One of Us - About us

Francisco and Inês – aka Francis & Noki – built their careers in the fields of graphic and surface design. Inês loved to discover the world from an early age. At eighteen she moved to London to take a fashion design course. There she was introduced to the world of prints and decided to pursue her career in this area. Inês ended up staying in London for twelve years, having spent the last three years also hoping between New York and Los Angeles. She spent most of this time abroad as a designer but lately she had also become involved with production, logistics and textile sales.

Francisco has a graphic design background. He worked in advertising and brand activation for the last fifteen years, also leading teams as a creative director. He left the world of agencies to look for something more meaningful and challenging for his life. Francis loves nature since his time as a kid, and especially the sea (and that is why Inês wasn’t able to convince him to move to London…). The state of the planet and living in balance with it have always been matters dear to his heart. Becoming a vegetarian was therefore a natural step in his life. Now he is on a path to learn more about having an even broader conscious lifestyle.

The idea to create One of Us came alongside the birth of Inês and Francisco´s first son. Being parents gave them both the will to make a sustainable brand for kids that was suited to a more relaxed and conscious way of life. A world where children are reconnected with nature, family values are treasured and community life is nurtured. Later on, they invited a longtime friend to join them in this adventure.

Constança, a marine biologist at heart, has been roaming for the last fifteen years on a journey to better explore the relationships between marine and human ecosystems. She spent the last ten years abroad, between Brazil and Denmark, mostly writing many reports on sustainability for scientists, politicians and the public. Now, she returned to her homeland Lisbon to start a new phase in her life. Always ready for action and with an eye for the future she has set sail towards a new destination aboard One of Us.

Sustainability Criteria

Lead by Example

We believe brands can make the difference in transforming mindsets and habits for increased sustainability and collective well-being. Brands can do so by showcasing good practices in management and communication, in relationships with partners and clients, and in choices for products and services. At One of Us we aim to be such a brand and lead by example.

Eco-branding

Our marketing differentiation goes beyond environmental attributes of materials and products. We are guided by wider sustainability and well-being principles, which are captured in the One of Us transformation manifesto.

Handmade

We believe that creative manual work dignifies people. Working with our hands helps developing competences that are essential for a more integrated mind-body way of life. We therefore try to use handmade work as much as possible in our products and services.

Conscious Materials

We strive to have ecological and chemical awareness when it comes to choosing our materials. We try to avoid plastics and aim instead for natural materials, or materials that result from a sustainable product life cycle.

Slow Fashion (clothing)

Our business model is centered around originality, quality and clothing design for longevity. Our collections are inspired by the rhythms of nature and of our imagination, not dictated by the moods of an industrial fashion industry.

Sustainable Product Life Cycle (clothing)

We are inspired by the circular economy model to achieve our vision and mission. We aim to work within a closed and regenerative product life cycle, avoiding waste and promoting re-use and/or recycling. This is a long-term journey which we are mapping and sharing. We want to be transparent about where and how we are succeeding in working according to this sustainable model.