Q&A with Ben Blakley and John Trayers Founders of Fog + Foundry and Special Offer

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Ben Blakley and John Trayers know the power of a good narrative. Their online shop is as focused on the storied pasts, educational backgrounds and artistic inspiration of the designers behind the skillfully handcrafted merchandise as it on the goods themselves. Founded on the frustration they felt toward the endless churning of retailers who treat e-commerce like vending machines, Ben and John launched Fog + Foundry as the antithesis to Amazon. Theirs is an e-commerce site that revels in the backstory of every American-made product sold, allowing customers to take a piece of history home with them after each purchase.

{Founders Ben Blakley (left) and John Trayers (right).}

Haute Americana: What were your and John’s occupations prior to cofounding Fog + Foundry?
Ben Blakley:  Before starting Fog + Foundry, I spent the previous 15 years in various merchandising roles for a national catalog and online retailer called RedEnvelope. Most recently I was the Director of Merchandising there. John has worked in sales, marketing and editorial roles for a series of e-commerce and online media start-ups. He has spent the past five years as a strategy consultant for emerging e-commerce brands.

HA: What inspired you to create a site focused on the individual narratives and longevity of each item in today’s “fast-fashion” society?
John Trayers: It really started with a shared frustration of how standards have fallen for merchants. In an industry now dominated by flash sales and million-item catalogs, merchants no longer have an incentive to edit, and that makes for a very shallow presentation. We both also observed how our own consumption had changed over time. When we shop we want quality, more craftsmanship, more story, because that makes purchases meaningful. And as we thought about designers we knew in the Bay Area, we liked that a regional focus gives us the opportunity to be a part of communities and add another level of interaction.

{Photo Courtesy of Fog + Foundry}

HA: How do you pick the independent American designers featured in Fog +Foundry’s curated shop?
BB: We’ve had the opportunity to spent the last year or so immersing ourselves in the world of the artisans and designers we feature. We’ve been able to explore countless shows, fairs, studio spaces, and shops meeting people everywhere we go. While there’s not a specific formula to make us want to feature a designer, there are key threads of design, quality, integrity, craftsmanship, and of course domestically made products in every product we feature. We spend a lot of time getting to know our designers and letting them know us. We’re always out looking for the next designer and I know I’ve found someone special when I can’t wait to tell my friends and family their story!

4. Do you have a favorite/go-to item on Fog + Foundry?
 BB: It’s a bit like picking a favorite child, each of our designers brings something unique and I have “go-to products” from all of them. I’m going to cheat and just say that my most recent gift for my wife was the sprinkle necklace from Foamy Wader.
JT: For me, you must have the Lemon Leather iPhone Case from Scabby Robot. It adds a healthy dose of originality to the most ubiquitous tech toy ever.

{Foamy Wader Sprinkle Necklace (left) Scabby Robot Lemon Leather iPhone Case (right).}

HA: What do you want customers of Fog + Foundry to take away from the shop?
BB: Ideally they take away that there is great craftsmanship and design happening all around us in this country and that we can and should be part of it. I think it is important to know that being a thoughtful consumer doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice on style, quality, or design. The way we look at it, it’s our job at Fog + Foundry to help the customer find those amazing vendors and products that they might not come across under other circumstances. That opportunity to tell their story is what inspires us on a daily basis.

6. What are your top three favorite American-made brands?
BB: Again, we’re picking outside of the F+F assortment. Wood & Faulk, Blackcreek Mercantile & Trading, Co., and Artifact Bag Co.
JT: Pointer Brand, Wm. J. Mills & Co., and Tellason

{Wood & Faulk (left), Artifact Bag Co. Garden Tote.}

HA: Any Olympic athletes you’re particularly rooting for? What has been your favorite Olympic moment so far?
JT: Every four years I look at the programming schedule and swear that nothing looks appealing but I inevitably get sucked in by the athletes’ backstories. As much criticism as NBC has received (and probably deserves) they do a great job with the story-telling side of sport. And an athlete like Missy Franklin makes it so easy for us to root for her.

HA: Best career advice you’ve ever received?
JT: The best advice usually comes from the strangest places and as evidence of that my favorite piece of career advice comes from a Nietzsche quote – “Many a man fails as an original thinker simply because his memory is too good.” Being creative requires an ability to put your missteps behind you and free yourself to imagine without boundaries.

Ben and John are offering Haute Americana readers free domestic shipping on Fog + Foundry with code HAUTE at checkout.

{Photo Courtesy of Fog + Foundry}