Some of you may recognise Phoebe Dahl because of her high-profile relationship with model and soon to be megastar of Orange Is The New Black, Ruby Rose.
However, you are set to see her in a very different light – for her fashion and clothing line which is helping young girls receive an education.
She uses durable and simple organic fabrics to create elegant, comfortable and functional linen dresses, tops and bottoms for women.
However, for Dahl clothes are much more than a reflection of individual style.
The Los Angeles based designer’s fashion label, Faircloth & Supply, is an ethical women’s linen line working towards increasing the economic empowerment of women worldwide.
Dahl – the daughter of screenwriter Lucy Dahl and granddaughter of celebrated author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal – has spent most of her adult years in the world of fashion.
She attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in San Francisco, studied at the London College of Fashion, and worked with Amsterdam designer Jupe By Jackie.
However, on a recent business trip to Japan, she was exposed to textile mills producing stunning linen, and on the streets there she saw girls wearing the fabric in beautiful, oversize silhouettes.
A subsequent trip to India, where she was struck by its grave poverty, left her with the resolve to meld her interest in design with a philanthropic cause.
After setting up a small studio in Silver Lake, she researched women’s rights charities and designed the first pieces for Faircloth & Supply.
One of the reasons why I started my company is because I love fashion, but I didn’t want to be a part of the cutthroat industry [in New York]. I needed to create a company where I can do what I love, which is sewing, designing, and also being able to travel and do charity work. So I just kind of dreamed it up… and this is it.”
Every purchase from the collection provides a girl in Nepal with a school uniform through the GO Campaign, which works directly with the Nepalese non-profit organization General Welfare Pratisthan.
In addition to granting her enrolment in school, a uniform makes a Nepalese girl less likely to be the target of sex traffickers and other exploitation.
We’ve put 1,000 girls through school who wouldn’t have otherwise gone. We’re hoping to triple [that number] this year, fingers crossed. I get caught up when I’m over here in my busy life, and then I go back over there and I realize why I’m doing this and why I have to work so hard.”
Last spring, after only three months of dating, Dahl became engaged to Ruby Rose. Their schedules mean that the pair is on the road a lot, but they plan to wed in late 2016, once things calm down.
For now, they live in Silver Lake with a flock of rescued animals and try to use the attention they receive for good.
“We try to be good role models. Especially for the gay community and young gay women. People message us with stories, and we always make a point to respond and be there.”
A clothing collaboration with Rose is in the making, but no details have been given yet.
