Jul 29, 2021
Declan & Jono grew up as neighbours in Byron Bay, living and
breathing the surf/skate lifestyle from their early years. Their
love for fashion and design had kickstarted when they began
screen-printing tee’s for bands in the early days of the Byron Bay
hardcore music scene. Today, Afends is known as one of Australia’s
most loved clothing brands and are leading the way for the future
of the sustainable fashion industry. At the beginning of 2021, they
chose to make the shift to using 100% certified fibres in all of
their garments and have just recently bought 100 acres NSW to begin
the process of growing their own hemp, with the dream of one day
manufacturing their garments locally in Australia.
Today we chat about their first conversations about their brand and
developing the Afends name, their ethos, the financial process of
begging and borrowing in the early years, to launching their first
retail store to tie in their business with their lifestyle.
Declan & Jono live and breath their passion for sustainability, not
just in their own brand but changing the stigma behind hemp based
products and fibres. They’re 100% committed to choosing integrity
over the easy option and are constantly learning new skills to
continue showing up for their brand and loyal customers.