A Rum Fellow

Established in 2014 by Caroline Lindsell and Dylan O’Shea, A Rum Fellow is a London based design studio specialising in contemporary handwoven interior textiles and rugs. With a commitment to fair trade principles, working with artisans in Guatemala and India, they create high quality designs for the high-end interiors market. Their textiles, designed by Lindsell and produced by Guatemalan artisans, preserve heritage backstrap, Brocade and Jaspé weaving techniques, and celebrate artisan craftsmanship - promoting and raising the profile of artisan textiles by placing them in a contemporary high-value context. Through their work with a network of artisans and a social enterprise charity, A Rum Fellow aims to provide the artisans with the income to empower them to “make their own choices” and develop their own communities.

The Artisan Business Model

A Rum Fellow’s textiles comprise backstrap and foot loom woven fabrics, predominantly made to order and sold by the metre, and as panels and cushions. With design taking place in the U.K. and production overseen by their Guatemala based Production Co-ordinator, the developmental process takes 6 months. The company operate in a “very specific” high-end market, and although some direct sales are made, trade is predominantly with interior designers. This sales model means that the client makes an order based on a small sample or picture of the fabric – “We’ve got to deliver exactly what they saw”.

“The reason we decided to go that way is because we wanted to do more custom work […] and we wanted to be uncompromising in what we’re producing. We wanted to produce the best fabrics we can produce.”

Regular production meetings between Lindsell, O’Shea and their Production Co-ordinator, along with visits by the founders to Guatemala (pre-pandemic), ensure that they have thorough production knowledge and can monitor quality and the ethics of production. O’Shea describes the degree of knowledge he and Lindsell have about production:

“[…] down to how the workshop runs, what looms they have got, what fabric is on it, who’s weaving it, what they’re going to be doing next. You know, who spun, that. You know every single detail. And it is a lot for us to manage, but it’s the only way we can be assured of getting the quality.”

Working with two groups of backstrap weavers – one via a social enterprise charity – and four family-run foot loom weaving workshops, long-standing and trusted relationships allow A Rum Fellow to identify and nurture “people with amazing skills”, and achieve the quality and consistency “that we’re really proud of” and that their clients expect. In-line with weaving traditions in Guatemala, the female backstrap weavers work at home, aligning their weaving with their domestic duties, and workshop-based foot loom production is undertaken predominantly by men.

Working with their artisans “on a fair-trade basis, on a fair exchange basis” is at “the heart of the way we want to work”, empowering the artisans through meaningful work, skill development and income, as O’Shea explains:

“I don’t want to tell them how to make their lives better. I want to give them the money to be able to make all those decisions themselves. I think for us that feels like the right approach.“

For A Rum Fellow ethical production goes “hand in hand” with the care they take in how they make things, but they ultimately want to be judged on the quality of product.

COVID | The Business Impact and Pandemic Response

The Covid-19 outbreak coincided with the company’s launch in the U.S., for which they had been preparing and producing inventory for the preceding year. In contrast to their established model, whereby goods were made to order, their U.S. partner Schumacher operate a system of holding stock to allow them to respond quickly to client orders “so there’s no lag in supplying what their clients want”. This approach and on-going contract, combined with pre-pandemic investment in yarn stock to ensure colour consistency, provided a level of security and stability for the company and their artisans as the pandemic hit, as O’Shea recalls:

“[…] we spent a lot of the previous year, in 2019, doing travelling and training work, you know, capacity building with all of our workshops. And so, when Covid hit were actually in quite a strong position […]”

Despite an initial sharp downturn in the London market, A Rum Fellow’s artisans’ workshops continued to manufacture to full capacity - “our loom rooms were kept busy the entire time”. Though there were interruptions to yarn supplies and restrictions impacted physical access to communities, the localised and community-based nature of production, meant that the weavers were able to continue producing in a way that they may not have been able to had they have been operating in a bigger production facility.

“[…] so as long as they’ve got the yarn to weave and they know their design, they can continue going […] There were lots of complications along the way, but ultimately, we were able to continue.”

Backstrap weaving production was impacted by a reduction in orders, but to different degrees for the two different groups. The larger of the two groups - for whom A Rum Fellow are their largest customer - experienced a slight reduction in orders from A Rum Fellow due to the short-term U.K. sales decline. The group’s wholesale orders from other companies were also, more significantly, impacted. There were limited orders of the smaller group based in Chichicastenango, O’Shea states: “basically, we just didn’t have many orders for them”. In response, Lindsell designed a new artwork. Being at a lower price point, the artworks are more accessible for a retail client:

“Even the development of it, it provides work for the weavers. So, it was about seeing that there was a need – we might not be able to orders on the cushion side, on the trade side, [but] we might be able to develop a product that would solve the problem and bring in more work for the, and that’s actually been quite successful.”

As U.K. direct sales picked up during the autumn period, sales were “incredibly strong” into 2021, credited by O’Shea to people having disposable income.

THE FUTURE | Lessons Learned

A Rum Fellow’s partnership with Schumacher, the associated changes to their production and supply model, and investment in materials and training, meant that they were well positioned to effectively withstand the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst the timing of the partnership was perhaps fortuitous, their unique position in the market, prioritisation of quality, long-standing relationships with their artisan communities and range of production also contributed to their resilience.

Changes in methods of communication between the London design studio and Guatemalan workers, and addition of artworks to their product line, implemented during the pandemic will continue post-pandemic. For A Rum Fellow, the travel restrictions imposed by the pandemic have resulted in the streamlining of communication. Expanded use of technology, via WhatsApp, facilitated direct contact with their Guatemala based weavers which, long-term, has the potential to reduce the need for long-haul travel and the associated environmental impact. O’Shea explains the advantages:

“[…] it does mean that we can have more regular meetings with them and keep that conversation going, because somethings happen quicker or are understood better when it comes from us, and so that’s something we will continue […] So, if we can streamline our communications and make them more effective, and require less travel, that’s a good thing […]”

THE FUTURE | Looking Ahead

A Rum Fellow’s design and production quality, along with the specificity and knowledge of their market, is intrinsic to their success and appeal.

“[…] it is about positioning yourself in the market where you’ve got quality on your side, so there is something very special about the product […] there is value in that.”

According to O’Shea, this focus on quality rather than volume, is something that could be transferrable and beneficial to the wider artisan handmade sector in the long-term. A Rum Fellow demonstrate that the valuing of artisan craftsmanship and skill, combined with contemporary design and “sensitivity to the global market”, holds the potential to generate successful businesses that can positively impact artisan communities.