Gentle Fawn a growing fashion staple
Vancouver husband-and-wife team has created effortless chic designs for women for 15 years
If you’ve lived in Vancouver for the past decade or so, chances are, you’ve heard of Gentle Fawn.
The Vancouver-based fashion brand, which specializes in creating effortless, chic pieces for women, has become a style staple for many locals.
And that’s exactly what co-founders (and husbandand-wife duo) Daniel and Carla Hogg hoped would happen when they created the brand 15 years ago.
Carla caught up with Postmedia News to chat about the brand, what makes it unique — and how they’ve changed their style over the years:
Q For those who aren’t familiar, what is Gentle Fawn?
A
Gentle Fawn is a women’s clothing brand that designs feminine, effortless pieces that work for everyday wear. We are sold in over 700 retail stores across North America and online at gentlefawn. com, and are headquartered right here in Vancouver.
Q Who is the target customer?
A
We love how versatile Gentle Fawn is, and always design with a balance of style and comfort in mind. Our ideal customer is a woman who wants to go from the office to drinks or dinner or a work event and be able to stay in the same outfit.
Q The brand is celebrating 15 years, which is a remarkable milestone for any brand. Why do you think the brand has been such a success?
A
Thank you! We’re so excited to be celebrating our 15th anniversary this year. We believe that Gentle Fawn’s success is a combination of things — our growing base of customers who continue to wear Gentle Fawn, our retailers who have believed in us since the early days, and our amazing staff who continue to elevate our designs and our brand. We’re truly humbled to be where we are today. And humbled to be able to do it out of Vancouver — our home.
Q How has the brand changed since it started?
A
Gentle Fawn was created in 2003 when my husband, co-founder and creative director, Daniel Hogg and I noticed a gap in the industry. There were streetwear brands and high-fashion brands, but nothing in-between. Of course, keep in mind this was a different time. Since then, our brand has evolved from including trendy graphic tees, to focusing in on our original prints and easy-wearing silhouettes. We’ve learned and adapted along the way, and are very proud of who we have become.
Q Are the collections all designed here still?
A
Everything is designed right here at our head office in Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. Our design team makes up nearly half of our staff; everything from fabric and colour specialists, to designers and production techs. There is a great pool of talent in Vancouver, and we are lucky to have such a creative group working with us. Having everything in-house allows lots of flexibility; especially when it comes to design and fit.
Q What might surprise people to learn about Gentle Fawn?
A
Something that many people don’t know about us, is that our prints are all made in-house by our design team. If you were to come by the office, you would likely see our textile artist painting watercolour florals; experimenting with shape, tone and placement, and applying it to our designs. It’s something that truly sets Gentle Fawn apart.
Q I’ve got to ask, was there a story behind the name?
A
Danny and I have always been into antique shopping, mostly mid-century modern era, and one day, we came across an antique ceramic fawn, and were inspired to name the company after all things that we felt a fawn represents: an understated feminine beauty. It also paired our love for the colour ’fawn’ — a rose-taupe colour, which you’ll notice is often a core neutral in our collections. Gentle Fawn speaks to the softness of our clothing and marries together the ideas of nature and the urban city lifestyle of the West Coast.
Q Lastly, what’s next — looking ahead to the next 15 years?
A
We see nothing but big growth looking ahead. Our staff doubled last year, from 13 to 24, and we’re continuing to add to our teams on an ongoing basis. The upcoming collections are better than ever, and we can’t wait to share what’s in store for the coming seasons. We would like to see Gentle Fawn become a household-fashion brand name, easily accessible throughout North America.