Fay takes the Archive project to the coasts and forests of North America

Starting with a collection created and produced through a blend of creativity, high-quality materials and craftsmanship that combines traditional skills with innovation, how does one build a genuine community? In other words: for any brand that aspires to stand the test of time and transcend fads and trends, the product is an absolute prerequisite. This premise is by no means superfluous: amidst greenwashing, pinkwashing and – more recently – handcraftwashing, it is important to promote projects that are genuinely rooted in social and environmental sustainability and in the intelligence of craftsmanship, rather than artificial intelligence.

Fay has just unveiled the latest stage of the journey that inspired the Archive collections of the Tod’s Group brand, a journey conceived (in part) to build, precisely, a community: last March, the choice fell on a number of North American locations overlooking the Pacific, stretching across a landscape of dense forests, rugged coastlines, islands, rivers, shipyards and mountains that remain partly untamed. A landscape where nature is an integral part of daily life and manual labour retains its authentic power.

The new project follows five people, chosen for their direct connection with the elements, tools and working outdoors. They are Fay Archive’s new ‘testers’: real people, met in the places where they live and work, who wear the garments – jackets and waistcoats in particular – in their natural environment.

The 2026 journey began in Seattle, the capital of the state of Washington, at a historic shipyard founded in 1946. Fay’s team met Rob, a mechanic, carpenter and handyman, photographed by James Mollison, who captured his movements, showcasing a practical expertise honed over time and in the field. From Seattle, Fay travelled to the San Juan Islands, where the testers were Kate and Allie, both oyster farmers by trade – a physically demanding yet delicate occupation governed by the tides, the cold and the constant movement between the water, jetties, nets and crates of oysters. The third stop was Orcas Island, where Zachariah, a blacksmith and artist, welcomed the Fay team to his workshop nestled amongst the trees and the sea. Further south, along the Columbia River, the team met Luca, a carpenter and builder of wooden and canvas kayaks, whilst the final stop was in the mountains of Washington State, following Jocelyne as she carried out her field research on a snowmobile. Jocelyne is studying the wolverine, a small carnivorous mammal of the mustelid family, in an environment characterised by snow and extreme conditions.