By Christina Marino
Music fills the cool summer evening at the Mosaic District June 19 for Faherty Brand’s second appearance in the metropolitan area. Across from Dolcezza, the Faherty Brand’s showroom trailer the Mobile Beach House, or the “Beach Shack on Wheels”, is set up. The Beach House is a concept inspired from food trucks and is created with re-purposed materials. The design is entirely different than a truck as there are no sides of the Beach House creating an open concept design. It is a shopping experience unlike any other. Once stepping into the trailer one is transported into a real life beach house fantasy of eco-conscious bathing suits and rustic architecture.
The youngest of seven, twins Alex and Mike Faherty grew up on the beaches of New Jersey, escaping out to the surf whenever they could. The brothers aimed to represent the memories of those times, weaving the DNA of those moments into their brand.
When they first launched the company in April 2012 they were looking to fill a need in the fashion industry – finding luxury eco-conscious clothing. “In the designer world – you don’t see any of that,” Alex says.
Mike Faherty, cofounder and Creative Director, applied his years of experience working in the fashion industry with Ralph Lauren to locate ethical companies to design their fabric. Working closely with the companies allows the brothers to have trust and understanding of what is going into the pieces. “You’re trying to get someone to trust your product,” Alex says.
The Faherty brothers made a mark beginning with their first men’s and women’s swimsuit line made primarily of recycled materials, which launched in the fall of 2012. Then, not long after, their first full collection launched in the summer of 2013.
With momentum continuing into January 2014, they prove that beachwear can be worn—even in the coolest of times—with the launch of their first fall collection. They do not designate their brand to a certain type of client, “[It’s] a very wearable brand,” says Alex, “[customers range] from my wife to my mom.”
When asked his thoughts on NoVA men’s fashion Alex says he sees a conservative guy, “[the NoVA guy] is open to something that gives a little bit of an update – not like he’s trying too hard.”
As for the ladies, “[I’m] a sucker for white and khaki,” Alex says in regards to what his ideal date would wear, “a cute little maxi dress,” he comments laughing.
Shop their newest collections on their website or follow the Mobile Beach House to see where they’ll be next.
