Couple make a name for themselves in the fashion world

TWO former pupils of Birchwood High School are making a name for themselves in the world of fashion after launching their own clothing brand.
Frida Waywell and Jack Ratcliffe met at school but for a while went their own separate ways – Frida moving to Sweden, her mother’s country of birth while Jack stayed on at Birchwood College before gaining a place at Manchester Metropolitan University to study business and management in the fashion industry.
Then Frida returned to the UK, joined a BA (Hons) course in fashion at Leeds and re-kindled her friendship with Jack.
It was then they realised they had the same goal in mind – to start and ethical clothing brand.
With Frida’s creativity and Jack’s natural business head the business, simply called Frida, was born.
The ethos of their brand is to raise awareness of fashion as a sustainable item that their customers will love and hold on to. They are not saying don’t shop but want to ask their client base think about what they are shopping for and be aware of the ethical production of their garments.
Or as Jack puts it: “Shop out of the old and into the new with sustainable eco-friendly, good value clothing.”
Their style is minimalistic with everyday basics in tonally neutral colours and all their fabrics are GOTS certified and Dyes OEKO Tex certified making for a range that is organically friendly and totally sustainable. Even their packaging is made from 100% recycled paper.
The young entrepreneurs do everything themselves, Frida designing, sourcing fabrics and sewing the garments while Jack looks after the marketing, photoshoots, and delivery. They sell mainly online but also are starting to venture into makers markets.
A school spokesperson said: “We are so proud of these two vibrant young adults who have such a clear vision of how they want to see their brand and clothing in general develop, in an age where it is becoming so apparent to us that we are damaging the planet in an enormous way with our consumerism.”