Case Study

Children's clothing company owner

Kurt Jewson of Frugi
Information about Kurt Jewson
Name Kurt Jewson
Location Cornwall
Company Frugi

"Aim to be brilliant at what you do and the rest will fall into place.

"

Kurt Jewson

Overview

I’m Kurt Jewson, managing director of Frugi.  My wife and I run the company - we design, manufacture, retail and wholesale organic cotton children’s clothing. Our clothing is specially designed for children who wear traditional cloth nappies rather than disposable ones. What we make is bigger in the bum for kids!
We wanted to start our own business, and this was the right idea at the right time so we thought let’s go for it.  We knew we had a good idea, we found a niche market and we wanted to do it ethically and with organic cotton.
What I love is being able to show people that running a company can be done the right way. Business can be quite cool and exciting, it doesn’t have to be stuffy and traditional. When I was younger I thought it was all boring old farts in suits, and now here I am running my own business in my shorts and t-shirt, having a great time!

Tell us about your job – where do you work and what do you do?

My wife and I run a company call Frugi. We design, manufacture, retail and wholesale organic cotton children’s clothing. Our clothing is specially designed for children who wear traditional cloth nappies rather than disposable ones.

What inspired you to do what you do?  How did you get into it, did you have a plan?

We were inspired by our son; we put him in wash nappies - which are bigger - and normal baby clothes wouldn’t fit over his nappy, so we decided to design and make our own baby clothes. What we make is bigger in the bum for kids! We found a niche market, and we wanted to do it ethically and with organic cotton.

Frugi children's clothing

Why is your job meaningful?  Both to you personally, and in how it benefits the wider world in terms of climate change and other environmental challenges.

What I love is being able to run a company ethically and show people that it can be done the right way. Business can be quite cool and exciting, it doesn’t have to be stuffy and traditional - if you want to be, you can be very creative and dynamic. When I was younger I thought that all business was boring old farts in suits, and now here I am running my own business in my shorts and t-shirt, having a great time!
One of the main things is supporting parents who are using washable cloth nappies. We encourage the use of washable nappies, rather than disposable ones, for many environmental reasons. Secondly, all our clothes are made from organic cotton and, where possible, we try to use sea freight (instead of planes) and look at ways of reducing pollution. All our packaging is bio-degradable; we use paper and potato starch bags. We also donate 1% of our turnover to charity.

What personal qualities do you think have got you where you are today?

Enthusiasm and a desire for perfection - I want to be the best, coolest, fastest.  Aim to be brilliant at what you do and the rest will fall into place.

What are the essential skills for your job?

I think you need to be fastidious, enthusiastic and work hard.
My wife and I run the partnership.  My wife does all the finance, banking and sourcing for our products, whilst I’m good at the customers and wholesale accounts.  We also employ 12 people, so between us we have a diverse set of skills.

Collecting an award for the Frugi clothing range

What qualifications do you have? Are these typical for people in your role?

I have a degree in Environmental Studies and a post grad in Applied Marine Science but, no, these are not typical!  Before starting the business, I was working behind the counter at a builder’s merchants. I had no experience in the fashion industry or business, but we knew we had a good idea.  We wanted to start our own business, and this was the right idea at the right time so we thought let's go for it.

What do you think most helped you get where you are now?

You gain experience as you go along.  I’ve had all kinds of jobs, and I’ve always believed it’s important to do everything really well, whether it’s sweeping the floor or becoming head of ICI.  I’ve always wanted to be the best I can be, and to do my job better than anyone has ever done it before.

Please describe a typical working day

I‘m in the office in the morning - I go through emails, mainly dealing with order fulfilment.  I say to myself, “right then, let’s go”.  I deal with all queries, work through the challenges of my inbox, then go home!
No day is the same.  My working hours are kind of vague, I work all the time, it’s a bit like having a child again.

What do you enjoy most and least about what you do?

The joys are many - seeing new designs, seeing samples come in, and getting emails back saying how happy customers are.  I get a lot of joy from customer satisfaction and, when things do go wrong, from knowing that we resolved it and our clients are happy.
I get frustrated with other companies that don’t live up to my expectations. I’m trying to do the best I can, and if I have a supplier or delivery company that doesn’t really care as much as I do, that’s when I get stressed - when other companies don’t do business the way we do.

What kind of people do you meet through your work or do you work alone?

Most of the contact I have is via email.  Everything we do is online, but we also have a catalogue and sell to small boutiques.  We sell to 36 countries at the moment, but it’s mainly small shops.  80% is wholesale, 20% is direct sales.  We are niche marketing and can respond really quickly to the demands of the customer.

Do you feel well paid for what you do, or is it not about the money?

It’s not about the money yet - I still earn what I did when I was working in the builder’s merchants.  If I was worried about the money I’d go and get a job, but I don’t worry about all that material stuff anymore.

Finally, what do you know now about jobs, careers and the future that you wish you’d known when you were at school?

Business doesn’t have to be boring.  Exam results aren’t everything, but aim to be brilliant in everything that you do.

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