Good Lord Faye

Stef, here. I’m a (cool?) single mom originally hailing from Arizona, with American and Swedish passports, residing in London after having spent the better part of the last 15 years abroad.

Through Good Lord Faye, I’m here to offer guidance, tips, inspiration, and even support in building a more ethical, and socially and environmentally sustainable wardrobe.

Why such a love for slow fashion?

My mom used to drag us kids into antique malls and thrift stores and sewed elaborate clothes for our baby dolls. I think that’s where it all started.

I’ve always loved the idea that something I own or wear has a story behind it – and as I’ve aged, I’ve come to appreciate that those stories are ones that includes fairness to people and the planet.

What qualifies me to talk about it?

I founded a small children’s clothing company in Sweden in 2014, whose core focus was ethical production and transparent manufacturing and sourcing. I learned so very much about so very much – product sourcing, materials composition, training and fair labor practices, packaging, and sales and distribution. When you’re bootstrapping, you do it all, and in the process of doing it all, you get a remarkable education in subjects from A to Z.

I’ve also had the privilege of managing projects and campaigns at a leading sustainability consultancy for fashion brands in London. Clients were keen on utilizing our knowledge and expertise to eliminate greenwashing from both their practices and marketing.

I worked with one of the largest footwear brands out there, as well as the global authority on wool, and even luxury jewelry brands. (I know a lot about diamonds, natural and synthetic.)

What thrills me most in the realm of secondhand clothing?

I’m a vintage 1960’s and 1970’s lover. Give me a little shift dress or a maxi covered in flowers and I’m yours.

What’s the goal here?

Good Lord Faye is a side project I started because I burn for change in the fashion industry. Burn for? Yes.

In learning Swedish years ago, I got to know this phrase, which doesn’t directly translate to English, I know. But it says so much more than its English equivalent. “To be passionate about” doesn’t adequately cover that feeling, that excitement you get when you love something and you’re committed to making it better.

I’m passionate about promoting better ways to dress ourselves; better ways to produce our clothing; better ways to maintain the clothes we love; better ways to find our style and to use clothing as a means of expressing who we are, not what brands tell us to be.

The goal here is to educate through blog posts, to provide through a curated selection of beautiful items I find here and there, and to do the opposite of gatekeep when it comes to places to source slow fashion and secondhand gems.

Why the name?

There’s a scene in That Thing You Do! where Liv Tyler’s character tells her loser boyfriend, Jimmy to stuff it. She’s dressed immaculately and the wonderful Guy/Shades turns to her and says, “good Lord, Faye you look gorgeous.” My bestie and I have been saying it for years and I think we should make more of a habit of telling the ladies we love and the ladies we admire how gorgeous they are.