It is never too late
to make a change in your career, not matter what age or stage you may be
at. Just look at Rebecca Fordham, award winning BBC journalist and UNICEF
member, who decided to try her hand at storytelling via an entire new
medium, namely fashion. “I guess you could say I had itchy feet and just
wanted to run my own business. I wanted to do something that was creating
employment, but on a smaller level,” explains Fordham to FashionUnited on
the reason why she started Tales of Thread. Fordham, who is also a mother
of one, is now the CEO/Creative Director of Tales of Thread, a luxe
British/Ghanaian ethical sleepwear brand which launched online this May. “I
had written about textiles all my adult life, so that’s what motivated me.
I see it all as a logical progression of my career – Tales of Thread is
about people’s stories and what motivates them.”
The brand itself was in part inspired by Fordham’s travels when she worked
as a journalist as well as her own personal passion for textiles and desire
to create something which positively touched the retail supply chain. “I
love Africa, it is my spiritual home. My daughter is half Kenyan, so I
wanted to develop something which would enable me and her to be on both
continents and continue to be curious about the world,” adds Fordham. But
more importantly, she sought out to develop a brand which become part of
whichever community she decided to work out of and employed locals, who in
turn would become involved in the development of the product itself. The
end result was Tales of Thread, which produces ethically made sleepwear in
small, local workshops in Ghana, run by women. The products, which include
pyjamas, cover ups and robes for men and women, are made using certified
organic cotton and silk, EU approved chemical dyes and incorporate local
handicrafts, such as Batik printing, to ensure that they are not only
beautiful but sustainable as well.
“I did feel there was a gap in the market for making really good quality
sleepwear, but also with an ethical story. People aren’t really doing that.
And so much of ethics is not just about people’s rights but also about
engaging people.” One way Fordham hopes her brand will engage with
consumers is through its use of batik printing, a local Ghanaian technique
which uses wax resist printing via stamp to create patterns or prints.
“I’ve done everything myself the first time around, I created all the
prints and patterns, since I wanted the first collection to draw on
Ghanaian textiles, which has a huge history.” Although this technique meant
that there were some restrictions concerning the design process, it lead to
some simple and beautiful prints, which each tell an individual story. “We
have a little fern one, which is a traditional Ghanaian symbol for
protector, which has been popular,” explains Fordham.
Although Fordham did start Tales of Thread on her own, she did initially
try to seek out a partner to work with. However, due to the amount of
research which needed to be done, and the number of potential backers
asking to see samples before thinking about jumping on her bandwagon,
Fordham decided to launch the brand alone. “It was a vision I needed to
make happen before people were willing to commit.” Unsurprisingly, since
the brand launched its debut collection, she has been contacted by a number
of people looking to partner with her. However, even though Fordham would
not be closed to seeking external funding for her brand in the future, she
is happy where it is now. “Running a company on your own is difficult, but
I suppose you can hold onto to it more.”
She admits that she has never worked harder in her life than when founding
Tales of Thread, but that the results have been worth it all. “It’s been a
pretty steep learning curve – just want goes into it all, the weaving of
the fabric, the fitting and shipping of goods. And even when you have the
finished product, you have to keep going.” As a small fashion start up, it
was not easy for Fordham to find factories which adhered to her standards
and were also willing to carry out smaller orders. However, a local agency,
Ethical Apparel Africa, helped put her in touch with the Cadling factory
and Edwina Assan from MD Edtex Batiks in Accra, Ghana which produce the
first collection. The factory, which employs 60 employees, works to empower
them all by paying them more than the going market wage and ultimately aims
to give them all equity in the factory.
“Making clothes is hugely complex, with many different parts to the puzzle
and I have seen first hand what unfair wages and unfair working conditions
do to people,” says Fordham. “It’s not nice. When you see a child not going
to school, or not having his parents home or lacking any type of stability,
that is something I feel like we all have a responsibility for.” She
visited the factories in person last October, not only to ensure they were
up to standard but also to meet the workers in person. “It was important to
me to meet the workers and have that connection with them, as they do feed
into the design and fit process and what works and what doesn’t.” For
example, when testing the fit of the trousers one of the main pet peeves
Fordham heard was that the legs rolled up at night. Therefore she
worked with the team to create a tapered trouser leg for the pyjama bottom
which does not roll up.
“I think people are beginning to care more about where their clothing comes
from. If the customers care then everyone starts pushing. It’s funny –
everyone is concerned with where their food comes from right now, but
weirdly less so when it comes to their clothes, even though there is a
human cost involved. But I see that changing.” Fordham hopes that Tales of
Thread can be a part of that change, by offering fun, thoughtful
sleepwear.
During the month of August FashionUnited will focus on Work in Fashion. For all reads on on the theme, click .
Photos: Courtesy of Tales of Thread