FRAHM was founded by Jason & Nick, best mates since childhood, who decided to stop giving each other advice, and actually work together. Scary.

We thought you'd be interested to see the thought process behind creating a company that you're passionate about, that works with your strengths and aims in life. 

Best mates since we were kids, we've always shared a love of jackets, having a quiet think and talking new, serious and mostly stupid stuff. We started putting the world to rights as teens, sitting on the kerb outside Jason's parent's house, talking into the night about life, love, dreams and Schwarzenegger movies. 

We've been through some ludicrous, fascinating, even horrific experiences together, which have informed FRAHM and our attitudes to life. We've supported each other through some of the best and grimmest times, we've fallen out a bit and we've lost touch over the years. But now we live near to each other in Somerset, the idea of creating a business together quickly became a reality.

We play to our strengths. Nick (err, me) does the creative, product and customer service stuff. Jason does the operational, financial, spreadsheet things. We talk about jacket fit, collars, buttons and linings more than is sensible.

It's fun designing a company on a blank sheet of paper.

This history, or blueprint, has come to define what FRAHM is. We realise now that it’s a manifesto too:

 SIMPLE

• There’s this assumption in entrepreneurialism you have to “go big or go home”. But why? Why not ‘go big’ on the best life, not the biggest business?
• Therefore, we don’t want to grow a mega-brand, with all the pressure, exhaustion, absence and risk that comes with it. We’re not chasing fame or magnums of Krug for breakfast. God knows running your own business is hard enough as it is.
• Let’s make it really simple. A small business we own outright, that we're proud of.
• Let’s only have a tiny range, and limit the number we make.
• That simplifies and reduces the pressure on everything, so we can concentrate on making the best possible product.
• It also means we’ve created something special and rare, not ubiquitous.
• We have got to make things we believe in, that improve on what’s available.

The first FRAHM Jacket preview image. A herringbone embroidered brand label. Quality.

BETTER JACKETS

• We're really good at making jackets, so let’s only do jackets.
• What aren’t jackets doing right now?
• You either get high performance jackets, that only fit into sporty environments. Or stylish jackets that don’t work properly. Why be forced to choose?
• That means classic style, adapted for real life and it's changing environments. Work, dog, bike, hike, pub or bar.
• This utility requires fabric that has performance, but is tough AND easy to care for. 
• Fit should be for ‘real world’, with plenty of room to move and be active.
• We'll only sell them on our own website and send them out ourselves.

Two blokes being dead nice to each other.

CHARITY

• We're only making jackets, but we should do good whenever we can. 
• Let’s start by giving money to mental health charities, to support others.

HONEST MARKETING

• We're only selling online, but the internet can be a grim place at times. Let's make sure we're being a positive influence, at the very least.
• We must avoid the corrosive, angry, cynical aspects of digital consumer brands, social media and the internet. 
• We don’t think people are stupid.
• We'll aim to make the best jackets available. But we can't say they ARE. That's not up to us. You decide.
• We won’t use hyperbole or pseudo scientific BS, making promises we can’t keep and over stating everything for that next click-through. 
• If we say something, we mean it and can prove it. 

REAL PEOPLE

• Let’s build a brand that celebrates real people, not unreachable, unrealistic, fake, airbrushed lives. 
• We will talk to people with great stories and open minds, that have triumphed but also failed. What happened, how do they adapt? What have they discovered? 
• But let’s not be hectoring and po-faced about it. We should have a laugh and never take ourselves too seriously.

PUB

• There’s a lot of hate and lies out there on social media, forums, etc. People say stuff to each other they’d never say face to face. 
• We seem to have lost the ability to discuss and disagree, for that to be ok. We do that face to face but not online, which is bonkers.
• Wait, pubs are where all kinds of people meet and find common ground, even if they disagree.
• Pubs are where we can debate, share our sadnesses, escape, and laugh until we can’t breath.
• They also have crisps.
• Let’s have a pub and fill it with people, creativity and ideas.
• A nice pub. Trolls are out. No dicks.
• Heh, our pub, our rules.

A visual analogy 

NAME

• Men are responsible for most of the world's ills, but we believe most men are loving, kind, creative and good.
• We don't see the gentler, more thoughtful side of blokes in men's brands.
• We found a medieval German word, ‘Frahm’. It means ‘Noble, man of good character’. Smashing.
• How do we tie all this together in one sentence?! Let’s say what we do. We make jackets for…for open-minded, thoughtful and curious people.
• Jackets enable various actions, so that men can do stuff: explore, challenge, listen, love, meet, think, discover, plan and beyond.
• All these things require a curious mind. Curiosity rocks.
• FRAHM: making jackets for curious minds.
• Now let’s do it.

 

What do you think? Comment below. You don't have to agree, or to like it, but you do have to be polite. So there.