From childhood friends to the creators of one of Britain\u2019s most coveted brands. Marcus Fairfax Fountaine and Felix Favor Parker practically invented \u2018rural vogue\u2019 when they established Fairfax & Favor in 2013. This month Marcus tells us why the company will never compromise on quality, and considers what the future will bring\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffFrom the outside, Fairfax & Favor looks like one of those rare overnight successes. A brand that feels fully formed, confidently positioned and instantly recognisable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reality, as Marcus Fairfax Fountaine explains, is that the business is the product of years of thinking, refining and an almost stubborn refusal to compromise. \u201cThe principles for us are that we are not the cheapest product,\u201d he says. \u201cHowever, you will never get better value. We really believe that if you buy a good quality product, made with good construction and good quality materials, it should wear in rather than wearing out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That philosophy runs through everything Fairfax & Favor does. Founded in 2012 by Marcus and his lifelong friend Felix Favor Parker, the brand has become synonymous with what Marcus describes as \u201ceffortlessly elegant footwear\u201d rooted in equestrian heritage but designed for everyday life. The two founders grew up in Norfolk, their parents living barely twenty minutes apart, and they went on to attend Stowe School in Buckinghamshire together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere are pictures of us around five years old at the birthday table together,\u201d Marcus recalls. \u201cOur parents knew each other, we were the same age, and then when we went to Stowe together that\u2019s when our proper friendship really started.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both were keen to start a business long before Fairfax & Favor existed. At fifteen, they even flirted with the idea of manufacturing and selling bouncy castles, \u201cpresumably posh ones,\u201d Marcus laughs. \u201cIt never really got past the draft stage, but what we did get from it was the name Fairfax & Favor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After leaving school, both ended up working for a Spanish luxury footwear brand attempting to expand into the UK. \u201cAfter about six months we said to each other, why don\u2019t we just give this a go ourselves?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those six months proved formative. \u201cWhat we really learned there was what makes a quality boot,\u201d Marcus explains. \u201cThe parts of the leather, the construction, the tanneries, the finishing, the difference between a Goodyear welt and a Blake stitch… all the invisible things that make a difference.\u201d The two spent time in Spain with tanneries and manufacturers, absorbing knowledge that would become central to their own brand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe realised there was a real gap in the UK market, especially around the country lifestyle. You either had wellies that didn\u2019t look great, or things that looked good but weren\u2019t practical. Nothing ticked all the boxes.\u201d The answer was what Marcus now refers to as rural vogue; footwear that is genuinely fit for purpose but refined enough to wear beyond the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe wanted the quality to be as if it was a functional equestrian boot, but still create something you could wear out and about,\u201d he says. That thinking led to the Regina boot, now an icon of the brand. \u201cIt\u2019s a distilled interpretation of a more functional Spanish riding boot, brought into everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Regina did not arrive fully formed. \u201cWe spent about five years tweaking it,\u201d Marcus admits. \u201cIt didn\u2019t always have elastic in the back, it wasn\u2019t always fully lined, the insole wasn\u2019t as comfortable as it is now. We added a composite leather and rubber sole because leather looks beautiful but it\u2019s slippery. It doesn\u2019t take many customers to fall over and tell you about it.\u201d Today, the Regina comes in multiple heel heights, calf widths and leg lengths. \u201cIt\u2019s pretty much bespoke to a point now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That attention to detail is reflected across the collection. Fairfax & Favor works primarily with European manufacturers in Spain, Portugal, Turkey and the UK. \u201cWherever we make something, we want to make sure it\u2019s fit for purpose,\u201d Marcus says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt allows us to quality control, to get out to the factory, to have close relationships with suppliers. That\u2019s how we uphold standards.\u201d Materials matter just as much. \u201cWe try not to compromise. Full grain leather rather than split leather. It\u2019s thicker, stronger and it wears in rather than wearing out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Equally important is how the brand listens. Unlike many fashion houses of its scale, Fairfax & Favor remains unusually close to its customers. Marcus and Felix can regularly be found on the stand at country shows, including Burghley Horse Trials. \u201cWe spend a lot of time just listening,\u201d Marcus says. \u201cWhat do customers like, what do they want? That\u2019s probably something we do more than others.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was customer feedback that led to petite boot options and refinements to fit. \u201cI had five or six people at one event try the boots on and say they were too tall. So we fixed it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That closeness extends to bricks and mortar retail, something the brand continues to champion at a time when many are retreating from the high street. The Stamford store, which opened in December 2021 and has just celebrated its fifth anniversary, is a case in point. Fairfax & Favor now operates several physical shops, reinforcing its belief that luxury is as much about service and connection as product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind the scenes, the business employs around 80 people across its Norfolk creative office, based in 19th century stables at Narford Hall, and its warehouse in Thetford. A ten-strong design and development team works up to eighteen months ahead, recently bolstered by the appointment of a new Chief Creative Officer. \u201cThese things take time,\u201d Marcus says. \u201cThe tanning of the leather alone can take weeks or even months, so we\u2019re already working on autumn winter 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company\u2019s values extend beyond craftsmanship. Fairfax & Favor is a Certified B Corporation, reflecting its commitment to social and environmental responsibility. It has raised \u00a3500,000 for Breast Cancer Care and supported Cancer Research UK through a nine-day, 700-mile cycle ride from Bedingfield to Bordeaux in 2021. \u201cThose certifications are really important to us,\u201d Marcus says. \u201cOur factories have to jump through hoops to work with us, but they\u2019re hoops worth jumping through.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brand ambassadors such as Zara Tindall reinforce the brand\u2019s authentic ties to the equestrian world. \u201cThere\u2019s a great alignment,\u201d Marcus says simply. That alignment is helping fuel international growth, particularly in the United States, where Fairfax & Favor is now investing heavily in events and visibility. \u201cThe British heritage and equestrian links really resonate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the scale and ambition, the original mindset remains unchanged. \u201cWe won\u2019t compromise,\u201d Marcus says. \u201cWe could make things cheaper, but we choose not to.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a position that has earned Fairfax & Favor not just commercial success, but something rarer: loyalty. Customers return, replace, upgrade and recommend, confident that the brand will stand by its principles, just as it always has.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\ufeffFairfax & Favor was established by Marcus Fairfax Fountaine and Felix Favor Parker in 2013. The company has nine retail studios including one on Stamford\u2019s High Street: www.fairfaxandfavor.com.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n