Are you tired of the same old mass-produced clothing options? Do you crave unique pieces that stand out from the crowd? Look no further than Fuzz Clothing, an independent fashion brand that is making waves in the industry. In this Q&A, we dive deep into the world of Fuzz Clothing to learn more about their inspiration, process, and future plans with founder Andrew Foster.
Which factors help you decide on the fabrics for each garment?
It's kind of changed now and I suppose it comes with experience. I used to design a garment with a rough idea of the type of fabric I wanted, but back then I didn't know where to source the fabrics I had in mind so had to settle for what was available. Now I've got so many ideas in the bank it's often the other way around and I find a fabric I love and know I need to use it so decide what will work best with that fabric in mind. The fabric has started to be the main driver behind each design. How it drapes, which trims you can use without adding too much weight/sag to areas. I love the process and spend a lot of time looking over fabrics. I've got a good little stock pile now of fabric to work through. There's some proper cool stuff on the way and massive list of stuff waiting to happen. I'm buying lots of amazing Japanese fabric in. It's mainly nylon cotton blends and stuff like that. You can only really get that kind of stuff from that part of the world and I'm a big fan of loads of Japanese brands anyway, so it makes sense.
What is your inspiration for each garment?
It varies a lot. I like to do pieces but with a twist on classics to make them into something new and more interesting. I mean some stuff really doesn't need that and there's no point in re inventing the wheel. Our new Summerisle shirt for example. It's just a classic camp collar shirt and the fabric does the talking. It's obviously got nice finishing touches, but that's a great example of the fabric leading the design. It doesn't need changing too much and doesn't need loads of pockets or extra detail. It's simple and looks amazing. With each piece I tend to start thinking about how we're going to photograph it and what themes it's going to have. Each piece is like a standalone narrative if you like. I spend far too much on photography and video, but i love all that side of it. Everything I do needs to be some form of art and creating a theme for each pieces story is important to me.
Like most brands you give your pieces names, the Dallas smock for instance. Where do these names come from?
The name's usually come from music. I'm a big Mogwai fan and a few of the pieces names come from their song titles. Cody which is a song and album of theirs (an acronym for Come On Die Young), They've got a song called Hugh Dallas which is where the smock name comes from. The Bailey Parka which is coming soon is from a GY!BE track. I am running out of those to use though so will have to start looking for other ideas.
What's still to come from you this year and what's the plan for next year?
There's the Bailey Parka which I think we're doing in a few fabrics, that's a corker of a jacket. We're definitely doing the waxed cotton Camo version which lots of people have been asking for and of course our new Summerisle shirt. That name obviously comes from the wicker man which is one of my favourite films and that fabric gave me that vibe. Going into winter I'm still planning, but it'll mainly be black pieces and a smaller collection of bigger jackets, shirts and accessories. There's some lovely stuff there. Into next year I'm aiming to go all out with much bigger collections and lots more collabs. I love creating with other good people and getting excited about it together.
That leads me on to this next question perfectly. We're doing a collaboration together soon which is exciting. Which other brands would you love to collaborate and create something with?
There's an independent brand called @wearebepo that I love and I know we could do something cool together. They're husband and wife I think and the guy is so positive and high energy. I love watching his videos and his vibe. We've messaged a few times too and he's a lovely guy. I'd also love to do something with my friend Simon from @saccadeclothing he's a diamond of a guy and has some amazing ideas. I'd rather create with other independent, small brands that share the same values as me and want to create stuff together for the right reasons rather than making something generic and slapping both our logos on it for the sake of it. I used to dream of working with big established brands, but now I've realised it's way cooler and more exciting to do it with others at a similar level and all get hyped about it together.
What's the goal for FUZZ as a brand?
When I started I just wanted to make unique stuff that people hopefully liked. That's still the case now and I work really hard at it. I don't care if I never make big money doing this, it's a tough one to crack and not something to get into for the money. As long as I can create stuff and share it with people and keep enough coming in to allow me to do that, I'm more than happy. I have always wanted to make enough to get a space where homeless people can live and use to get themselves back on track though and I do hope I can do that one day. That's been one of the goals from day one.
What sets you apart from what's out there at minute?
There is so much on offer at the moment in menswear and so much good stuff and when you start doing it yourself you realise there are endless possibilities and combinations. The main thing I ask myself when looking at a new design is: where else can I get something similar? Is this unique? What sets my version apart? For example I doubt I'll ever do a classic chore coat because they've been done to death and you can get them from everywhere. There's no point in me going up against all that competition by putting out something so generic. Don't get me wrong there's some great versions out there, but do I need to do another? No. If I can put a twist on something or create something new then I'd rather do that. As a small brand I don't have the money to do 50+ pieces for a collection so the ones I do need to count. I kind of look at it like making an album each year. Even if I only do 8-12 pieces a year they need to count. I've always said that even if Fuzz doesn't do anything, I'd like some of the bigger corporate brands that are idling a bit to take note of what smaller brands do and try harder. As a customer and someone who loves all this stuff, I still want to be able to buy cool new stuff myself.
I follow your personal account @fuzzywoodyfits too and you're always sharing other brands stuff. Doesn't this make you lose sales for yourself?
I do share lots of other people's stuff ye, and I wouldn't say it makes me lose sales and to be fair I'm not bothered if it did. If us small brands can't support each other then we really are doomed. We all need help, support and encouragement and I'll never stop doing that. People are aware of what I've got to offer and if they want to buy it they will, if they want to buy someone else's after seeing it, they will. I just like to see us all growing together and supporting each other. It's only my personal account so I don't have many followers anyway and we all follow the same stuff/brands anyway. That share means the world to me when people do it for me so I'm just paying it forward.
Thankyou to the mega lovely and talented Andrew Foster for his time! If you have any questions regarding this Q&A or more on Fuzz Clothing Co then please feel free to message us!
