My name is Tabitha Osler and I'm a fashion designer;
I have a children's outerwear brand called Faire Child.
We design children's outerwear made out of 100% waterproof breathable fabric,
that's also made of recycled content.
And better yet, it's also recyclable.
Our goal is to be an eco innovative brand.
So when we started, we set out to not only create clothing that would never end up in a landfill,
but we also wanted to divert waste from landfills.
We also used compostable packaging, whenever we ship out our garments they all come in
a compostable package with compostable labels.
Again, reducing our environmental impact.
Children's wear is a little more demanding than adult outerwear; it has to be highly durable.
It also has to really move with the child, so starting with these work wear patterns
that are built to move and adapt was a perfect base to facilitate children's outerwear.
Also children grow extremely quickly, so I created garments that grow with the child
so we have a ten centimeter cuff, which means our garments can last for at least three years.
But also because our garments are well made and built to last, you can pass them down.
So it's a perfect hand-me-down.
I started my interest in fashion, it was kind of born out of finishing art college and to
kind of seeing that I was much more interested in fashion and textiles than I was in art.
And that experience kind of transformed my direction.
So as I pursued that direction as a designer, I realized that I really connected to this
kind of child look, playful, almost slightly absurd kind of approach to design.
So it was a really good fit for me to start designing for children.
I think it is truly something I've always wanted to do.
The ability to create my own clothes to kind of create your persona was what I think has
driven me to become a fashion designer.
We are E-commerce based so we ship direct to customer; that's our only point of contact
with our customers is through shipping and FedEx has really opened the doors for us in that respect.
So when we found out we won the FedEx small business grant award, we were totally overwhelmed.
It was so exciting for us to know that a big company like FedEx was backing our idea and supporting our idea.
The FedEx grant has not only just offered us the money, but it's offered us these wonderful
opportunities to work together with a marketing team that we normally wouldn't be able to afford to work with.
And we're also going to invest in the development of a patch kit.
So if we have a patch kit, that's also recyclable and has no harmful chemicals in it,
we can ensure that the lifespan of our garments is extremely long, increasing the sustainability of it.
I think it's a fantastic thing that FedEx is actually supporting other small businesses
across Canada and supporting that community obviously.
Our economy is built on small business, that's what they always say.
So the fact that FedEx is wiling to invest in the small businesses that they really believe in is incredible.
It's an opportunity that you really can't access otherwise.
In five years, my aspiration for Faire Child is that we have reached markets outside of Canada and the US.
I want to move into Europe very shortly, and hopefully into the Asian market as well.
The bigger Faire Child becomes; the more positive impact we can have on the environment.
I think brands are eventually going to transform in this direction of being eco-friendly and
taking full responsibility for the entire life cycle of their garments and I want to
be a part of that change; I want to be a part of that growth in the business world.
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