Interview: Fiona Fraser, designer, director and farmer

A third generation deer stalker and farmer, he has a flock of black-faced sheep that make the couple’s working lives a 24-hour affair and with Ewan out stalking six months of the year, Fiona is a hands-on farmer too, as well as being managing director and design director of Fraser Balgowan.

Launched this summer and billed as “Scotland’s newest luxury brand”, the company sells bags and hampers and aims to reflect a Highland way of life and the quality products and skills available. Bestsellers include a deerskin bag and iPod cover and the buzzwords are “heritage, craftsmanship, authenticity and luxury”.

“We are working with very high quality and traditional materials. Also, we have ethics and are passionate about where our materials come from. What makes what we do special is the story behind it. We always wanted to create a luxury brand that reflects the lifestyle, traditions and heritage of where we live. It’s a way of life for us. We don’t stop at 5pm,” says Fraser.

Hailing from Perthshire, Fraser, 36, met her husband Ewan, 45, when she moved to Laggan to work with Highland Council and kept a horse on his field.

“He used to help at the livery stable from time to time,” she says, “and the rest is history.”

The horse is history now too (although he’s gone to a happy home) as Fraser’s commitment to her new business meant devoting herself to it 24/7.

“It’s been very busy. I have just come back from a week in New York where Saks Fifth Avenue invited me to an event and included our luxury men’s hamper in their display. I was promoting our new Heritage Collection and met with Saks buyers and Brooks Brothers too and they have asked me to submit designs to be considered for their next autumn winter collection,” she says.

“Saks have started their own private label men’s collection so it’s with a view to our designs becoming part of that but we are very keen it’s co-branded as we want to build up our own name. Our new Heritage Collection is something we hope will sell well internationally with luxury retailers on America’s East Coast, and in Russia, China and Europe. We always thought it would be an international business because Ewan has a lot of foreign shooting guests and we’ve gone down well with them.”

After identifying a gap in the market for quality souvenirs, the company uses textiles bearing the best Scottish names, such as Johnston’s of Elgin, Begg’s of Ayr, Lovat Mill, Shorts, and also Todd & Duncan, of Hawick. These mills also produce materials for Louis Vuitton and Ralph Lauren. Hides from Laggan are among the deerskin used to make the bags, along with tweed from the Borders and produce grown locally. The hampers are even packed with surplus sheepskin from the Fraser farm.

“If we can keep the business in Scotland and achieve a fair price for the farmers, weavers and tanners, that’s great. At the same time we’re showing how beautiful the Highlands are,” says Fraser.

“A lot of those materials are in danger of going to waste because they’re not that marketable. I couldn’t bear that. It’s hugely important we do this right and have integrity. We’re not just doing it to make money. It’s more important than that. It’s to preserve a way of life and skills.”

At present, the Frasers are happy to plough all profits back into the business and have invested a significant amount of their own money.

“The deerskin bags are so soft and beautiful that I was amazed no-one else was doing it, but there is an issue with the supply as there aren’t vast quantities. We are trying to be very niche and limited edition in what we do. Our bags are expensive at £1,200 for the biggest, (with a sliding scale downwards) because we can’t produce 10,000 a year and we don’t want to compromise on quality.”

Working for Highland Council, Fraser’s experience is in rural development and community support so she knew the area well before joining Ewan on the farm. “I was involved in the Cairngorms National Park and parliamentary inquiries and everything from Rock Ness to the Glen Doe renewable energy project. This job is a culmination of everything I have done before; marketing, business development and strategy, enterprise and planning. But I wasn’t a farmer’s wife so it was quite a learning curve!”

Throw in sheep dipping and being chief cook and bottle washer on a Highland farm and you can see why Fraser enjoys the occasional jaunt over the pond.

“New York is a complete contrast to life here. It takes me a week to come back down to earth. But Laggan is beautiful and that’s why people have a real fascination with the landscape. It evokes something romantic for them.”