Fair Harbor celebrates 10th anniversary and unveils plans for the future

As consumers become more environmentally conscious about the clothes they buy, brands around the world are strengthening their sustainable initiatives. According to a PicoNext survey, 71 percent of consumers say sustainability is important to them, while 67 percent say they would be more likely to purchase a product if they had more information about a brand’s sustainability initiatives.

A coastal lifestyle brand, Fair Harbor has made sustainability and transparency part of its ethos since its founding in 2014. To learn more about its sustainability journey and initiatives, Sourcing Journal spoke with Fair Harbor CEO and co-founder Jake Danehy.

In this Q&A, Danehy discusses where he hopes to see Fair Harbor in ten years and how the New York City-based clothing brand is designing sustainably – from making recycled polyester fabric from plastic bottles to maintaining responsible factory partners.

Sourcing Journal: Back to the beginning: What was your inspiration behind creating Fair Harbor?

Jake Danehy: My sister Caroline and I spent summers in Fair Harbor (on New York’s) Fire Island, surrounded by the ocean. While we were there, we often passed the time fishing, swimming, surfing, and running around outside. Years later, a study trip to Costa Rica rekindled my interest in surfing and my connection to the ocean.

When I returned to Colgate University – located in Hamilton, NY – to study geography, I was shocked to learn about the devastating impact of plastic pollution on our planet. In fact, one study shows that 11 million tons of plastic waste ends up in the ocean every year – and that number is estimated to triple in 20 years. It became a moment where I fully appreciated the connection between plastic and the beach community my family loved.

So at that moment Caroline and I decided to take action. Inspired by our Fire Island memories and our desire to protect the waterways, we founded a beachwear company named after our childhood haven, Fair Harbor. We committed ourselves to creating clothing that not only evoked the atmosphere of the beach, but also contributed to its preservation.

SJ: Speaking of sustainability, what positive impact has Fair Harbor had on the environment since its inception?

J.D: Sustainability was our founding mission, and it is still at the core of everything we do. We started making our recycled polyester fabric from plastic bottles. After doing this for almost a decade, I’m proud to say we’ve reused more than 35 million plastic bottles to make our clothes.

We only use sustainable materials when designing. However, so much thought goes into everything we do, and we are constantly trying to discover the latest fabric and manufacturing innovations that we can integrate into our processes.

In addition, maintaining responsible factory partners who are certified in accordance with social, ethical and environmental standards – such as Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit (SMETA) – is another important part of our influence.

SJ: When you launched Fair Harbor ten years ago, brands weren’t really advertising their sustainable initiatives. What inspired you to make transparency part of the brand’s ethos?

JD: We have always felt it is important to raise awareness about the plastic problem and how we can all take steps to solve it. From the start, our goal was to make sustainability a seamless part of everyday life. We wanted our customers to know that they never had to compromise on style, comfort or environmental consciousness, because Fair Harbor combines all of these elements in every product.

The world of sustainability is still evolving, so there is plenty of exciting new territory to explore and push boundaries. We are excited to continually find new ways to use innovative materials and practices and to invite our consumers to be part of the journey to a more sustainable future. For us, it’s about more than creating great products; it’s about fostering a community committed to making a positive impact. We have exciting new partnerships and new fabrics that we will be sharing in the coming months.

SJ: A crowning achievement for Fair Harbor was when the brand became B Corp certified. Why was that an important milestone?

JD: After a two-year process, we finally became a B Corp certified brand in 2022, which was a defining moment for us.

The regulations and certifications are important, but the addition of the Public Benefit Corporation and changing the company’s bylaws created differentiation. It was probably my favorite part of becoming a B Corp. Standard C corporations exist to increase shareholder value, but B corps are required to become public benefit corporations, which means we must adapt our corporate bylaws to take into account all stakeholders, including employees, the community and the environment in business decisions.

I really like the idea of ​​being a public benefit corporation because I believe in using our company as a force for good, and not just a profit center. Of course, we are a for-profit company and are very focused on generating profits, but that is not the only reason we exist.

SJ: What are you currently working on?

JD: We just launched our third collaboration collection with 1 Hotels, a sustainable luxury chain of hotels and resorts. They were one of the early advocates of our brand and hosted a pop-up store for us in 2019, so we’re excited to continue our partnership with a mission-driven brand like theirs.

On May 16 we will launch our 10th anniversary collection, a special nostalgic collection inspired by Fire Island that has everything you need for summer. It is also full of surprises. As part of the collection we are introducing women’s swimming, a passion project that has been in the works for years. We had to do it right, and we feel like our 10th anniversary collection was the perfect time to do it.

I’m also excited about our “10 Years, 10 Cities” anniversary tour that Caroline and I will embark on this summer. We plan to go back to our roots and host trunk shows with some of our first retail partners. We can’t wait to get out there and talk to our customers. That’s what our company was built on, so our anniversary is a perfect time to come full circle.

SJ: As you currently celebrate the milestone of your first decade, where do you hope to see the brand in ten years?

JD: Our aim is to be a household heritage brand with a wide range of products available across multiple channels, both online and offline. We strive to create exceptional products while prioritizing environmental sustainability.

Finally, there’s a reason we have over 60,000 five-star reviews on our site. I have always been very customer focused since we started selling our products at trunk shows, where I would personally speak to our customers and receive immediate, valuable feedback and insights. I still read every review that comes in and often send them to the team. It wasn’t long ago that I handled customer service for the brand, so I know how important it is to listen to customers and respond to their concerns. I always say that customers spend their hard-earned dollars with us, and keeping them happy is the key to our continued success.