FRANK & EILEEN: Like all great partnerships, you two started as friends and morphed into business founders. How did the idea for FRĒDA SALVADOR (a brand that team F&E is obsessed with) take shape?

MEGAN: We met while working on the design team for another footwear company and would often travel to Italy together for work, spending long dinners with (too much) wine, dreaming of FRĒDA. Cristina’s grandfather started making shoes in El Salvador over 70 years ago, and her father started the factory where we make all of our hand-sewn penny loafers. I started my career in fashion in New York as a celebrity stylist for Calvin Klein in the late 90s. When I moved to San Francisco, I met a footwear designer and fell in love with shoes, joining the design team where I later met Cristina. We worked there for one year together before starting FRĒDA. From day one, we had such incredible design synergy, and, in fact, we still design all of our collections together.

Cristina is photographed wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Melange Jean with Monaghan in our 1990 wash. Megan is wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Vintage White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.
FRANK & EILEEN: Like all great partnerships, you two started as friends and morphed into business founders. How did the idea for FRĒDA SALVADOR (a brand that team F&E is obsessed with) take shape?

MEGAN: We met while working on the design team for another footwear company and would often travel to Italy together for work, spending long dinners with (too much) wine, dreaming of FRĒDA. Cristina’s grandfather started making shoes in El Salvador over 70 years ago, and her father started the factory where we make all of our hand-sewn penny loafers. I started my career in fashion in New York as a celebrity stylist for Calvin Klein in the late 90s. When I moved to San Francisco, I met a footwear designer and fell in love with shoes, joining the design team where I later met Cristina. We worked there for one year together before starting FRĒDA. From day one, we had such incredible design synergy, and, in fact, we still design all of our collections together.

Cristina is photographed wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Melange Jean with Monaghan in our 1990 wash. Megan is wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Vintage White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.
F&E: How would you describe your personal style, and what are some of the most-treasured pieces in your wardrobe? Does your work influence your clothing choices?

CRIS: My personal style is classic but with a twist. I love the simplicity of a button-up with denim, but there has to be something interesting about it. Work definitely influences my personal style. I spend all day thinking about product, design, and trends, so I am constantly inspired by what’s happening in the fashion industry and street style. I’m a big believer in investing in high-quality pieces that I’ll have in my closet forever. Right now, I’m living in baggy jeans, cowboy boots and the F&E McLoghlin in Flannel. I have it in the Melange Denim, and I love how it gives the denim-on-denim feel, yet it’s so soft and oversized.

MEGAN: My personal style is eclectic, and everything goes. I am in year five of wearing only vintage, consigned or slow, ethically produced fashion, which is one of the things I love most about Frank & Eileen. I tend to dress very baggily and love layering and mixing colors or prints, like the Belfast English Peacoat in dark 1977 denim with an Eileen button-up in a lighter classic blue tattered wash.

Cristina is photographed wearing Eileen Famous Denim in White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.
F&E: How would you describe your personal style, and what are some of the most-treasured pieces in your wardrobe? Does your work influence your clothing choices?

CRIS: My personal style is classic but with a twist. I love the simplicity of a button-up with denim, but there has to be something interesting about it. Work definitely influences my personal style. I spend all day thinking about product, design, and trends, so I am constantly inspired by what’s happening in the fashion industry and street style. I’m a big believer in investing in high-quality pieces that I’ll have in my closet forever. Right now, I’m living in baggy jeans, cowboy boots and the F&E McLoghlin in Flannel. I have it in the Melange Denim, and I love how it gives the denim-on-denim feel, yet it’s so soft and oversized.

MEGAN: My personal style is eclectic, and everything goes. I am in year five of wearing only vintage, consigned or slow, ethically produced fashion, which is one of the things I love most about Frank & Eileen. I tend to dress very baggily and love layering and mixing colors or prints, like the Belfast English Peacoat in dark 1977 denim with an Eileen button-up in a lighter classic blue tattered wash.

Cristina is photographed wearing Eileen Famous Denim in White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.
F&E: You’ve published a FRĒDA Woman series for many years, profiling women worldwide and creating an incredible community of creatives, entrepreneurs, and advocates. Can you tell us more?

MEGAN: Cris and I started FRĒDA with the mission of “building community from the ground up.” Connecting with women is deeply important to us, and we are very grateful that these women take the time to do this series. We try to be as thoughtful as possible about our questions, but they always come down to drive. It’s HARD to take a leap of faith, so what drives these women to follow their passion? We have learned so much from these interviews; these women have become friends. There’s a sense of vulnerability in their answers that ignites an instant connection, opening the door to building an even deeper connection that profoundly impacts our personal and professional lives.

Megan is photographed wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Vintage White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.
F&E: You’ve published a FRĒDA Woman series for many years, profiling women worldwide and creating an incredible community of creatives, entrepreneurs, and advocates. Can you tell us more?

MEGAN: Cris and I started FRĒDA with the mission of “building community from the ground up.” Connecting with women is deeply important to us, and we are very grateful that these women take the time to do this series. We try to be as thoughtful as possible about our questions, but they always come down to drive. It’s HARD to take a leap of faith, so what drives these women to follow their passion? We have learned so much from these interviews; these women have become friends. There’s a sense of vulnerability in their answers that ignites an instant connection, opening the door to building an even deeper connection that profoundly impacts our personal and professional lives.

Megan is photographed wearing the McLoghlin Flannel in Vintage White with Monaghan in our Cream wash.

Thanks for cozying up for 'a cuppa with' Cristina and Megan!

To learn more about FRĒDA SALVADOR
 and shop their latest and greatest:

fredasalvador.com
@fredasalvador

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