Surf’s up! Often called the ‘British Patagonia’, Finisterre are one of the most respected names in sustainable fashion. Headquartered in St Agnes, Cornwall, Finisterre produce long-lasting, repairable products inspired by the sea. We’re joined by CMO Bronwen Foster Butler for this episode. She discusses:

• The dramatic circumstances of her birth in the Canadian wilderness
• The effect of having a peculiar name and how she ‘likes to play in the edges’ of life
• How she became a parent to a daughter during COVID and how that provided an impetus to become more radical 
• Her experience in a previous role of being asked ‘whether she wanted a promotion, or to become a parent’
• Finisterre’s approach to flexibility and inclusion
• Working for a boss who is a CEO and a RNLI helmsman
• Her commitment to ‘how you get the job done’ not ‘when you get the job done’
• ‘Sea Tuesdays’ - where the whole team get an hour to connect with the sea
• The founding story of Finisterre and the mission to create products that serve cold-water surfers, whilst preserving the ocean
• The very first product the founder, Tom, created
• Their partnership with the last Merino Wool shepherd in the U.K.
• How the wetsuit industry is partly responsible for ‘Cancer Alley’ in the USA, with the production of chloroprene - connected to Neoprene
• How they are reinventing wetsuits, moving away from petrochemical neoprene, to YULEX rubber
• Launching the world’s first YULEX wetsuit rental programme
• Finisterre’s repair service - a challenge to fast fashion
• The shocking reality of where most of our charity shop clothes go
• Her reaction to the U.K. government rolling back environmental policy
• Dealing with Climate Anxiety
• Her approach to leading her team through their Pride campaign, in the face of online trolling

Bronwen on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bronwen-foster-butler-73a31923/

Visit: finisterre.com

Rob on linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-warren/

Want to get in touch? Email [email protected]