Brand Focus: Turning 1.
Hi everyone,
We usually try to do blog updates once week or as much as we can because we like to keep everyone updated on everything related to the brand. Today I thought it was fitting to write this as a letter - and an open one to all of you. When Joe and I conceptualised the product, it began as a favour to a friend, where I was just offering my humble opinion. I thought I was just, helping out.
As time grew, so did my interest in the project. With each prototype, I saw the work that goes into what makes a bag. I saw how our conversations with friends or strangers helped to fine-tune the briefcase as we finally got to the final sample. Before I knew it, we hadn’t just created a product, we’d built a brand.
I had a day job at the time, working in the F&B industry as a marketing guy. My hours were friendly, I had a good boss, and a great set of colleagues. I had been doing well and it looked like I was on course for a promotion. So when we launched in November and Joe said, “I might need you to quit and help me out here.”,
My answer was a flat no.
This changed very quickly throughout the course of our Kickstarter campaign. Sleepless nights, talking to customers and backers from all over the world and mapping out what we would do following the campaign was a tall order, but one that I enjoyed thoroughly.
It’s been one year since we launched Faire Collective. In the last year, we’ve had several achievements and I just wanted to provide you with a brief look at what’s gone down in our first year.
- Being invited by Glenlivet to participate in their Founders edition event
- Making it as the most funded Kickstarter campaign in Singapore then
- The release of more products including our popular Specter Bifold Wallet with Cardholder, Dress Belts, Cable organisers and our leather care kit
- Successful crowdfunding launches into Taiwan and Japan
- Expanding our presence into TANGS Singapore, METRO Singapore and Takashimaya Vietnam
- Introducing our pre-order and back order modules to better gauge inventory and make what you truly want and need
- Expanding our presence into Wolf & Badger, New York
- Hitting a $1,000,000 in sales within 10 months
- Releasing the Bond Slim Briefcase
- Expanding our presence into London, Berlin, Dublin, Copenhagen and Amsterdam via Smartech
But amongst it all, I’ve been lucky to earn a hardworking team that’s been with us from day one. Trust me when I say we’ve got an exciting lineup of events to come and I promise it will be in everyone’s interest to watch this space.
Thank you for supporting us, it is through all of you that Faire Collective is what it is today. Here’s to many years to come.
Yours sincerely,
Ryan