5 Reasons We’re Wild About Fairfax

    1. Instant polish

You know those things you reach for you just know will pull an outfit together? Fairfax has just that effect. Whether it be a neat Windsor bag, furry Elizabeth gilet or classic Regina boots, the understated luxury of a Fairfax piece – with a distinctive snaffle or signature crest to catch the eye – always manages to lift a look.

You don’t need to wear it top-to-toe, either. Inject a few timeless pieces into your existing clothing collection and you’ll find everything else appears better too, as if sprinkled with a little Fairfax fairy dust.

2. Totally British, thoroughly country (but also fit for the city)

We’re proud to be British – Lancastrian, to be exact – and we love that Fairfax is an English brand. It’s not just the dreamy, ‘Rural Vogue’ look that appeals, but the story of the label’s roots. Young founders Felix and Marcus started their business on a bit of a wing and a prayer, with little know-how about the industry, but enough verve and determination to compensate. After a haphazard adventure to Spain to scope out a shoe-making factory, they managed to cut a deal for a supply of shoes.

Using grit and charm they talked their way into securing a stall at a country show to sell their wares direct. The initially shaky venture paid off, and the rest is history. Just as we admire the company’s risk-taking start, we appreciate the dash and dare of its design team.

They hit exactly the right note, dressing females who like tradition but don’t do stuffy, instead appreciating F&F’s signature brand of classic yet on-trend style – and it just works.

    3. It lasts forever

We don’t know about you, but for us the days of throwaway fashion are gone. Rather than buying lots of cheap and poor-quality clothes that inevitably end up sent to charity or tossed aside after a couple of wears, we’d far rather purchase fewer items that are going to last season after season. As yet, Fairfax doesn’t do a full clothing range, instead sticking to foorwear, bags, coats, gilets and accessories – solid investment items we like to mix with pieces from labels such as Holland Cooper  and Barbour.

As our store manager Christie says: “I’ve had a Fitzwilliam Tote in navy for a few years now, and it goes with absoultely everything. It’s also just the right size for holding those little essentials I carry with me on a daily basis: phone, wallet, lip gloss etc. I see it lasting several more seasons since the suede and leather ages so well.”

Opening your wardrobe to the clean lines and calming hues of Fairfax is a great way to start the day, and makes the whole deciding what to wear process a lot easier.

    4. The Insta page makes us swoon

Something the guys at Fairfax do really, really well – besides the actual clothes – is their ad campaigns and marketing tricks. The seasonal shoots are always beautiful and aspirational, but they also shine a spotlight on many regular girls and women wearing their stuff in their daily lives, too; showing how wearable and functional it is.

Of course, a lot of model and socialite types post snaps of themselves rocking F&F too, offering up new ways of styling and giving us loads of inspiration.

  5. Buying and owning Fairfax is a sensory experience

After all the fast, disposable fashion of the past couple of decades, Fairfax takes us back to a time of proper service in shops, when ladies would browse in elegant, uncluttered surroundings with refreshments and a spot of personal service.

Go to a Fairfax store and you get a wonderful taste of boutique shopping, in a gorgeously decorated space without any unwanted sales pressure.

At Rufford’s Country Lifestyle in Garstang, we hold F&F as a concession and strive to replicate this pleasant way of shopping for customers who come into our own store – of course wrapping and presenting sold items with care, which is the Fairfax way.

The real pleasure, though, is going home and delighting in your new purchase. Fairfax uses exquisite, strokable materials in the construction of its clothes, bags, belts, shoes and boots. The entire collection is brimming with the Feel-Good Factor – and that’s possibly the thing we love most of all.

In a nutshell, that’s the magic of Fairfax.

Love, the Rufford’s girls.