People ask us sometimes: why do you make everything in South Africa?
The honest answer is: because we live here. Because we care - about this place, the people who make the clothing and our country's economy. We wanted to make international quality garments here - and export this to the world (rather than import from other places!).
This is the story of how a La Folie piece gets made — from the first sketch to the moment it lands on your doorstep.
It Started With a 14-Year-Old and a Dream
La Folie Equestrian began when Milla was 14 years old.
We - Donna and Milla, a South African-French mother and daughter, duo, wanted to create a brand that resonated with our love and passion for horses and horse riding. We also love branding and business and share a passion for beautiful design. The international brands were beautiful but expensive, and we felt there was a gap to create international quality clothing - but designed and made in South Africa.
So we decided to make it ourselves.
That decision, made around a kitchen table with sketches and fabric swatches, became La Folie Equestrian. It was audacious, probably a little bit folle (mad, in French), and one of the best things we have ever done.
The Design Process: It Starts With Riding
Every La Folie piece begins with a rider problem.
We ride. We listen to our community - at the stables, at shows, on Instagram, in emails from customers. And then we design around what actually needs solving. We also love fashion, and so we create beautiful pieces that are technically great.
We both get involved with the creative direction. The design process is iterative — sketches, fabric sourcing, first samples, then riding in those samples and noting exactly what works and what doesn't. A single piece can go through several rounds of refinement before we're satisfied enough to put the La Folie name on it.
We are not in a hurry. We would rather get it right.
It took us several round to find our incredible factory that could work with us and deliver the high-quality standard we wanted. This is when everything finally came together!
One of the most exciting moments was testing our first PROPER range - Milla and I riding in two different shirts in Noordhoek, Cape Town and loving every second. We felt so comfortable and looked so good. It was such a proud moment.
The Fabric: Why We South African-Frenchies import this from Brazil.
Here is one of the questions we get asked most often: why do you import your fabric from Brazil?
The performance fabric technology for sports apparel is exceptional in Brazil - it is, genuinely, some of the best in the world. The stretch, the recovery, the breathability, the durability under the specific conditions of high intensity sport like riding - the saddle friction, the heat, the movement - are engineered to the highest standard. The Brazilian performance fabric is just incredible - and our riders deserve the best, and we are not willing to compromise on quality.
On that note - we have been wearing the same leggings to ride, run and gym in for well over 2 years now and they are still petty much perfect. We love that we create pieces that work hard and that last, sustainable production and doing the best for the planet is really important to us.
The Factory: People We Know by Name
This is the part that matters most to us. We absolutely LOVE the people we have the privilege of working with.
We do not work with a large anonymous factory oversees. We work with a small, trusted women-owned production partner in Cape Town - an excellent team of skilled makers we have built a real relationship with over the years.
We have a real partnership. We visit. We talk through new designs in person. We problem-solve together - they are incredible.
This is what ethical manufacturing actually looks like. Not a label. Not a certification. A relationship. A choice to keep things small enough that accountability is real, not theoretical.
Small-batch production means we never make more than we can stand behind. We don't overproduce and then discount. We make considered quantities of pieces we believe in, which means less waste and better quality control at every step.
The Giving Back Part
We give a percentage of every sale to horses in need. We say 10% of our profits, but we are a slow growing business currently putting everything back into the business, so we give from sales not profit - because it matter to us.
We're horse riders. Horses are not just our business - they are the reason any of this exists. The equestrian community has given us so much, and supporting horses who need help is something we feel strongly about. It's built into the business, not bolted on as an afterthought.
Why This Matters to Us
Fast fashion has taught us to expect cheap things quickly and not ask questions. We want to do the opposite. We want you to know that the breeches you pull on for your lesson were designed by two women who also ride, made by people we know in a city we love, from fabric we chose because it is genuinely the best for the job.
That's worth knowing. And it's worth supporting.
When you buy La Folie, you're buying into a way of doing things. Slower. More careful. More honest. With a real human face at every step.
We believe that this is important.
xoxo, Donna & Milla
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