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Faircloth & Supply founder Phoebe Dahl makes a good case for supporting teenage rebellion. After getting grounded for a week as a teen, the LA designer cured her boredom by learning how to sew. "I ended up making these brightly-colored circle skirts with elastic bands," she says. "I was just pumping them out like crazy and selling them to all the girls at school for $50 a piece. I was making serious money!"
Born in Florida, Dahl—the granddaughter of famed children's author Roald Dahl—grew up briefly in Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts before her family relocated to California. Uninspired by fashion after graduating from FIDM in San Francisco, she moved across the pond and studied fashion photography at the London College of Fashion. "It was fun and I loved it—but it wasn't what I was meant to be doing."
Dahl then scored a job assisting an Amsterdam-based designer and embarked on a life-changing business trip to Japan and India. After falling in love with Tokyo's unique bohemian aesthetic ("oversized linen dresses over Levi's with espadrilles") and seeing India's poverty first-hand, the designer began spending her nights creating pieces inspired by Japanese street style.
"I knew that I wanted to work in the greater scheme of sex trafficking [awareness]," and after endless research, Dahl decided the best way to help was by contributing to education for girls in Nepal. Not long after returning to Amsterdam, Dahl gave her two-week notice, moved back to LA, and founded her sustainable and charitable label, Faircloth & Supply.
To date, her brand has funded the education of 2,000 Nepali girls. In addition, Dahl is collecting donations in light of the tragic earthquakes that recently struck the third-world country. In addition to debuting its summer collection next week, Faircloth & Supply will soon launch a new line of tees and bracelets, with 100% of proceeds benefiting its charity partner, General Welfare Pratisthan.
We sat down with the super rad designer at Silver Lake Juice & Tea, where we found out her favorite children's book, what's next on her travel list, and more.
What are you drinking today?
The Second Date smoothie.
What's the weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
Fried crocodile in the Everglades in Florida.
Is there anything you won't eat?
Bell peppers.
What's your favorite children's book?
Besides my grandpa's, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. He still is my absolute favorite author. He [once] came to [my mom's] dinner party and I had to go to bed early, [so] I gave her my book [and begged her] to have him sign it.
In the front flap of the book he had drawn a picture of this cool, intricate tree and in the tree it says my name in the branches. It's my most prized possession. He passed away shortly after that.
Would you rather travel back in time and meet your ancestors or go to the future to meet your great-grandchildren?
I'd rather go back in time and meet my ancestors because I plan on living a very very long time, so I will get to meet my great-grandchildren!
If you could be any movie or book character, who would it be?
Peter Pan, does that count? I just never want to grow up. I just want to be a kid forever.
Silver or gold?
Gold!
What's next on your travel hit list?
I really want to go to the blue city in Morocco. Another place would be Cuba. I have a British passport as well and I have been able to go this whole time, I just haven't. I want to go there while it's still preserved.
What's your favorite tea?
It's a masala-chai kind of [tea] from Nepal; it's served in these tiny little cups. The process of making it is quite difficult; it comes in these tiny granules and you heat up milk on the stove, put the granules in, and it starts turning into a caramel color, and then you have to dump them out into a strainer. I make it every day.
Last concert you went to?
The last concert I went to was Riff Raff in New York a couple months ago. The only reason was because Ruby [Rose], my fiancée, is such a big fan.
Favorite TV show?
Walking Dead, and my all-time favorite is Friends. Oh wait, and also Orange is the New Black!