Interview with Jake Danehy
Jake Danehy
Founder & CEO
Fair Harbor
Founder & CEO
Fair Harbor
Shift to conscious shopping not a trend, but a movement
Growing up in the little beach town of Fire Island, New York, the brother-sister duo Jake and Caroline Danehy always appreciated the sun, sand, and living mindfully. It wasn't until they noticed the plastic waste in the ocean that the idea of using plastic bottles to create swimwear sprang up. Today, together they run a NY-based brand creating swimwear out of recycled plastic bottles- Fair Harbor. The young founder & CEO, Jake Danehy, talks about the journey of the brand, new product launches using innovative materials, collaboration collections, and a soon-to-debut women's line.
How did the idea to start Fair Harbor come to you? Why swimwear?
Fair Harbor is the name of the beach town on Fire Island, off the coast of Long Island, where our family spent summers. It's essentially a glorified sandbar, where no cars are allowed and everyone rides around on weathered bicycles. It's a really small community that lives simplistically and inclusively. Situated between the bay and the ocean, we witnessed a lot of plastic waste wash up on the beaches of Fair Harbor. Once I had studied extensively about the negative effects of plastic waste in the ocean, Caroline and I decided we needed to do something to keep the waters clean and protect special communities like Fair Harbor. Swimwear was a natural fit. After learning about the technology to convert plastic bottles into a functional fabric, making swimwear spoke to our childhoods at the beach, wearing boardshorts and bathing suits all day to surf, swim, fish, lounge, and so on.
How much funds did you raise from Kickstarter? Who are the major investors in Fair Harbor?
We first pitched Fair Harbor as part of a mock Shark Tank competition at our school, Colgate University, which was organised through their entrepreneurship programme called Thought Into Action. The panel of celebrity entrepreneurs included Jessica Alba, Neil Blumenthal, MC Hammer, Jennifer Hyman, and more-in front of a 2,000-member audience.
The pitch, in 2015, came before anyone really knew that the technology to convert recycled plastic bottles into apparel even existed. While on stage, I held a plastic bottle and asked if they could imagine turning it into these (as I held up a pair of boardshorts). People were in awe, including Jessica Alba and Jennifer Hyman who are into fashion. From that competition, we were awarded $20,000 for our first production run. Thereafter, in 2015 we successfully raised 225 per cent of our initial funding goal through a Kickstarter campaign.
Would you say American consumers are conscious shoppers when it comes to fashion and apparel?
Yes-especially now more than ever. This shift in awareness and consciousness is not just a trend, but we see it as a movement that will continue to gain momentum. People's efforts to support ethically or sustainably produced goods has grown tremendously since we started Fair Harbor. Millennials, in particular, have a real concern for the authenticity and production of the goods they purchase.
Will recycling help fix the problem of fast fashion?
Recycling single use plastic is our focus, while simultaneously creating a really high-quality product in effort to change the way consumers view single use plastic. It's going to help in creating less waste that winds up in landfills or the oceans, which is obviously a huge issue, especially for oceanic wildlife. While recycling will help fix the problem of fast fashion, it's not going to solve the issue of fast fashion.
Tell us about your product line from upcycled coconuts.
Two of our newer products-The Rockaway (performance boardshort) and The Anchor (athletic short with built-in-liner)-make use of both recycled plastic bottles and upcycled coconuts. Essentially, the discarded husks of coconuts are broken down and spun into polyester, much like the plastic bottles.
Which are your strong markets in the US?
Based in New York, we are definitely East Coast-strong. As we have travelled along the coast to beach towns in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Virginia, and so on, we've developed communities and loyal customers in these different places.
Where do you source raw material for swimwear from?
The plastic bottles are sourced from mass recycling facilities worldwide, and then sent to their respective manufacturing facilities to be broken down, spun, sewn, and shipped out.
How many pet bottles go into making a Fair Harbor swim trunk or boardshorts?
Each pair of boardshorts or swim trunks makes use of approximately 11 recycled plastic bottles. We project to use more than 100,000 recycled bottles this year alone.
How many collections do you come up with every year? How many styles are there in each collection?
This definitely varies; we don't have a set number of styles or even collection schedule. It's an extremely organic, creative process that we're navigating as we go. We just released our debut women's collection in May, and have more exciting things planned for the future.
Tell us about FH's soon-to-be launched women's swimwear line.
We just launched our first women's collection, spearheaded by Caroline, my sister, co-founder and creative director. The line was inspired by her time spent in Fair Harbor, as well as abroad in Australia. It speaks to the inclusivity of the island that I spoke to earlier, and Caroline aims to make this collection about body positivity. There's a style for everyone and the intent is to feel comfortable in your suit-whether you're lounging around, playing beach volleyball, or riding some waves.
How many retail stores do you have? Do you plan to open more?
Our first retail space opened in downtown Manhattan in May. We have thoughtfully designed the space with small pieces that remind us of our childhood in Fair Harbor that people can experience for themselves. This location will be a place where people can come touch, feel and engage with our brand in a new way. We have strong retail partners that carry our gear across the East Coast of the States; however, Fair Harbor itself is e-commerce-based. We're incredibly strategic about those partnerships, but focus primarily on our directto-consumer business.
Which are your best-selling products online and offline?
Made from recycled plastic bottles, organic cotton and a bit of spandex for stretch, our One Short is one of our best-selling styles. These shorts can be worn throughout the day at the beach and into the evening by throwing on a collared shirt. They are extremely transitional, and we haven't been able to keep them in stock.
What's next for FH? Do you plan to expand your current product basket?
We have a lot of exciting new products launching this summer! We've just released a new performance boardshort and athletic short that use the signature recycled polyester from plastic bottles and upcycled coconuts. We also have a collaboration collection coming out featuring a local artist, Johnny Vacay, with his photographs digitally printed on to our signature boardshorts. They're incredibly unique and limited in quantity. As we look into the future, we're constantly creating new products that relate back to the Fair Harbor lifestyle and seeking different ways to develop a community around our brand.(HO)
Published on: 20/06/2018
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.