While living in Australia, the Dublin man fell in love with the colourful prints and patterns available in men's clothing. On returning home, he wanted to bring something similar to the Irish market, but soon discovered just how expensive it would be to work in an ethical fashion.
"The one thing I didn't want was to start a business where kids were making my clothes," he explains. "It wasn't supposed to be a sustainable business, it was just a t-shirt business, but I quickly went down the line of GOTs [Global Organic Textile Standard] and Fair Trade."
The couple began to control every step of the process, from design to production, and began to build a business that they could be proud of - and that customers could trust.
Today, all Fresh Cuts items are 100% GOTs-certified Organic Cotton and come delivered in a compostable, biodegradable mailer.
"Sustainability comes at a certain price, but the main thing we try to do is keep our prices fair," he adds.
Of course, running a business isn't easy at the best of times, but it can be particularly tricky when you're competing against global brands, micro-trends, and the barely-there prices of fast fashion.
Reflecting on recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that estimates that consumption of new textiles per capita in Ireland is 53kg per year - more than twice the European average, Stephen insists that both shoppers and brands need to start looking at the bigger picture. Not only for the environment, but for the legacy of the decade.
"What I would also say is that if we don't continue to make good clothes now, we won't have any good vintage clothes in ten years time," he says. "The good vintage that's around now was well-made clothes from the 80s and 90s."
The co-creator of these long-lasting pieces is Stephen's partner (in life and in business), Lorna, who designs the limited-edition items alongside a variety of Irish-based artist - making each collection all the more special and recognisable.
"It's very minimal branding," Stephen says. "We don't put 'Fresh Cuts' anywhere, it's all design-led and everything is limited-run and collection-based. They're an art-piece in themselves.
"We try to create unique pieces that you're not going to see everywhere. It's going to be unique for you and it's not going to be reproduced."
This summer, the homegrown brand collaborated with Dublin-based artist and muralist Claire Prouvost to create the Chasing the Sun range collection.
"She has quite a big following so we weren't sure if she would be interested, but it turns out she shops with us," he smiles. "She was delighted to join in with us and we've worked together over the past 12 months, to be honest, to pull it all together. This is the first drop and there will be a second drop in a few weeks."
Consisting of a 100 pieces of each product in the line, the collection introduces a women's dress, blouse, and trousers, and a men's summery short-sleeve shirt to keep cool and stylish throughout the summer.
For more information about Fresh Cuts, visit www.freshcutsclothing.com.
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