Once upon a time... Flavio had a problem. Antoinette had an idea for the solution. The result - Beira awakes.
Flavio had a problem, his factory was full of waste and end of roll fabric, which was essentially ‘land fill’. He was having issues storing all the fabric and was concerned that it was unsustainable to discard.
Inspired by the concept of the circular economy, Flavio and Antoinette decided to make a problem into a solution. Their goal is create beautiful limited edition products from waste and end of roll fabric. Any new materials required would need to be ethical and sustainably sourced. They would also adopt a completely transparent approach to their business model. Open, honest and clean were the founding principles in the creation of this brand.
Inspired by the craftsmanship of Italy and the folklore of Beira in Scotland the aim is to re-explore all parts of the process to minimize the negative effects from design though to manufacturer and delivery. So we created a Beira Manifesto:
- We will endeavour to embrace the circular economy as (through utilising end of roll or waste fabric) to create incredible classic garments
- Any ‘new’ materials will only be ethically and sustainably sourced.
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Every decision will prioritise the environment and human rights before all other aspects.
Our Values
We believe in kindness, transparency, creativity and excellence.
Our Mission
To create beautiful, functional and limited edition slow fashion.
Excite the conscious consumer.
Produce in a kind and transparent manner embracing the circular economy
Our Vision
We aim to create a slow fashion brand that transcends trends and provides comfort & pleasure for our discerning global conscious consumers.
Our Goddesses
The conscious consumer longs to invest in beautiful wearable and timeless product.
They demand that the product is crafted by artisans in a caring and transparent manner. They invest in Beira because we care about the world they live in.
They inspire us - They are our Goddesses
Our Founders
Antoinette Fionda-Douglas
Antoinette has been involved in sustainable fashion throughout her time in the fashion industry and as a fashion lecturer.
Flavio Forlani
Flavio Forlani owns a factory in the outskirts of Milan, which manufacturers products for many luxury brands across the globe.
The Story behind the name.
The name Beira was inspired by Scottish folklore. Beira was the Goddess of Winter and the Mother of all the Gods and Goddesses in Scotland. She was the controller of 'our inner worlds' the manipulator of fate, moods, foresight, premonitions and dreams. Her greatest strength was her ability to see to see beyond polarity and duality, she was the essential energy upon which both of these concepts stood. This ability was symbolised by her possession of one eye, which allowed her to see into the oneness of all beings.
The Dark Queen was a complex character who was simultaneously the ‘creator and destroyer’; ‘gentle and fierce’, ‘mother and nurturer’.
For us, Beira is a fascinating and inspirational character and elements of her stories have similarities with the fashion industry today. Fashion is an incredible ‘creator’ but also sadly a ‘destroyer’ of our environment. It can be ‘gentle’ and inclusive, but it can also be ‘fierce’ and unethical.
Our brand ‘beira’ aims to explore and devise better means of creating and producing in a gentle and nurturing manner. We will go beyond the duality & polarity of the fashion industry, in our development of a cohesive approach to beautiful, slow, fashion.