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francli: cornwall's new outwear brand

words Ruth Amelung

17th July 2013

We all love discovering brands that inspire us to be creative and embrace our adventurous side that little bit more. This time we found a special one that deserves our full attention.

Francli is a new outerwear brand that takes great pride in up-cycling salvaged materials to make their gear. Alison Goodman and Frances Baseley are two recent Falmouth University graduates and the creative heads behind this brand. Drawing inspiration from their love for vintage clothing and workwear, while interning in London they filled their sketchbooks with designs of rucksacks, aprons, and tool wraps. These ideas flourished upon moving back to the rugged coastline of Cornwall.

We had a chat with Ali and Franki about pattern cutting, foraging and how they turned their passion into a job.  

Let's talk Francli:

Franki: Our products are made from old army surplus, second-hand clothing and materials. They are aimed at the rural artisan: a lifestyle we’re definitely trying to promote!

Ali: Unlike the mass-produced and throwaway attitude of the high street, all our products are made from reclaimed materials and have been designed to be as durable as possible. Being sustainable is important to us. We'd love for our customers to apply this attitude to every aspect of their lifestyle.

Tell us about your line:

Ali: The aprons and tool wraps are more for craft purposes, while the rucksacks are for outdoor activities. These are also designed to be interactive with one another, so you could own all three rucksacks and they’d work together.

Franki: Every product is different because they’re hand made and use different combinations of materials. Different fabrics can change their purpose. For example heavy canvas and denim is tough and durable for woodwork. Whereas lightweight cotton is flexible and comfortable for painting and cooking.

What was the design process like?

Franki: We designed everything together in London. Every night we’d come home from our internships and draw things out and problem solve the issues we had with products and clothing.

Ali: We’d sit next to each other, drawing individually, attacking the same problem but would come up with different things. Ideas moved a lot faster, we came up with something we wouldn’t have been able to on our own.

Sounds like the responsibilities are equally shared?

Ali: We make all the decisions together but then take the lead on separate sections. Franki is really good at artistic direction, seeing the thing as a whole, what we want to achieve with the designs and how we want the brand to communicate and I’m quite good at logistics and making that happen.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Franki: Foraging, cooking, sea swimming, interacting with people and being active outdoors. That’s what we do, that’s our passion!

So is this your ideal job?

Ali: Yes, definitely, this is what we want to be doing in 10 years. We took a risk to do what we love!

Francli run a bespoke design service. More info here.