Apr 01, 2020

Finn's Fashion Sherpas

Compass in hand showing the direction to follow

You may have already seen our website, and learnt a bit about us and our products.

This post draws the curtain and dives deeper on why we exist and what guides our mission.

Starting with an idea

Finn was born because we saw a gap in the market for men's active and outdoor apparel with an elevated leisure aesthetic. The active and outdoor kit we had served a specific purpose, but didn't really suit our all day-to-day and just seemed a bit dorky. Equally, our leisure kit wasn't quite hitting the mark for our active and outdoor pursuits.

We also saw the giant elephant in room - an opportunity to be another good player in relation to sustainability issues in the fashion industry.

It was important for us to take a moment and think about what should be the key factors that guide our mission, before running hard and aimlessly.

Asking the critical questions

Why are we doing this in the first place?

What are the key factors that should guide us in serving these gaps in the market?

Who are our people?

Are there any other important things we want to take into account?

Charting the course

We were conscious about our products looking smart, feeling comfortable and being ready for spontaneous active, adventurous pursuits. Also, for just indulging in acts of leisure. So style with function was important. As was the versatility of each garment.

We were wary about becoming an idealistic, non-pragmatic brand, conning ourselves into thinking that we could make versatile 'hybrid' garments that were still stylish (insert dad's nylon zip-off tramping trousers here). We weren't aiming for high tech performance, but rather smart, comfortable kit that performs.

For us, we knew we had to keep things simple, and identify the best way to incorporate versatility. We believe a leisure style can serve active, adventure pursuits well if it's cut right, and from the right fabrics.

We also can't stand cheap nasty clothing that is destined for the bin after a couple of wears and washes. We are in this to create high quality always, and garments that stand the test of time. In the end, the goal is to get more value out of our clothing than, for example, buying three different types of cheap shorts, three times over.

Further, global consumption levels are exceeding what our planet can handle and the fashion industry has a pretty significant part in that play. Therefore, anything we do needs to have a focus on reversing this trend and striving towards more sustainable practices.

This doesn't mean we will be perfect or fully sustainable from the get go. As a startup, we will get to unlock certain challenges as we go. But, what we will do is seek sustainable solutions, and continuously evolve our business model in pursuit of that big hairy audacious goal.

Lastly, we had to keep in mind who we are doing this for. You can't be something to everybody, but you can be everything to somebody. Initially, Finn was a self-indulgent dream to create clothing for our active and adventurous lifestyle. We know this lifestyle is shared by many people out there. So Finn is simply for the active and adventurous who like to look smart while leading a healthy lifestyle and connecting with the outdoors.