Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2017 (Issue 104)

Tell us about The Social Mercenary? We’re taking ethical products and giving them an edge – our goal is to tie ethical fashion into modern trends. The Social Mercenary (TSM) wasn’t always focused on creating apparel, it started out life as a travel blog in early 2016 which focused on giving top tips frommy own and other’s experiences. It was only until after I had been to Ghana and been inspired by the fabrics that I began to wonder if there was more scope for TSM. And, it wasn’t until November 2017 whilst I was in Hong Kong that I began to think about it as a company. Describe your product offering. Is charity work something you’ve always done? Currently we’re selling ethical backpacks, T-shirts and caps from Ghana using local fabrics and supporting local communities to create an incredible set of on-trend products. Charity work isn’t something I’ve always done but as I’ve grown up I’ve seen it more and more important to give back! I’ve always believed I could have a much greater impact and I believe business is the most sustainable way of doing that and this is what I’m trialling with my current venture. Your products are Fair Trade – please tell us more. We believe being ethical is fundamental at TSM and that’s why we’ve partnered with Ethical Apparel Africa (which has experienced personnel that have worked with the likes of M&S and George) to ensure that our factories meet high quality standards and on the ethical side, that they adhere to all the requirements set out in the WRAP principles, which are 12 internationally recognised standards that ensure ethical and fair production. Not only are we ensuring ethical production through fair wages and by meeting international standards but we also support the blossoming textile industry within Ghana. All our products use a locally made fabric called GTP except for the T-shirts, which instead include a pocket of hand woven Kente fabric which is a royal fabric that’s used to dress royalty in the Ashanti region of Ghana. How has your product range developed over the past two years since start-up? It all began in Hong Kong when I committed to this idea and used my entire student loan to make 90 handbags and backpacks in Ghana and then have them shipped over to Asia. I learnt a lot through this process and I realised just how difficult it is to sell a product no matter how beautiful you think it might be or how much you believe in the product. I began going to market stalls and hawking at university campuses just to make enough sales to get by. I eventually sold all 90 bags, which gave me enough money to return to Ghana where I made links with Ethical Apparel Africa. They helped me improve the design of the backpack, which are now made at an ethical factory. We’ve since expanded our product range to T-shirts, baseball caps and shoes. We’re the first company in Ghana to be producing baseball caps and we hope to bring special machinery over to Ghana to speed up the manufacturing process. How do you market your business? Originally, I started out just on market stalls and my brand spread through word of mouth, which helped me better understand the market. Since then I’ve begun to focus on social media, which has allowed people to follow the journey and get involved in the decision-making process. I used this social media presence to do a Kickstarter which is a platform that allows your community to pre-order the products. Overall, we raised a total of over £10,000. Now that we’re about to begin production we’ve begun attending trade shows as our capacity for production has increased. What are your hopes for the future? I want to show people, especially young people, that it’s possible to change your life, it’s possible to work on what you’re passionate about and I hope that by setting an example, I encourage others to take their ‘leap of faith’ because on the other side anything is possible. I’m currently studying banking and finance at Loughborough University. If you’d asked me early last year what I’d be doing right now I would definitely not have said starting an Ethical African Apparel company! I believe that being ethical is fundamental and my one hope for the future is that others do to. Gift Focus chats to Jack Fellows of Fair Trade clothing start-up, The Social Mercenary about the importance of having ethical values For more information, visit thesocialmercenary.com or email jackhfellows@gmail.com ethically speaking 106 giftfocus