While he was still a student at ISTEC, Frédéric Mugnier began to create his own brand: Faguo. Initially a simple student project at a business school, this company quickly became successful and expanded throughout France. The entrepreneur looks back at the origins of this success story.
The journey of Frédéric Mugnier, founder of Faguo
What is your background?
I was originally from the province. I passed my baccalaureate in 2005, in Reims. My parents moved around a lot, my father was in the association and so I lived in many cities. In 2005, after my baccalaureate, I returned to ISTEC.
Why did you choose ISTEC?
At the time, my parents influenced my choice. I needed something concrete and they thought that in business school, I would have this much more concrete approach. I really didn’t have the level to continue at university or prep school and I didn’t have a good enough record to be taken into IUT. ISTEC is a post-baccalaureate school which offers a good compromise with a concrete and much less academic approach. Between internships and case studies, I was much more comfortable.
During my five years at ISTEC, I had the chance to do an exchange in China, to do an internship at Roland Garros, another in telecoms and a last one with Nicolas, as a supply chain project manager. Very early on, in my fourth year, I did my internship for Faguo, a brand that I had started to create at school with my partner I met at ISTEC.
The origins of Faguo
How to summarize Faguo in a few words?
It is a brand that engages its generation against climate change, which does not compromise between artistic direction and its mission. It offers men the possibility of dressing in a style representing a link between the city and the forest. It’s the outdoor trend, that of the city dweller who likes to escape to the forest. The Faguo outfit is equally suitable for both environments.
How did you come up with the idea for Faguo?
We all seemed to have the same pairs of sneakers at our school. We therefore wanted to design a pair by imagining a community dimension for our friends and us. We wanted to meet our expectations, but also our environmental aspirations. Finally, when I left school in 2010, I immediately started the Faguo adventure.
Who was responsible for the design?
At the time, we got help from many friends. We asked an architect friend, a fashion fan friend… Today, it’s Nicolas, my partner. He has a team of 10 people.
One of the iconic elements of your design is the coconut button. Why did you place this object on each of your rooms?
They are the symbol of the tree that we plant for each product sold. Initially, we wanted to put a wooden pellet. Then, we decided to use the fruit of the tree, coconuts which no longer have any use, to make these buttons.
How do you establish yourself with a clothing brand in a hyper-competitive world?
The chance we have is to be in a huge market which is essential to everyone. Everyone wears shirts, everyone has shoes on their feet. It’s easier to take 0.5% of an existing market than to gain 100% of a market that doesn’t yet exist. There is no need to educate people about a new use. Our strength is also to differentiate ourselves and to listen attentively to this market.
Sustainable development: at the heart of Faguo’s concerns
As you said, with Faguo, you place a lot of emphasis on ecological transition and climate change. Why is this so important to you? How does this translate?
This is an aspiration that we have had since the creation of the company. We noticed that, in terms of sustainable development and ecology, we were heading straight into the wall. So we thought about ways to change things. The first was to define and publish a forecast carbon footprint. In 2009, we were the first to do so!
When we realized that we were going to pollute, we implemented carbon reduction and carbon offsetting policies by using green energy in our offices and shops and recycled products. We also plant a tree in France for each product we sell. In our stores, we offer second-hand items and repurchase clothes.
Many brands plant trees. How does this work in practice?
We plant a tree for every product made. We therefore have much more visibility on what we produce. We have formed a partnership with the nurseryman Naudet. It puts us in touch with owners of land that is not forestry or agricultural. Our specifications are very demanding. We help them plant trees on their land. In September we will plant our 2,000,000e TREE.
You moved your headquarters to Nantes. For what ?
We asked ourselves this question: “How can we do things differently?” » How to be more connected to the forest? The idea was to leave Paris, to fully experience this idea of a link between the city and the forest. Nantes was the perfect city! Last week, we took a bike ride with the teams to see our plantations. It’s great!
The future of Faguo
How do you imagine Faguo in a few months?
We are continuing our second-hand projects. Today, we have repair workshops in our stores, we are also a collection center for clothing for recycling. Several market players are starting to do the same and it’s great! This means we are moving in the right direction. I want to continue to progress on this subject, without compromising between our mission and the artistic direction. Our main objective is to increase the share of recycled products in our collections. It is 80% today and we want to reach 85% soon.
