Our friends at FairEnds, premium makers of fine things, teamed up with CORDURA® on a new line of classic baseball hats made with CORDURA® Canvas. We sat down with Ben Ferencz, co-founder of FairEnds, to get some insight into the collaboration and talk shop about “sneakytech” fabrics.
Q. Can you tell us a little about the collaboration?
A. At FairEnds, we are obsessed with basics and love the simple, everyday product that’s just as flexible and versatile as your lifestyle. Our primary product offering is a ball cap, so we’re always searching for unique materials that enhance its minimal design, which led us to CORDURA® Brand. We love how their fabrics have a natural feel and aesthetic, but also offer technical function. To us, it was the perfect fit for a new collaborative collection of hats.
Q. How did you start to work with CORDURA®?
A. We met CORDURA® Global Brand and Marketing Director Cindy McNaull at Outdoor Retailer last winter, and we’ve been fast friends ever since. Last spring, we took a road trip and decided to test out some products made with CORDURA® fabrics along the way. We shot some really fun photos and got to know the materials firsthand while traveling up and down the West Coast.
Q. What kind of CORDURA® materials are you working with?
A. We chose to work with the CORDURA® Canvas, a 75% cotton, 25% nylon 66 fabric manufactured by Nishat Mills. We call it “sneakytech” because it’s very soft in appearance, but offers great strength and durability.
Q. FairEnds is known for its premium hat game, among other things. What kind of flexibility does a hat provide in terms of creativity?
A. We love designing ball caps because they’re like a blank canvas, and every season we have the flexibility to come up with fresh fabrics, colors, patterns and prints to incorporate. We see hats as a function item first and design object second, which has often inspired us to experiment with various textures and fabrics.
Q. What does a brand like CORDURA® represent to you personally?
A. We have been fans of CORDURA® ever since we were little kids. I personally remember my first Kelty backpacks and long hours at EMS with my dad, amazed at all of the cool gear built with CORDURA® brand fabrics. We’re super stoked to be able to collaborate with CORDURA® to bring lasting performance to our signature FairEnds hats.
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Three.
Images courtesy of FairEnds.
XX SYDNEY
