Faherty's Kerry Docherty: Being a sustainable brand means 'holding ourselves accountable'

As calls for sustainability within the fashion industry swell, some brands have been quick to vocalize their sustainability strategies, while others have taken a different approach by working to meet sustainability goals in silence. In the case of Faherty, a sustainable clothing brand launched in 2013, “It's less about making political pronouncements, and [more about] putting our energy and words and actions behind the things that we care about,� said Kerry Docherty, co-founder and chief impact officer at Faherty, on the latest Glossy Podcast. 

As CIO, Docherty’s focus on the brand’s sustainability and cultural initiatives was magnified in the past year-and-a-half. The brand opened 13 of its 30 stores at a time colored by the pandemic and the social justice movements that simultaneously took precedence. 

“It was a real opportunity for us as a brand to put a stake in the ground and say, ‘What are we standing up for? What do we need to do internally to get to where we want to be?� she said. 

The Native-American community is one community, in particular, that Faherty has invested in. “[The focus is] how we, as a brand, can differentiate ourselves as someone who's [allying] with the Native community, instead of exploiting it,� said Docherty. Rather than “appropriating� Native designs, Docherty is learning about Native culture and art and “focusing on long-term impact� and relationships with Native designers, she said. 

In terms of sustainability, maintaining a sustainable brand means “holding ourselves accountable� for the materials and lifecycle of the clothing items, said Docherty. Faherty has done so with its concrete benchmarks of having 85% of fabrics be sustainable and 90% of packaging be “plastic-free,� she said. 

“[For] our generation and the generation coming up, intentionality and sustainability are important, as are giving back,� she said. “The more brands that feel accountable for that, the better it is for all of us.�