Benjamin Fox - The Beauty of Handmade To Order Fashion
Once upon a time, in the not so distant past, almost all clothing was made to order by a trusted seamstress in your town who knew your measurements and personality well. While department stores offering ready-to-wear items were available from around the 1860s, it wasn’t until the mid-century that ready-to-wear truly became the norm, and ever since the skill of sewing has slowly dissipated. In a world overly saturated with fast fashion companies an upsurge in handmade to order fashion brands is a very welcome friend. There are, of course, many benefits to your clothes being created just for you, sewn to your exact measurements. You know it’s going to fit! Benjamin Fox, a sustainable handmade to order brand based in Norfolk, is owned by Ciara, a graduate from UCL with a passion for sewing. Creating whimsical pieces using deadstock fabrics, Benjamin Fox clearly has a promising future ahead. In this interview, Ciara tells us more about Benjamin Fox, her design and sewing process and sustainability.
You can shop Benjamin Fox here.
In a nutshell, what is Benjamin Fox?
A small and independent made to order brand with a focus on quality fabrics and craftsmanship.
What was the driving force for you creating your own small fashion business?
I’d just graduated from UCL and bar from the fact I knew I didn’t want to remain in London, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I spent so much of the Summer after I graduated sewing, having done so little of it while I was focused on studying, and fell back in love with it all over again. I opened an Instagram account (not intending to start a brand or anything similar - Benjamin Fox was the first thing that popped into my mind for a cute username) and then it all grew from there! I found similar handmade slow fashion labels that I never knew existed and saw it was possible to establish a handmade to order brand.
Creating garments by hand is not an easy process, did you have prior knowledge of sewing and dressmaking or was it more of a recent skill development?
Both my mother and grandmother are really talented seamstresses and their skills inspired me to start sewing when I was young. They are both very resourceful and always finding new ways to upcycle and repurpose old materials and both have the most incredible collection of vintage and new textiles. My strong appreciation for and love of craftsmanship, quality fabrics and upcycling comes from them.
Your designs are created using a range of sustainable fabrics, including deadstock. How important is it to you to utilise these leftover materials?
I try my best to work with as many deadstock fabrics as I can. The cost and availability of deadstock doesn’t make it a particularly practical choice, but there is something so magical about being able to transform unused, vintage, or even imperfect (like in the case of factory seconds) materials into something new, and something that will hopefully be appreciated for years to come. Sourcing these fabrics is my favourite part of what I do, I absolutely love hunting for quality fabric and then deciding how to use it.
How difficult has it been to source these more sustainable fabrics? The cost must be higher?
The cost is usually higher as the majority of the deadstock I source are usually really good quality ex designer fabrics. When I was sewing for just myself or for friends or family, finding leftover materials was a lot less of a challenge as I only ever needed a few metres of a particular fabric and could more easily find remnant and one-off vintage fabrics, usually at the market, vintage textile fairs or even car boot sales. But sourcing larger quantities to suit the needs of a made to order business model is a bit more of a challenge! It has been so lovely to see warehouses and textile fairs open up again after Covid and have the opportunity to source these fabrics in real life again rather than solely online.
Can you explain briefly why you focus so much on sustainability and slow fashion?
I think because my mother and grandmother were such keen seamstresses, I have always been really inspired by the process of making something by hand. There’s nothing more exciting than going through the slow process of making an item of clothing for yourself and being able to share that process with customers is really special for me. I think that’s also the reason I’m drawn to sustainability - because making things responsibly requires a lot of thought and takes time.
Each order you create is sewn either by yourself or another skilled seamstress, can you explain a bit about this process? Presumably, it takes a good while to make sure these garments are perfect and up to your exacting standard!
Excluding a few Ready to Ship pieces, the majority of what is available is made to order. There is a 2 - 4 week turn around and because pieces only get made if they’re ordered, there is also some room for customisation - customers are able to leave their own measurements and, if possible, able to order custom orders swapping different fabrics for different designs.
Up until very recently, I made all of the orders myself at my home studio in Norfolk. I would measure, cut, sew, pack and send all the pieces myself, but as the orders have increased I have very gratefully managed to get in touch with some lovely and very talented local seamstresses in my area to help with some of the workload.
How would you describe your designs in 3 words?
Feminine, nostalgic and comfort-based.
What would you like to see happen in the future of the fashion industry?
Definitely more and more transparency on the process of how brands produce and manufacture their products, as well as an increased awareness of the true cost of making quality pieces.
And finally, what does fashion mean to you?
Fashion for me is about self-expression. I think it should be about finding your own indicated sense of style and also about developing a stronger understanding of yourself.
