The Make It Happen Show

Jonathan Salfield — Becoming a leading sustainable fashion brand

Written by Ryan Terrey | November 03, 2021

From Byron Bay to the world: Afends' journey to sustainability

From a regional town in Australia to an internationally recognised clothing brand, Afends' journey is the epitome of the small business dream. Co-founders Jonathan Salfield and Declan Wise started Afends in the back of a van in Byron Bay before blowing up across the world and being adopted by major retailers, making massive progress with the growth of their company. But 10 years down the track, they decided to update their brand values and business practices to add the additional focus of sustainability, especially with hemp, and Afends is now known as one of the biggest brands pioneering the hemp and sustainability fashion movement in Australia.

Jono joined us on this week's episode of The Make It Happen Show to talk about everything from his business journey from the van to being an industry leader including how he's balancing commercial outcomes with sustainability, the differences of running a business in a regional town compared to in a big city, how they market sustainable products to teenagers (hint: tell them it's made of weed!), and even how they face off with 'keyboard warriors'. This is a great ep for any business owner looking to change the world. Check it out.