Sometimes when family members start a company together, the result is clashing personalities and diverging priorities. But twin brothers Alex and Mike Faherty say their own entrepreneurial journey has been quite the opposite—a fun and harmonious ride. The New Jersey natives launched their ‘beach casual’ Faherty men’s and women’s clothing and accessory line four years ago, and it’s been making waves at stores across the nation, including at the brothers’ own shops in New York, Massachusetts and California. The 34-year-old Fahertys are naturally competitive but say they love being in business together, and it shows in their enthusiasm for the industry. The collection is set for a May 12 trunk show and debut at Mister Guy in Ladue, featuring their reclaimed-wood ‘mobile store.’ And there’s another local link. Mike, who formerly worked for Ralph Lauren, is an alumnus of Washington University’s fashion design program, so the Lou holds a special place in his heart.

T&S: What has surprised you about starting your own clothing business?
Alex: It’s been a crazy learning curve. I worked in finance before, and my responsibilities were very finite and predictable. But when you launch your own company, you have to deal with everything yourself—daily operations, manufacturing and shipping, hiring and managing people, putting out fires, prioritizing your tasks and handling the stress of it all. My old job was easy in comparison!

T&S: What are your St. Louis connections?
Mike: I have a real love of St. Louis, and I sometimes come back for Wash. U. events and other things. My time at the university was a big four years of my life, so I try to ‘relive’ the old haunts when I’m in town. And our St. Louis partnership with Mister Guy is great. It’s such an amazing retailer, so well regarded. It’s humbling for us to be in the store and see how its customers pick up on our brand. We have a well-educated customer who understands good quality and fit but also appreciates the casual life. St. Louis is a pretty casual city, so we mesh well with that.

T&S: How does your company stay socially conscious?
Alex: My wife, Kerry, is really involved in this aspect of the brand. We’re a member of 1% for the Planet, a group of brands that donate 1 percent of their sales to environmental causes. We also are involved with Artists for Peace and Justice, which supports communities in Haiti through education, health care and arts programs. We recently were in Haiti meeting with people from the organization and did a catalog photo shoot there. We will donate 5 percent of proceeds from that catalog, and from store sales May 15 to June 30, to the cause. We’re trying to raise money to build a new classroom for a school in Haiti. Fair trade practices are important to us, too; we visit every factory and mill we use, so we know where our things are made and who’s making them. And we use swimwear fabric made from recycled materials and organic cotton in our knitwear. We love finding out where we can help and getting other people excited about causes we support.

T&S: What’s the ‘next big thing’ for Faherty?
Mike: Our clothing line for kids launches this month. It’s been a challenge to put together, but a lot of fun. We have a loyal base of adult buyers who love our vibe, and many of them are parents, so they’ve asked for kids’ clothes. Our other big goal is to keep getting our products into the right stores in a smart and organic way. We feel that we have some of the best clothing out there, and this is something we want to do for the rest of our lives. We’ve doubled our business each year, so we think we’ve found the right recipe for growth.

The Faherty trunk show at Mister Guy will be held from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. May 12. For more information, call the store at 314.692.2003.

Pictured: Mike and Alex Faherty
Photo courtesy of Faherty