We recently connected with Jennifer Johnston and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. So, one thing many business owners consider is donating a percentage of sales or profits to an organization or cause. We’d love to hear your thoughts and the story behind how and why you chose the cause or organization you donate to.

Freedom is a big interwoven thread for my business. Fox and Fern was started not only as a passion side hustle, but for the desire to bring myself and my husband home from our physically demanding and stressful job and create time and location freedoms. Our family has been through hell and back… so creating more time to be with them and each other is a huge driving force. But we’re not the only ones who can benefit from the profits of our business. Fox & Fern donate 10% of the profits to A21, an organization that is dedicated to helping stop trafficking. We think this is one of the most important charities you can be involved with.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Jennifer Johnston… the owner and founder of Fox and Fern, a modern fantasy apparel brand! I sew corsets, belts, and milkmaid dresses perfect for cottagecore enthusiasts, Ren Faire goers, larpers, or lovers of everyday magic. I’ve been sewing since I was seven years old and take extreme pride in my work. When you buy a piece from Fox and Fern you can be confident that it’ll be made by human hand with quality materials.

Fox and Fern isn’t my full time job… yet. But my husband and I are building this business sustainably so someday we can both come home from our construction job. We’re both extremely creative and artistic and instead of tearing down walls filled with mouse poop and insulation dust, we want to be doing things that light our souls on fire! And working with women to create outfits that make them feel like a freaking magical goddess??? Ahh that’s what we want to do each day. Make people feel beautiful and help them forget about this crazy world we live in for a little bit and help provide them with a little bit of fairytale.

One of the defining features of our brand is the ability to get custom pieces! Imagine strutting around a renaissance faire or going out for a rooftop dinner with a completely custom outfit that fits you like a glove! We take your measurements and make the pieces fit your specific body shape.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

In the past I’ve tried to start side hustles that I hoped would turn into full time jobs so my hubby and I could come home from our 9 to 5. But my determination and hustle would be too much and I’d go too far too fast. I would spend too much capital on creating products and educating myself on how to grow the business. Then… when things would shift or pivot… when life would crap all over you in ways you didn’t expect… the business wouldn’t be able to stand on it’s feet.

With Fox and Fern we’ve learned to slow down. To be more sustainable and not burn out. Heck… we’re still hustling! But instead of trying to do everything at once, we’re realizing that perfection isn’t what matters. It’s consistency.

So grow slow… sustainably. The algorithms can be brutal so don’t rely on social media to validate your ideas. It will be a slow hill to climb but worth it!

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

Noah is my business partner… and he’s actually the one who came up with the idea of Fox and Fern! He’s also my husband and best friend.

We met one random Easter Sunday as teenagers and over the next few months our families got together often. Him and his sister taught me to snowboard, I taught them how to play volleyball, and eventually they got me a job at the farm they worked at. It was a New England field to table farm and the work ranged from loading up chickens for slaughter at 2 in the morning to chasing down runaway pigs in the woods. I really enjoyed working there… Especially since I could see Noah every day. 😝 And we slowly fell in love and got married.

Noah is my ride or die. My best friend. And I don’t know what I would do without him and his brilliant ideas and amazing creative skills. Heck this man is handsome AND can sew! 😂

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.foxandfernatelier.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fox_and_fern_atelier?igsh=Mzd5ZGFpbGE4YmV5&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@foxandfernatelier?si=i2Xn1SfH10REyVDU
• Other: My Etsy Shop!

  https://foxandfernatelier.etsy.com/