FRAHM Jacket
In 2018 I founded FRAHM Jacket from our spare room in Bath, Somerset. I was a househusband at the time, recovering from a nervous breakdown. More about that later.
We're a true family business. My wife Emmalou helps me manage FRAHM and her mum Leonie runs customer service!
FRAHM is owned by me, my best mate (since he punched me during a table tennis match in 1987) Jason, and 618 FRAHM customers. That's it.
I built FRAHM to be different. I wanted to make the jackets that I couldn't find, from a brand I could identify with, that talks about real life honestly, with kindness, and grit too.
Classic jackets, not shouty fashion statements.
Jackets that fit and flatter, in 11 sizes.
Jackets with beautiful detailing.
Jackets that work for real life, not some made up impossible marketing dream.
Jackets built tough, to last.
Pockets, loads of pockets!
A brand that's kind & honest, because real men are.
To talk about and support mental health, because real life can be really shit sometimes.
To celebrate the beautiful stuff that actually matters.
Amazing customer service, for the long lifetime of each jacket.
Sustainability as a basic moral standard, not sprayed across our marketing to sell more stuff.
Unvarnished, unedited reviews from real customers.
In 2017 I suffered a nervous breakdown that made me suicidal.
I am, I hope, completely honest and direct about that, because it helps others. If we say this stuff, it de-stigmatises talking about it.
Talking saves lives. It saved mine.
If I hadn't said what it felt so hard (weirdly, now) to say, I might be dead now. Emmalou would be a single parent, my kids would be fatherless, FRAHM wouldn't exist, and I'd never have found the peace and contentment I have now.
That's why FRAHM is officially partnered with CALM, the suicide prevention charity. We work with them to promote better men's mental health. By being honest about real life's toughness, as well as beauty.
You can hear my first podcast that launched FRAHM here. The how & why in what I hope is an inspiring and positive (as it can be) way.
I want to show you can and will recover. You are not a twit if your brain chemistry is off. But you must tell someone of your burden.
Talk man.
Jackets from the big brands disappoint.
If they're technical, they're poorly tailored & detailed. You're not going to wear them to a board meeting or restaurant.
Yet if they're fashionable, they are too 'out there', go out of fashion, and fall apart. They're also built with skinny catwalk models in mind.
There is little quiet innovation and not enough value.
We want to design jackets and build a business we're proud of.
I believe we have.
We don't stack our jackets high, or sell them cheap. We focus on investing in producing high quality jackets for real men - that means making jackets in 11 sizes.
That maintains our reputation for quality, service, detail, etc. Our customers pre-order to reserve the exact jacket they want, before it's gone.
When you buy your FRAHM on pre-order we know you have to be patient, so we reward you with a 20% pre-order discount.
They go to full price if there's any left, once in stock. That's unusual, as we tend to sell out months before they arrive.
FRAHM owners (The FRAHM Owner's Club) know they have to buy this way, and they're happy to, because they have seen proof of how much better a FRAHM is.
