Talking with Ania Mroz-Pacula; CEO of Ferron, a vegan luxury brand

Today I chat with Ania Mroz-Pacula. Ania is a CEO of FERRON, a vegan luxury designer brand, that enables her to be creative and talk about things that are important to her- sustainability, cruelty-free lifestyle and empowering women entrepreneurs. When she's not working or researching ways to lower her negative impact on the planet, Ania is usually busy with her rescued babies, 4 year old Beagle- Harrier, Oscar, and 3-year-old Husky cross, Maya.

 

This series features conversations I conducted with individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to Vegan research, businesses, art, and society. This podcast series is hosted by Patricia Kathleen and Wilde Agency Media.

 

TRANSCRIPTION

*Please note, this is an automated transcription please excuse any typos or errors

 

[00:00:00] In this episode, I speak with the CEO of FERRON, which is a Vegan luxury handbag brand Ania Mroz Pacula key points addressed were on his work that tie her humanitarian efforts into FERRON brand. We also discussed key elements of her handbags, products and her efforts to ensure that every stage of the production was as clean as possible, given the infancy of her company's age. Stay tuned for my fascinating talk with Ania Mroz Pacula.

 

[00:00:36] My name is Patricia Kathleen. And this series features interviews and conversations I conduct with experts from food and fashion to tech and agriculture, from medicine and science to health and humanitarian arenas. The dialog captured here is part of our ongoing effort to host transparent and honest rhetoric. For those of you who, like myself, find great value in hearing the expertize and opinions of individuals who have dedicated their work and lives to their ideals. If you're enjoying these podcasts, be sure to check out our subsequent series that dove deep into specific areas such as founders and entrepreneurs. Fasting and roundtable topics they can be found on our Web site. Patricia Kathleen Acom, where you can also join our newsletter. You can also subscribe to all of our series on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, Pod Bean and YouTube. Thanks for listening. Now let's start the conversation.

 

[00:01:33] Hi, everyone, and welcome back. I'm your host, Patricia. And today, I am so excited to be sitting down with Ania Mroz Pacu. Ania Is the CEO of FERRON.

 

[00:01:42] It's a Vegan luxury brand. You can find out more about it and Ania as well on her Web site. W w w dot FERRON dot c o. That is Effy r o n dot CEO. Welcome, Ania.

 

[00:01:55] Thank you. Thank you for having me. Absolutely, I am excited to climb through.

 

[00:02:00] We were talking before we got started and I really love both your company, the ethos, the philosophy, as well as the product and kind of like learning out on.

 

[00:02:09] I'm a little obsessive and I have to get myself one. But before we get to all of that, I will tell everyone who's listening who hasn't listened to our podcast before. I'll give you a quick roadmap in which our inquiry will be based today. And then I'll give you a brief bio on Ania before I start asking her all of our wonderful questions. So a roadmap for today's inquiry will be we'll first cover Ania's academic and professional background and then we'll look at kind of unpacking her Vegan story if it hasn't already come to fruition within the academic and professional background. Then we'll turn to the logistics around FERRON, namely the who, what, when, where, why, how of the company. And then we'll turn to the philosophy and the ethos based around it and all of its endeavors.

 

[00:02:49] We'll get into the Vegan nature, the UK, where unus based out of the difFERRONces and then some of the stylistic choices of her products, things like that.

 

[00:02:59] And then we'll talk about future plans and also just particular's with the Vegan story as it pertains to FERRON and yet in particular.

 

[00:03:06] So, as promised, a quick bio on Ania, Ania is as sustainability and waste reduction advocate with a passion for working with people and building relationships. She's the CEO of Feron, a Vegan luxury designer brand that enables her to be creative and talk about things that are important for her sustainability, cruelty free lifestyles and empowering women entrepreneurs.

 

[00:03:29] When she's not working or researching ways to lower her negative impact on the planet, she's usually busy with rescued babies, with her rescue babies, her four year old beagle, Herry Harrier Oscar and three year old Husky Cross. I'll have to get into those names, Maya, who love exercising more than she does. She volunteers at Launch Pad Reading, organize and attends meet ups in the Reading and London area. And she travels whenever she can as well, which is a little put on hold. I'm sure right now. I'm so excited to climb through everything that you do and everything you have kind of postured here. But prior to getting to that, I'm wondering if you can kind of walk us through your academic background and early professional life at book as it led to launching Feron.

 

[00:04:21] Sure. Yes. Thank you. So to be completely honest. My education and early kind of experience, job experiences are ups and nothing to do with what I do at the moment.

 

[00:04:38] So I am fresh. I moved to the UK. Oh, gosh. Way too long now. And then I went to university. This was my dream come true. Basically, I like the challenge. When I arrived, I didn't speak any English. I went to a community college, got the English language lessons that took me about a year to be ready to enroll into what was, again, my dream, a journalism with criminology.

 

[00:05:10] So I finished the degree and then it kind of a kind of I move from job to job. And then I ended up working in H.R..

 

[00:05:25] And as much as long as I like some bits, some parts of the H.R. role.

 

[00:05:31] I've been doing it was too structured for me, if you will. Mind you, it was a I.T. sector. So obviously everything is kind of fast paced and moving. That's what I liked the most. And then. Yeah. Meeting, meeting people, meeting various people, coming from difFERRONt backgrounds, difFERRONt cultures. That's why kind of. I appreciated at the time, but I always kind of knew that this isn't this is not it. I've been doing a lot of outside work activities that kind of led me to explore the sustainability and Vegan passion more and more.

 

[00:06:18] Um. And yeah, the the way I kind of ended up launching fire on is just by a lot.

 

[00:06:27] I met this beautiful couple that that cared about the animals. And whenever for, you know, for a cruelty that fashion is sadly intertwined with at the moment. So we came up with the idea, with the product. They've done a lot of legwork for me, too. So I have to mention that, unfortunately.

 

[00:06:58] They kind of they say they take their personal circumstances have changed and they weren't able to dedicate as much time and resources into the brand.

 

[00:07:09] So after careful consideration and obviously discussion discussions with my husband, I decided to buy the brand fully and so effectively, officially off the last last year. April Theran is as is my my band, my on any front originally.

 

[00:07:37] Peggy, when was it launched originally from?

 

[00:07:42] It was launched in 2018. March 2018. That's where our first baby came out.

 

[00:07:51] Nice. Yeah. In those first five years, there's so much transition that happens within myself. It's all about staying flexible. Right. For the pivot. That keyword pivot I climb through Feron and it's attachment to. It's big in values, in the sustainability that it sounds like it already was. But before we get there, do you can you describe. So are you yourself. Vegan. And how did you attach. How did you know that you wanted to. How did all of the people that began the project understand or know that they wanted to make sure that it was sustainable and Vegan in nature?

 

[00:08:28] So I come from a family that was obsessed with meat and.

 

[00:08:38] And not only in terms of food, but also animals used for fashion. So I vividly remember and bless her heart. I love my mom to bits that it was this old fashioned old generation of people where she would she would be making sure that all the investments she does is it's in leather because it's high quality. It's it's versatile.

 

[00:09:07] It's obviously it's more kind of sturdy.

 

[00:09:13] And, you know, it's going to last us for a longer time, longer period of time than any synthetic material. And I just I don't know. I think I was very empathetic, sympathetic, um, child always. And I kind of I never agreed with with usage of animals for for the sake of fashion or anything, really. So I'm I'm Vegan at the moment. Yes. But I've it's not I've been vegetarian most of my life, but I transition to Vegan is probably around three years ago and.

 

[00:09:53] And that was a very conscious and very obviously adult driven decision.

 

[00:09:59] It was I just I just knew I had to do that to move even further from being vegetarian to Vegan.

 

[00:10:10] Yeah, there's a lot of difFERRONt ways to come at it. And it sounds like you have several in your own personal story. You know, a lot of people come in, particularly some of the younger generations coming up right now. You know, Generation Y or whatever, we're going to name them as well as generation ahead of them. But there's been a lot of people that come at it from the accountability and sustainability. And I think some of the older guard, and maybe this is too general, but come at it or you came to the Vegan lifestyle from compassion, you know, from these kind of animal rights moments that were happening and really big in the 80s and 90s when they were hitting their genesis. But it doesn't really matter how you get there. I think it sounds like you have a combination of this, you know, empathy and compassion for animals as well as this, you know, this huge push that you have in your every day life towards sustainability and, you know, and being fiscally proactive in conservation of the Earth and its resources. I'm curious when you so let's unpack it really quickly. So everyone who's listening. So it's a it's a Vegan luxury designer brand. And it's you mainly deal with handbags, correct?

 

[00:11:19] Correct. So at the moment, it's an online store. So it's it's a designer bag. So you are closely in touch it with with the design of the back. So. And we aren't sure at the moment.

 

[00:11:38] Oh, we we only have three difFERRONt colors. There's the same design in three difFERRONt colors. Obviously we hoping to grow and expand on our designs. But the moment this is just one classic piece, it's our signature collection. And hopefully we'll be able to grow from here.

 

[00:12:01] Yeah, I love it. I was talking to you before we started. And because of a history in fashion photography and I've had fashions, my my safe space where I go to explore and have fun. And that includes handbags and accessories and things like that. And people who follow a lot of my podcast know that I'm I'm nothing short of a fan of Stella McCartney, both in her clothing and handbags. And for a long time, she was kind of one of the only major designers that was overtly, you know, vegetarian and had Vegan products. And so but we were talking about the classical. I love the style of your. I have to say the signature cross body in Camel is such a. It's bull. It's so in one. And I leave things that are classic and iconic, like the Coco Chanel era. And yet so contemporary. You know, your lines are so clean and everything is so. And here's my tie in with with Vegan and that because I feel like a lot of designers, clothing and accessories who deal in leather substitutes or leather like materials become very scared of that kind of modern clean line because they're terrified that the it will be perceived as immediately not leather or, you know, sub sub leather. And I love that you guys kind of took that full on, you know, not only in kind of being this luxury design, but also this minimalistic where imperfections do show, you know, that's there. They say if you want a really great paint job, don't put anything on the walls or the floor and look at it because it's like there's nothing to hide anything, you know? And the same is true with design. And I'm wondering how that how that's been perceived and also how that kind of has been received. Like, you know, if you go on your Web site, you see that you have an attachment to Vogue and things like that. How is your reception since hitting the market ban large?

 

[00:13:50] I just love what you just said. Yes. So the idea was to always to go for a timewell timeless staple and very versatile piece. And I think we managed to do just that. And to date, I've been receiving a really good reviews not only from our customers, but also from the people that have seen the bag. I think that one of the best, this compliment that we've received today was the fact that I'm a cobbler person, that, you know, he's been working in difFERRONt industries, difFERRONt not my being justice, but he's always been working with the leather.

 

[00:14:37] And he he actually said that he he thought that is leather. It's just so well made. And the material is super, super doable as well as beautiful. And it gives you just a leather like feel to it. So I love everything about the back and the fact that you can unhook destruct and use as a handbag or a body or a shoulder bag.

 

[00:15:09] And I think I think everyone kind of appreciates the versatile versatility of it.

 

[00:15:18] Yeah, it has that. And it has both masculine and feminine qualities. I don't mean labels like that. However, you know, if you were to kind of denote the classical, you know, masculine and feminine, it has both like classical brands. Did you know Chanel in particular is always coming to mind? Because it was a very structured look and that was usually used for men, you know, and and and to have that come in and also represent the women. And I love that for your your pieces, they feel incredibly versatile and that they span, you know, this new awakening we're having regarding, you know, gender and fluidity and all of that. It just speaks to all of those things so well. And I like the simplicity and not having too much of a variation right now. I think people branch out and many, you know, too many versions of something too quickly and yours. It really does just kind of exemplify it. You can tell I'm a fan. I'm wondering when you went your product that the materials that you did, were you involved in that process? And if so, what? Did you kind of sample. Like, what did you consider before you landed on the material that you landed on?

 

[00:16:25] And can you tell us a little bit about that material through material that is used at the moment is PITU and I'm not going to be lying. It's a synthetic material, so it's not the most sustainable one at the moment.

 

[00:16:40] And there are difFERRONt Matute, you probably know that are difFERRONt fabrics being developed and being sort of developed and also trialed. And I'm more than happy to explore all the options for the future humpbacks and difFERRONt designs for fibrin. However, at this stage, I must say that's when we kind of this side is on the materials that we use for the bags. We just knew that we the most important part part for us at the decision of this decision in the decision process was to make sure that the material is it's is it gives you the luxurious feel and touch to it. And that was that was. And we did sample a few other materials, but we just we were quite disappointed with the whole look. And we actually made some samples out of the materials that we sampled. And then the result wasn't as beautiful as thoroughness today. But again, I'm conscious.

 

[00:18:04] I'm very conscious of the fact that, you know, not the most sustainable material. And I'm happy to explore some other options.

 

[00:18:14] And this is time. I mean, I think, you know, that's it's cool that you're being honest and open and years. Yeah. Kind of your only option. And now, you know, people are still playing around, but you've got pineapple leathers coming out. Apple leather is like it's a great time to, you know, be able to consider it and really sample the market and switch when you feel comfortable. I'm curious about like the hardware and things like that. Wood, did you pay great attention? Because when I think of luxury, I think of those details, you know, that Birkin bag moment and obviously not being something I own or it's not Vegan. It's just a very, very classical, iconic, you know, handbag that people think of. And it's the Birkin hand stitching, right, that everybody talks about. There's very tiny details. And for me, with with your brand, I think that the hardware would become very thoughtful. So can you tell us a little bit about that and how you guys are sourcing that as well as your production? Is that happening in the UK? Is it being outsourced to overseas? A little bit about that.

 

[00:19:13] Yes.

 

[00:19:14] So we went through a great deal of research in terms of their hard work, is that the back is so simple that, you know, the hardware we knew straight away that it's going to stand out is just going to stand out. So we need we need it to make sure that it's enhanced this luxurious look as well as the rest of the bag. So we've sampled quite a number of Hardwell details elements. So, yeah, it was a long, long process as well as the logo itself. So I don't know if you know this, but we do have a logo of our elephant. And we kind of that's linked with the charity work that we do. So we do support the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where we donate 10, 10 pound of each box sold to the orphanage in Kenya, which is absolutely amazing. And we we love collaborating with the with the charity days. They state is such an amazing job. But let's move to the materials and hardware, etc.. So. So their bags are actually manufactured in China. And again, that's I know that that's very disappointing to some of their customers. I actually had some people contacting me and saying that they are not going to be supporting a brand that manufactures in China. And I do understand it and. And I myself, as a customer, I would be concerned and I would be doing a thorough research about the brand by what I can tell you, I can I can promise you that myself, as the ex colleagues, we made sure we made the trips to China, to our manufacturer sites. We made sure that not only our factories, that the factories are Vegan and don't use any animal survival products, but we we just want to to make sure that we get to know them. And we are in contact with them and we appreciate what they do for us, because let's face it, it is the most economic lead, logical point of manufacturing the products at this stage. Again, this is something that I'm more than happy to explore, investigate and potentially move the factories that we use into Europe. And I've done some research and this might be something that we'll be investigating where we think at this stage it's it's China.

 

[00:22:14] Yeah, absolutely. I see on your website you talk about FERRON, the name actually being Latin and mean iron gray hair or one who is well dressed in gray. How does that tie in to the brand? What is the communication there?

 

[00:22:31] So we always want to give back to the charity that supports supports orphaned elephants. So that was, if anything, that was the starting point for us.

 

[00:22:43] So we always want to make sure that the brand evolves around elephants given back, spreading the message about Vegan and more sustainable lifestyle and hence the name. Again, I was a lot of research and investigating and voting in. But we came up with a with the with the brand name. And I, I honestly, I do love it. It's, it's kind of it's strong.

 

[00:23:17] It gives you this simple message and kind of bold boldness of the, you know, of of what we want to present to the world.

 

[00:23:28] I think it ties in beautifully with with the image on the label as well as this. It's a very simple line drawing. That is your your logo or if you will, of the elephant. I think it's all very beautiful. You have a blog on your say. I feel like this is where you kind of really connect. Aside from the materials and things like that, you talk about, you know, difFERRONt Vegan aspects that are environmentally affecting things, how silk is made. You have difFERRONt person, things like that. How do you decide what is curated? Like what what makes it into the your blog or not? And do you yourself compose it or do you outsource that?

 

[00:24:06] So I compose a composer.

 

[00:24:08] I very often collaborate with other people, so I believe that the blog post you mentioned about silk, I kind of I wrote that with another lady. She has her own band. She's in an organic cotton clothing industry, if you will. So, yeah, I do. I kind of do my research.

 

[00:24:35] I go online and I see what what is the most viewed kind of and researched. What are the most researched terms for Vegan fashion in general?

 

[00:24:52] And I research Piton Web site. I go to my absolute guru. You probably know him. Joshua Kotcher. He's he's a Ments menswear fashion brand owner, brave gentleman. So I just I reach out to the Vegan fashion and entrepreneurs for kind of inspiration because I think we're in this together. And the more we spread awareness about veganism and sustainability, the better for the world in general. So. So, yeah, I honestly, I do believe it's a teamwork.

 

[00:25:38] I agree. Yeah, absolutely. I'm curious about what the scene over in the UK is in London and difFERRONt areas of the UK regarding fashion that is Vegan in the States it's becoming it's over. I would say over the past at least five years, it's kind of not just blossomed, but taken off, you know, and it's it's due to all of these difFERRONt areas. The conversation about long before covered nineteen pandemic and took over. There was a huge conversation, particularly in fashion in the United States, about really being accountable, you know, and and talking. Having those conversations about sustainability, being more transparent about fashion, like littering the landfills. Designers are doing a lot of what you did with your brand, which is kind of going down to very few options and then being classical. That could stand the test of decades. As you know, you don't need to buy a new handbag every year. This is the one you can have for a decade, you know, hand down to your your sister or your daughter or something, your friend. So those kinds of conversations really start taking over. Designers that weren't Vegan had those conversations because they, you know, they were being asked the questions. And so I'm curious if it's the same in the UK, if you've seen it in the trajectory kind of spike with people being interested. And also with people wanting to own items that were eco friendly and sustainable and Vegan and accountable for not impacting the animal kingdom.

 

[00:27:10] Yes, it's a very, very good question. So.

 

[00:27:15] I opted in for the for the Vegan bags because as I did mentioned before, I, I, I just wanted to save the animals from being the victims of the fashion, vanity and like of thoughtless pursuit of of of stay on trend. So it's it's shocking to think that, you know, our desire for for cheap clothes, our desire and kind of sense of entitlement to feeling that we can take someone someone's life in the name of fashion is just horrendous. And whilst I'm seeing I'm noticing a big spike in the does that are more and more people are happy to invest in organic food and cruelty, food and Vegan and plant based food. There's still I believe there's still quite some times quite some work to do around clothing and fashion in general. Don't get me wrong, there are fashion shows. So last year in August, Tharon was actually one of the participants of the fashion show. It's a it's the only UK Vegan fashion show. And there are exhibitions and shows and pop ups coming up every now and then. But I think that's yet in terms of the clothing in general and fashion, if you can fashion, there's still some work to do and believe it or not. Quite recently I had a lady contacting me. She'd email to the mailbox and she said that she loves the back. She loves the look of it. She loves the design. But at this price point, she prefers to buy a real leather bag. And and, you know, I didn't respond. I just didn't because I got very upset, not by the fact that she doesn't want to invest in fibrin. But that kind of defeats the whole point of investing in cruelty free fashion, you know. Yeah. And maybe I shoot maybe in a in a while when I'm kind of I'm going to cool down. I will respond to, you know, provide a structured answer because that's that's what I mean. People they don't you think about how something is made. They just think about the price. And let's face it, if we you know, if we need to be be ready to spend a bit more for something dies environmentally friendly and.

 

[00:30:13] Yeah, I agree. I completely concur. And I feel like that's why Stella McCartney and people that have come out as you know, as being vegetarian and big and brands are so powerful because it is still luxury that the price point is still designer runway. And and and I don't think that the continuity is which mean, in fact, there's a divorce from it. And a lot of industries where you get something environmentally friendly and there's more labor, it could because it's new. You know, things haven't come down in price. There's not enough competition and things of that nature. But it's also the caring shouldn't be free, you know, I mean, like as far as like with efforts that we put into, things should mean something to us. And I agree with that. I think attributing a lower price point to non leather is absolutely silly. I think you should, you know, perhaps pay a touch more for that new effort and things like that going through. That's neither here nor there, though. I'm wondering, what do you see? So this obviously with the pandemic, this has changed for a lot of people. And I'm wondering if it's changed really being a solely online enterprise, perhaps, and perhaps not. And what is the future for FERA? Do you are you going to expand on designs? Are you going to keep it where it's at? Are you going to expand it to difFERRONt marketplaces? You're available online? Does it shipped from the UK or are you going to try to get a United States presence? Is that down the road or not at all? What are the future plans for on.

 

[00:31:39] So I never wanted FERRON to just be an online store.

 

[00:31:43] If that makes sense. Oh, well, one collection even. So I really want to be a part of a bigger picture of the change in the fashion industry. And, you know, the cinema cottony. Courtney, this is this is this is my guru, too. This is an amazing example of how things should go in fashion. So I'm hoping down on the good path, on doing that, on expanding. So I'm planning on expanding the brand with more designs to really offer more kind of scale up model. And then the plan is to obviously do the whole wholesale and distribute much larger quantities. At the moment, we only an online store. However, we are we are part of a few marketplaces around the world. Actually, we do have some marketplaces in the states. And then I say that a majority of my customers are funding enough. They come from United States, especially Canada, which I'm very curious why that is. So, yeah, I'd love to open a boutique in London, too. Who knows? But at the moment, I think I'm being a very positive person, so I'm not trying to jump ahead and, you know, dwell on things. But unfortunately, I think that the current situation will kind of impact my plans. And and I'm going to have to brace myself and be more patient, which I'm struggling with.

 

[00:33:27] Well, I think everyone as well. So much for talking with me today. We're out of time, but I really appreciate you kind of unpacking FERRON and what it's doing and just all of your honesty and transparency. I really appreciate it. And I hope all the success in the world for, you know, your future Vegan endeavors with their on and outside of that and very projects spoken to you today.

 

[00:33:52] Thank you. Thank you for having me. He was a real pleasure.

 

[00:33:56] Absolutely. And for everyone listening, we have been speaking with Ania Mroz Pacula. She is the CEO of FERRON. It's a Vegan luxury brand. You can find out more and purchase those items on. W. W. W. Dot. F. E. R. Oh. And c. O. And until we speak again next time.

 

[00:34:14] Remember to stay safe, eat responsibly and clean and always bet on yourself. Slainte.