One of things I got down to doing before we got started proper was to develop a brand guide. This document would serve anyone that joins us not just to know what the design guidelines are, but to also understand what the brand means on every aspect.

Inside of that brand guide contains a specific section called “Work Culture”, which I felt was one of the most important aspects. It explained that working at Faire Leather Co. means we respect what goes on in the making of the product as much as how we incepted the idea of the product.

Every process is important — from the creation of the product to the tracing paper that wraps it. Everyone is involved and entitled to an opinion to improve these processes. We position and pride ourselves as a brand that’s feedback aware, which means we value opinions.

The Faire work culture is built on the same foundations of inviting opinions, ideas and innovation around what makes a Faire product. We ideate opportunities for our colleagues and partners alike by allowing time to research, experiment and conceptualise a product based on data and feedback.

At Faire, you are measured by your desire to improve experiences for you and the people around you. The assumption is that style and functionality seldom go as one; we encourage you to challenge the status quo.

But more importantly, working with us means you grow as well and that at the very least, you enjoy what you do based on the idea that you do what you’re the best at. I remember working at some big name companies before as an intern, but not really being able to get my hands dirty or learn as much even though I was hungry for it.

The common stigma is that interns make coffee, make copies or do mundane data entry (this particular one might be true, sorry Syafiq). At Faire, we expect you to be self learning and take it upon yourself to find what you think will improve the company from any aspect at all.

We involve our interns in all our product development and marketing meetings, and make sure that the research they are told to do, is eventually applied in Faire’s context.  Faire also needs someone that can not only do the necessary work, but also be able to challenge me from time to time, or come up with fresh designs or ideas that extend outside of EDMs or a social media post - it could be a collaboration, a campaign idea or even a new product design. 

Moving forward, our interns will independently curate their own content, drive campaigns and participate in shoots or our events. They will sometimes work away from the office because a change of environment is helpful. We’ll design fun routines that are truly Faire, attend seminars, events or spend a day at the library. These things are important for anyone who works here at Faire.

It's important that everyone excels here so there’s personal growth, and in a way that will help your future. That's really what we want. In a nutshell, our work culture has the same vision for our customers - we are a brand for the people. As long as someone has an opinion, an idea, a suggestion or relative feedback, we want them to voice it, express it and if suitable, drive the idea.  Whether it’s a full time hire, or an intern, our work culture will always express that no-one is left behind and that everyone grows together.

Best,
Ryan