Meet the talent behind Brookland Workshop

Amanda Frayer

Lead Designer

Amanda Frayer is the CEO and Lead Designer of Brookland Workshop, LLC. She has a BA in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, and a MFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her early career was spent working with Consumer Reports advocacy division. During those 8 years, she honed her design skills. Eventually, she went into business for herself, bringing her talents to other non-profits, small businesses, b-corps, and startups. (See clients.) Projects have included illustration, layout, websites, advertisements, art builds, and infographics. Pro bono, she manages a website for her neighborhood civic association and illustrates materials for the DC statehood movement.

Perpetually curious about how things work, Amanda picks up new skills like loose change. She tends a huge urban garden, and is active with her local farm. She is a fierce advocate for native pollinator gardens, urban homesteading, and slowing down to smell the milkweed. Sometimes she’s behind a desk, but more often you’d find her tinkering in her workshop, learning to weld, read tarot, or brew beer.

In 2018, she started a second business, Mayapple Soaps with a community-minded ethos. Just as we all need access to healthy local food, we also deserve chemical-free skin products with wholesome, regionally grown ingredients. Many corporate organic brands are not as good for our bodies or the environment as assumed. Some contain harmful chemicals, palm oil, and synthetic fragrances. This “green washing” is deeply troubling to those who care about health and the natural world.

Mayapple Soaps are traditional cold-process soap and skincare products that are free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate (or similar), petroleum products, and synthetic fragrances. Amanda’s recipes feature botanicals grown right in her Brookland garden, with goat milk raised sustainably in nearby Bluemont, Virginia. They are produced in small batches in a solar-powered kitchen, wrapped lovingly with compostable papers, then bike-delivered to DC customers. You can find Mayapple Soaps at local markets or by ordering online. Nurture wild beauty with your next bar of soap.