. What's most important for us is that they buy a piece that they will be sure to use for a long time. That's the main pillar, or overall foundation, of the brand. On top of that, as I mentioned before, there are various branching options you can make in sustainability - although we recognize the merits of other choices and the shortcomings of the choice we made, we believe that using only 100% natural materials is the best decision for Francis Stories products. The reason for this is that these are materials that Nature knows - while we use high-quality materials and the best factories' craftsmanship to extend our garment's life, as with everything, the end of the garment's life cycle will eventually come. At that time, our pieces can be safely disposed of with a piece of mind that comes from knowing those are materials that Nature can decompose and regenerate into something new. And this is important not only at the end of the life cycle of the product but even more during the washing and caring for the product - at these stages, it is unavoidable that fibers get lost in the water disposal, which ends up on the water streams and on the lands, and even if you are super careful, you cannot avoid that release into Nature. That's why we think that choosing Natural materials is important, because even if you recycle the product at the end of its life cycle, fibers will have been lost during its useful life, and if they are not natural, they will definitely harm Nature.
How would you explain the importance of mindful fashion choices to someone who isn't well versed in what that means exactly? As consumers, what are our options, and what can we do to lower our environmental footprint regarding our clothing consumption?
Sonia: I think the logic for mindful choices is quite intuitive. If you consume less and better, you're using less resources from the planet, and that puts a much lower strain on the production of new materials, whatever the origin is, and creates much less waste. It's as simple as that. We don't need, in fact, to have 50 different pieces of clothing - as we all know, and as we all have experienced, most of them will be hardly worn and will end up being just a waste of planet resources (and the buyer's money). With a much smaller wardrobe and a much more curated selection of pieces, one can create almost endless possibilities and still be fashionable. Your 10x10 capsule selections are the perfect example of this - when one puts a bit more thought into the fashion choices one makes, it is possible to consume less and better and have a wide range of choices of looks for all sorts of occasions. So, I think that what is important is to really think and choose the next piece of clothing carefully. Asking yourself questions like - "in which occasions would I use it?", "what do I already have that can pair well with it?", "is this just an ephemeral design or something I can see myself using for years?", "how good are the materials and the construction?" can help you decide whether this is a piece worth buying or not. Buy less but better. It all comes down to that. And ask questions - ask them to yourself, in the form of the ones I just mentioned above, but also ask questions about the brand, invest a bit of time in getting to know more about the piece characteristics, the materials, the construction, and how it was made, and why it is relevant for a conscious consumption way of life.
What have been your biggest learnings and challenges while growing Francis Stories so far?
Sonia: We've learned a lot in all different areas of fashion. We stopped being on the consumer side only to know what it is to be like on the brand's side. It's a whole new reality - you need to know not only about the materials, the production methods, and all the technical stuff that goes into creating pieces, but also we need to know about who, where, and how things we use are made. All of this has been an incredible learning experience, and we keep on learning. This is tightly linked to our biggest challenges - we have to make sure we know our complete supply chain absolutely. We need to know in a detailed way how the materials we use are made, where and by whom because we need to be certain that it meets our standards so we can rightfully inform our audience and clients. They are entitled to getting good and accurate information, and getting that information is the biggest challenge for us. It has not been easy to find providers of the different materials and elements we use on our pieces that are mindful and transparent, but we pride ourselves on not overlooking these aspects and only working with those that are transparent. Not all of them (nor us) are absolutely perfect, but since we started, we have seen a big transformation in their practices, and they are getting more and more mindful about their businesses. For us, transparency is key - we don't work with whoever tries to hide things from us, and we have already made design changes to our products because we couldn't guarantee this transparency factor.
As someone who cares about sustainability and pays much attention to brand transparency - what do you think aspiring designers and entrepreneurs should keep in mind when starting a fashion business?
Sonia: I think they have to come to the business with a lot of drive and a lot of commitment to learn. This is not an easy field, it's a populated sector, and bigger brands, and in particular the ones that don't like transparency, have much more means to make their messages come across to the market, sometimes in a distorted way. Don't let yourself get down (easier said than done) with the false / manipulated green or transparent initiatives and communications. Focus on your own way, on getting better, more transparent, putting better products out there, and listening to your audience (the conscious fashion audience is a very vocal one that doesn't let themselves get fooled by the big companies, and they value the effort and transparency of smaller brands), and steadily, even if slowly, you'll get there!
Would you say that the last couple of years (the impact of fast fashion on the environment, climate change, and the pandemic) have changed our approach to more intentional living? Have you noticed a shift in customer response to ethical fashion and small sustainable businesses?
Sonia: I do. I think this is something that has been steadily growing in the past few years, sometimes unfortunately fueled by unfortunate events, but the overall population, and especially the youth, have become much more conscious about the problems of the fashion industry and the fashion consumption of today. I think that a very important factor is acknowledging and accepting that living a more mindful and intentional life is not just something you do overnight but that people can do it in steps and get closer to it. We have had lots of clients that have not refrained from reaching out to us and stating that they were not perfect but were mindfully trying to get better and asking questions about this or that product to make sure it met their needs. We don't always sell, but we're very happy that people reach out, that they do their part in making these questions, in being engaged, in thinking about their next purchase and its implication way past the next few months. This is definitely something that's gaining a lot of momentum.
As I mentioned, I love Francis Stories because of your knitwear's quality, timelessness, minimalist aesthetics, and sustainable packaging, which create an unforgettable unboxing experience. So my question is - what things inspire you? Would you say that living in Portugal influenced your design process?
Sonia: There are lots of things that inspire us, and Nature is probably what inspires us the most. I personally get lots of ideas when I'm in contact with Nature in its rawest state, whether it is by the ocean on a secluded beach with the waves crashing on the coast, in the middle of the forest with all the lights and shadows and its rich smells, or on the mountains surrounded by these sleepy stone giants worn down by the force of the elements. Nature is really what inspires me the most, and being in Portugal, and especially located in the Azores islands, gives me this wide array of options in Nature that I can explore and where I can sit and contemplate and let it all sink in. Portugal is probably mostly known, within Europe, for being a sunny destination, but there's much more to it than that, and that's definitely where I get the most inspiration. I love a sunny day, but I get much more creative thoughts in a moody setting, and we still can have that!
Do you remember the first clothing item you ever created and from which your love for fashion design started?
Sonia: To be absolutely honest, I don't. I don't remember the actual first design I made. Between collages and sketches in my teen years, there must have been some sort of "new" creation I made, but that probably wasn't too "new." I think things naturally unfolded from there, but for a long time, I didn't have this idea of being a designer, so those collages or sketches were more of a hobby thing than me thinking, "this is what I want to do." The first actual designs for Francis Stories, are those I remember clearly.
I had lots of ideas, but that was also very challenging, as one day, something seemed like the perfect idea for the first collection, and the day after, it looked like rubbish. I think it's a natural process, as I was still in the very early stages of defining what Francis Stories visual identity would be - I sort of knew it in my head, but putting that down into a design is a much different thing.
Finally, let me ask you about your personal style. What steps do you take while building the curated closet in your daily life? What are your favorite small fashion businesses? And most importantly - do you believe in such a thing as a 'perfect wardrobe'?
Sonia: My personal style has been really the Francis Stories style. I've been lucky enough to be able to create what I love and to wear what I create. Still, there are plenty of brands out there that I love and that I think are both an inspiration for myself as an individual, as well as for myself as the creative mind of Francis Stories. Brands such as Yoli and Otis (for the lifestyle), Loro Piana (for the quality), Jenni Kayne (for the aesthetics), and Everlane (for their philosophy) have inspired me greatly. And I don't think there's such a thing as a "perfect wardrobe," but I think people need to come to terms with that - there's no need to be looking to curate the perfect wardrobe. That will hardly happen to most of us. The focus, as I mentioned above, is on creating a wardrobe with pieces that complement each other well, that we are able to wear in different settings and for many years. We have to fight the urge to fill in those small gaps in our wardrobe because if we let that happen, we'll be finding more and more gaps and going back again to an uncontrolled and unconscious purchasing of fashion. I don't believe in a "perfect wardrobe," but I'm fine with that.
What is your vision for Francis Stories in the future?
Sonia: From the start, our vision is to create a cohese range of garments that feel like they belong all in the same place and that nicely and seamlessly complement each other. We don't see Francis Stories as a brand that forever brings out newness and explores the boundaries of design. We want to focus on creating designs that work, designs that people will wear for years. We, of course, understand that aesthetics is an overall evolving field and that our designs today, however long-lasting in terms of aesthetics they are now, will probably not be as long-lasting in 20 or 30 years, and as such, there will always be a need for some evolution. But we feel like, in a couple of years, we might reach a more stable array of designs and then start tweaking and improving each one of them rather than creating from scratch every new year. These first few years of the life of Francis Stories have seen probably the most of the exploration of the design field, both because we have been learning more about ourselves and our audience and also because we started with zero designs and wanted to, step by step, and not all in once, get into that stage where we have a few dozens of definite designs. Once we reach that stage, we'll be focusing more on improving the existing designs, improving our supply chain, improving the level of transparency and information we can provide, and hopefully be able to deliver more and more long-lasting value to our customers.
And as a huge fan of your work and designs, I keep my fingers crossed for all this! Thank you again for your time and inspiring conversation!
Sonia: Thank you so much for the invitation and for featuring our interview in your beautifully curated The Closet Journal!
