It’s hard to miss a brilliant portrait of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, painted in her signature judicial robes and jabot … but also an embroidered robin egg blue sweater that says “booyah.”
Framed in the window just above the slogan “I don’t give a damn,” the portrait of Lingua Franca’s West Village boutique in New York City perfectly captures the indie fashion brand’s branding. Founded in 2016, Lingua Franca is a line of sustainably sourced, fair trade luxury cashmere sweaters, all hand-sewn by women in New York City.
I picked it up again last winter with my own old sweaters. sewing “booyah” in one. I posted some on Instagram and dozens of friends started asking about them. It started from there when stores asked me via Instagram to stock the sweaters. I also loved the fact that each one is handmade and is the complete opposite of mass produced.
For us, it all started on Instagram and I am continually amazed by the community of people we have met through the platform. As we built our physical stores, we were excited to be able to bring real-life meeting and event content back online and share it with our online social community. Personally, I still manage our social media accounts. It takes a long time, but I think it is the best way to interact with our customers.
Part of the reason celebrities and influencers are often seen in LF sweaters is embroidered messages, which often reflect a charitable cause or social message. (I deeply remember actress Tessa Thompson wearing an embroidered red LF sweater at a party during awards season two years ago. The sweater bore the names of four female directors excluded from the 2018 Oscar nominations.) How have the customer reviews been? Have you ever received a backlash for any of the messages?
Since I never “planned” any of this, we as a company have been able to go with the flow and be inspired by others in real time. I think there is something unique and special about seeing the care and time it took to embroider the words by hand. Somehow it gives them more meaning.
We are very proud to be able to make the donations we have been able to make and to take important steps to improve the world. That being said, each and every one of the collaborations and causes is different and unique. Many items donate 100% of their profits to a cause.
It is also very important to us to ensure that all our fabrics come from environmentally friendly sources with the most ethical standards possible. Our embroiderers earn above minimum wage and we are proud to be able to offer full-time jobs to many embroiderers in New York City. All of this, of course, makes our product superior and more expensive than something you’ll find in the fast fashion industry. Right now, I think consumers care more than ever about where their products come from and the ethics of the brands that endorse them. It is important now more than ever to ensure that we are considerate in everything we do.
I hate to see white friends hesitate to speak up for the BIPOC community because they are afraid of being wrong or of pointing out virtues. Yes, it is scary to speak, to speak, but we must do it, even if mistakes are made. The virtue that tells our communities where we stand on issues is literally how change has occurred historically and how it will continue to occur today. I think it is also important to hire black women in key positions in your company and incorporate black women into your close social circle. The change has to happen from within. It takes a lot of work and getting out of comfort zones.
I mentioned this before, but our physical stores were never seen simply as “stores.” From the beginning they were extensions of our brand. We wanted real-life spaces to activate ideas and get those things back online. Our stores held weekly panels, questions and answers, and author nights, and have been community hubs for many authors and activists.
Obviously this “store as community space” idea has changed a bit during the COVID times, but I still have a lot of real life experiences. While our e-commerce has been significantly higher, we are still eager to reopen in bricks and mortar and continue to meet people in real life.
