mikudagur 15. mai 2019síða 53

VOLUME 5 SUMMER 2019 21 Hallur av Rana I n the city of Amman in Jord­ an a group of women are knitting some sweaters with Faroese wool. On the same day, another group of women in the South American country of Peru are knitting similar products with Peruvian alpaca instead. What binds these women together, who are several thousand of kilometres apart, is that both sets of women are knitting for Faroese fashion company Guðrun & Guðrun to knit their famous sweaters and other range of products. Being on a whole other con­ tinent than the management of a company could present some problems, but Guðrun Rógvadóttir, one of the founders and CEO’s of the company, is clear, that from the humble beginnings of the company it has been vital, that all em­ ployees are treated decently and that still holds today. No matter where in the world you are working. - We started the company because we felt it was a shame that the Faroese wool was burned. The first knitting ladies were family and friends – and you of course treat them de­ cently. We still have a lot of those very close Faroese knitt­ers. For us it has been important to keep the same kind of nearness and respect when expanding our production to Jordan and Peru. We do know also their faces – and my ambition is that I can always look them into their eyes and know that we do have a fair deal, claims Guðrun Rógvadóttir. COMMON SENSE And for the Faroese company it is just common sense, that the choices they are making in their business are ethical. So much that they tend to take for granted when marketing their company. - Honestly – we are not very good at marketing our way of producing. And the reason is that we want you to buy our goods because you can’t help it. Because you find the pieces beautiful. But we are probably just naïve. We will have to stand up and tell our story. But for us producing ethically is just common sense. I believe we always did produce that way – also before it became smart, says Guðrun Rógvadóttir. The implication of such a mindset results in the business being about more than only the bottom line or designing the newest trends, but also taken into consideration every single employee of the firm. And that is a responsibility that Guðrun is well aware of. - I have seen us described as a socio-economic company. The essence is that we are now responsible for more people than ourselves. That growth not only is about us being able to make a living of making sweaters, but that there are also quite some women in Jordan and Peru that rely on us for making a living. That is a much bigger responsibility and goal than only making sure that the growth is stable and the numbers black, says the CEO. You can purchase Guðrun & Guðrun products in their flagship store in the pedestrian street in Tórshavn - Niels Finsensgøta 13. THE FAROESE FASHION BRAND AND THEIR GLOBAL FAMILY EXPLORE THE ISLANDS - WE STARTED THE COMPANY BECAUSE WE FELT IT WAS A SHAME THAT THE FAROESE WOOL WAS BURNED. THE FIRST KNITTING LADIES WERE FAMILY AND FRIENDS – AND YOU OF COURSE TREAT THEM DECENTLY. WE STILL HAVE A LOT OF THOSE VERY CLOSE FAROESE KNITTERS. FOR US IT HAS BEEN IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE SAME KIND OF NEARNESS AND RESPECT WHEN EXPANDING OUR PRODUCTION TO JORDAN AND PERU. WE DO KNOW ALSO THEIR FACES – AND MY AMBITION IS THAT I CAN ALWAYS LOOK THEM INTO THEIR EYES AND KNOW THAT WE DO HAVE A FAIR DEAL, CLAIMS GUÐRUN RÓGVADÓTTIR, CEO OF GUÐRUN & GUÐRUN