The very important reason this cult dress brand is so successful

These days, the word 'cult' gets bandied about very easily, however it takes more than a few Instagram likes to warrant the title. For FAITHFULL THE BRAND, it's taken a few years to gain the title, and for good reason.

Years before ethical fashion became a buzzword, friends and founders Sarah-Jane Abrahams and Helle Them-Enger wanted to create timeless dresses that were made sustainably and were affordable. And so in 2012, the brand was born in Bali.

Of course, social media does play an important part in the brand's success too. You'll have seen it all over Instagram, with its cult followers from Monikh to Lucy Williams sharing their #FAITHFULLTRAVELS. Meanwhile, people have been flocking to their UK pop-up in Selfridges, which is open until 31st August.

Here, the founders explains their own journey.

What is the inspiration behind the brand? And the name?

In 2012 FAITHFULL THE BRAND was born in Bali, Indonesia as we were seeking a fashion label that would cater to our diverse lifestyles and well-worn suitcases. We set out to create a range of pieces that we and our customers could wear off-duty, on travels and feel both beautiful and comfortable at the same time.

The name FAITHFULL came from the love of the unique and compelling musical figure, Marianne Faithfull. Marianne possesses the rare ability to transform any lyric into something compelling and utterly personal – this is what we hope for those joining us on the FAITHFULL THE BRAND journey.

Sustainability is so important right now, how do you apply that to your creations?

At FAITHFULL THE BRAND our number one priority is that in every part of the business we are a thoughtfully run company and brand.

It is important to us that we know how our products are made, who is making them and to always keep a personal connection with each and every one of our employees to ensure they are being taken care of. We call Bali, Indonesia where our HQ is base out of our personal and professional home, all of our manufacturing is done here and we feel as close and connected as possible. From the beginning to now - we have always encouraged the look and feel of handmade products, the work of local artisans and communities, we sun dry our prints and every garment is hand dyed and made.

What are the must-invest in pieces this season?

We are conscious to always create pieces girls will be able to wear more than once, effortlessly and within their price range. Each season it varies on the must-invest however this season we have newly launched our accessories category branching out to matching pareos to pair back and clash with your swimwear - along with two different style hats, a scrunchie and head scarf. Traditionally and always, we pride being a go-to for thoughtfully made dresses in both mini and midi, separates and our timeless linen sets.

What’s the key to your success?

Continuing to always be mindful, thoughtful and staying true to our brand ethos and who our customer is. We love our brand and are so passionate about every facet of our business, and we believe this shines through. Hard work also helps ;)

So many influencers are championing you on Instagram, was this something that happened organically?

When we first launched FAITHFULL THE BRAND we knew the importance of influencers and felt our brand would be perfect for them. Because of this, we reached out organically but without budget and we were lucky enough that by personal preference some of our favourite and most inspirational girls were some of the first to wear and help support us. Since then, we are still in touch with majority of the original supporters sand could not be more grateful. These influencers along with the new ones we have met along the way are forever inspiring us, motivating us and reminding us that our brand really is for a life well lived. Our brand is not just for influencers, that by them wearing our products it reaches such a wider audience and we welcome each and every one of their following and more.

Are you planning a bigger presence in the UK?

The UK is definitely a market we would love to see grow and flourish, we feel confident with the support of our current major wholesale accounts Net-a-Porter and Selfridges & Co that this will naturally help us expand awareness and demand. We had so much fun planning and working on the Pop Up for Selfridges along with the dinner we hosted in conjunction.