Maggie Marilyn | Founder, Maggie Marilyn | Courage over comfort

Courage >> comfort. This week, Maggie Hewitt joins host Eva Hartling to talk about finding purpose and doing good. Maggie is the founder of sustainable and circular fashion brand Maggie Marilyn. Having grown up on the New Zealand coast, Maggie has always had an interest in protecting our natural world. When she set out to create her own fashion line, she knew she wanted to build a company rooted in principles of circularity. For Maggie, circularity is not just a buzzword— she takes this concept the whole way, from recyclable clothing to repair services for the brand's items. Her company champions transparency and change in an industry whose harmful practices have been destroying our planet for decades. Maggie has even gone so far as to make the tough decision to forego agreements with wholesalers in favour of selling direct to consumers, in order to ensure every aspect of her supply chain would have as low an impact as possible. As a result, Maggie Marilyn has met both commercial and editorial success.

Listen to this episode to find out what inspires and drives Maggie as a citizen and a business owner!

Listen to this episode to find out how Nicole set out to create Open Water to offer a more environmentally and health-friendly solution for drinking water.

This season of The Brand is Female is brought to you by TD Bank - Women Entrepreneurs. TD is proud to support women entrepreneurs and help them achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship opportunities! Find out how you can benefit from their support!

Full Episode Transcript

Eva Hartling: I'm Eva Hartling welcome to The Brand is Female. Where every week I speak with women change-makers who are redefining the rules of female leadership. This season of our podcast is brought to you by TD bank group women entrepreneurs. TD helps women in business achieve success and growth through its program of educational workshops, financing and mentorship.

Visit The Brand is Female dot com slash podcast. And follow the link to find out how TD can help. My guest in this episode is Maggie Hewitt, founder of sustainable and circular fashion brand Maggie Marilyn, having grown up in New Zealand. Maggie has always had an interest in protecting our natural world.

When she set out to create her own fashion line, she knew she wanted to build a company rooted in principles of circularity, her brand champions, transparency and change in an industry whose harmful practices have been destroying our planet. Maggie made a tough decision to forgo agreements with wholesalers in favour of selling direct to consumer.

So she could ensure every access of her supply chain has as low an impact as possible. Her brand has met both commercial and editorial success across the world. Listen to our episode to find out what inspires and drives Maggie as both a citizen and a founder. Here is our conversation.

Maggie, it's such a pleasure speaking with you for The Brand is Female today. Thank you so much for joining me.

Maggie Marilyn: Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to have this conversation with you.

Eva Hartling: I am too. And I want to start by asking you growing up. Did you already dream, or did you think you would end up having a career in fashion and design or was that a completely unexpected path?

Maggie Marilyn: I think I am. I realize now, being a little bit older how lucky I was to grow up in such a nurturing environment, but then my family, no dream was too big. I come from a very small. The town is at the top of the north island in New Zealand. So the idea of being a part of the fashion industry geographically I have is so removed.

But I, yeah, I went to boarding school when I was 13 in Aukland, which is the main and the biggest city in New Zealand. If you like. And I think, and like I said, coming from the small sort of rural community, it was a really difficult transition for me. And so one of my solaces was really walking to the local newsstand after school.

I can remember it as clear as day, it's funny, the things that stick out to you from your childhood. And I remember just finding such solace and the pages of Vogue and Harper's. And yeah, it just made me feel happy. It was such a form of escapism. And I remember distinctly around that time, yeah, 13, 14, thinking that I'd love to be part of this industry and I'd love to just make people happy.

Eva Hartling: I love that. So tell me a little bit about the steps you took, leading to the creation of your own brand. Maggie, Marilyn. I'm sure it was, it probably wasn't a trade path. I'd love to know where the idea came from and how you went about launching all of it.

Maggie Marilyn: Yeah. I started.

Maggie Marilyn straight out of university. And I always say, with a lot of naivety and rose-tinted glasses, for what the industry was really like, and I was lucky enough to study sustainability at university. So I was well aware of the environmental and social impacts that the fashion industry had.

But I think in terms of how. The industry operates the business side and the trickle down effect, towards the supply chain. I was completely naive to, and I have to say George, who obviously introduced us. I got introduced to George McPherson and the early months of starting Imim and I have to say, I owe him a lot in terms of Learning how the industry works, there yeah, I was so removed from that being from New Zealand, but yeah, I think a milestone, And the very beginning was being picked up by several international retailers and my first and second season. And I guess five years ago now it's amazing. What's and how much has changed in five years since we launched, but I definitely think that had the power to catapult you to the global stage and being so geographically isolated.

Yeah, it was a snowball effect from there. I guess you could say.

Eva Hartling: And you, you've just mentioned really the sustainability positioning of your brand, and I know that was something that was rooted in your mission from the start. So tell me about that interest in, creating a brand that is built on very strong principles around circularity and really offering a more environmentally responsible choice.

Obviously, when we're talking about consumer products, we're never fully sustainable, I don't think such a thing exists, but why was that so important for you and how did you go about making sure that was going to be really the anchor point for your brand?

Maggie Marilyn: Yeah, like I said I had no idea going into the fashion industry when they talk about it at the very beginning.

Fashion being this beautiful form of escapism and this industry that can make people feel happy. That was my naive 13-year-old self, and it was only once I got to university that I guess this. And glamorous curtain was pulled back on what the industry was responsible for. And it, for me, wasn't responsible for a lot of happiness and for people involved in the supply chain, but also consumers, and I think for me, that was incredibly conflicting during my time at university.

So yeah, but I think, and. I still really believed in the power of clothing and how that could empower the wearer and I guess I asked myself what could be possible if that clothing was made in a way that actually empowered everyone throughout the supply chain and ended up having a regenerative impact on our environment.

And so I guess I sit out with that intention and that challenge in mind, and I think that's really helped. May over the past five years, really, in those incredibly tough moments in business, I think knowing what your, why is and your purpose is the only thing that really gets you through.

Eva Hartling: And when you first set out to launch a brand based on these principles and, speaking to women entrepreneurs who have a brand that's really rooted in sustainability. A lot of the challenges they bring up are around finding the right suppliers and the right partners who are really going to.

Understand this focus on circularity and, being environmentally responsible as much as possible and other principles around social responsibility as well. So what was that like for you navigating the industry, especially as it was your first venture in the industry basically.

Maggie Marilyn: Oh, incredibly challenging. I guess you could say. And it's been such a journey, from what I thought building a responsible brand. Look like five years ago compared to what I believe it to be now, and I think that's the important thing operating in the space is that there's no destination.

I don't think we'll ever get to the point where we think we've done enough. I think that we will throughout the entire lifetime of Maggie Marilyn which I hope we're building a legacy brand. It will be about how do we create a better world and that will continually grow. And shift as we develop as a business and as the world changes.

And that in terms of the very beginning, I guess it just happened so organically. We have a really incredible manufacturing community here in New Zealand. I think something that I love is there's such a low barrier to entry here in New Zealand to make clothes. You can go down the road and work with makers to make five of something.

If that's the scale that you're at, and I think that's quite rare. I guess if we were to have manufactured offshore at the very beginning and the barrier to entry would have been so huge. So I think. Yeah. I have such a strong sense of loyalty towards our manufacturing community here in New Zealand because they were such support in those early years, but, and in terms of supplier relationships, that was just such a journey and especially

when you first start and your order minimum, your order quantities are so small, demanding full supply chain. Transparency was pretty difficult. And so it didn't happen overnight, so it was really a journey of, and cementing relationships. And we really feel like everyone, we work with key partners in our business, we couldn't do it without them.

And but with found some incredible partners from the farm right through to first-hand manufacturing and yeah, now we feel like we're in a really exciting position to continue to grow and prosper together.

Eva Hartling: That's so great to hear. And I love that you bring up how your success is dependent on these partners and the relationships you've built because there is this myth of the self-made entrepreneur.

And I cringe whenever I see one of those articles, self-made billionaire and it's no, it takes a village. Nobody is fully self-made, that's just impossible. So I love that you're celebrating these partnerships and relationships.

Maggie Marilyn: It definitely. It definitely takes a village. And we're so we feel so strongly about the community at Maggie Marilyn.

We're only as strong as our community is. So we place a huge emphasis on that.

Eva Hartling: And speaking of community, is there somebody that you looked up to maybe a role model who inspired you? Maybe it's even a brand that you admire, like somebody that kind of gives you some inspiration along the way as you were building the brand.

Maggie Marilyn: Yeah, absolutely. So many incredible women and that has influenced who I am and inspired me. I guess I have to start with my mom. I was always, growing up so inspired by how she presented herself to the world. I was constantly buying her clothes growing up, definitely without permission and I think she was such an early muse for me, in a good way, my mom, and is a hard woman to plays.

And so I think I was so excited when I first started my brand. By the challenge to make clothes that she would wear and love. That's great. And I think. Yeah. I also have to say, I just have people who continually inspire me. I'm lucky to have the most incredible group of friends, women of all different and ages and backgrounds and careers and what they do.

And I think they're the inspiration really behind who the Maggie, Maryland customers. And I'm, I guess I'm inspired to make clothes for them that, that help them realize their greatest potential really on their way to hopefully changing the world. Yeah, I've had multiple muses and people that inspire me.

Eva Hartling: I love that vision. Because I actually worked in the jewelry industry for a long time. And something that I would talk about often was, it wasn't so much about how many pieces you own or the value pieces you own, but it's those pieces that are really special to a woman and make, or to anybody, to a human being and make you feel like.

A version of yourself, right? So there's that symbolism and that kind of that powerful energy that can come from owning the right pieces. And I love that in your case, it's also a responsible choice because of how the items are made. I'm curious to know. Your process for launching new pieces, because we know part of, I think one of the challenges that the fashion industry faces is that model of, issuing so many collections every year and the pressure of having something new to show customers.

So I'm wondering how you navigate that with your collection.

Maggie Marilyn: Absolutely. And I think, and what I was saying before, it's been such a journey of these past five years, of growing up, I was 21 when I first founded in Maggie Marilyn and five years on, as a young woman in business, what I've learned.

And I think that we always say sometimes. In the industry, I think it was important for us to play the game, to understand how we could change the rules and make it much fairer for everyone. And I think the first couple of years of Maggie Marilyn was really bad. It was being a part of this fast-paced industry, global wholesale.

Shipping out multiple collections a year, the pace and the pressure that was on, not just our supply chain, but our team, and the very real burnout that's involved in our industry through trying to keep up with this. Yeah. And the satiable appetite for newness that our industry holds. And I think I realized two years into Maggie, Maryland.

That quite literally, it wasn't sustainable for me as a designer. My team and it really wasn't a business that I wanted to be a part of. Long-term I really couldn't, I'm such a big believer in you have to really be able to have that Northern star and that dream to even hope to get there. Sometimes you don't know all the twists and turns in the road that will lead you there, but you've got to at least understand.

And the destination and then the road you're going down. And I guess for me, I couldn't see through the huge roadblocks in the business that we were operating at the very beginning in terms of the global wholesale fashion model. And how I would still be creative and 20 seasons time, or, what the collections would look like.

And so that really was the inspiration to turn our business on its head. I guess when we decided to walk away from all of our international retail partnerships and go it alone and sell directly to our customers. And I think that is, and maybe we'll always be the single biggest step we made towards.

Aligning with our values and wanting to create a better world. And so now we have these two lines in our brand. So we have our somewhere line, which is evergreen essentials. So these are pieces that we replenish as they sell out in their everyday wardrobe, staples. I hope, I always say, I hope we'll still be making the same blazer and leggings in 20 years’ time.

And these are pieces that we really stand behind and have put an excessive amount of R & D to know that they'll hold up in terms of durability. And we also have. A full afterlife solution for them. So all of the pieces in the collection are designed to sit within a circular system, whether that is through fabric recycling or compost at end of life.

And so at the end of this year, we're actually opening up our take-back scheme for this line to really take. Accountability and responsibility for garments that we put out into the fantastic forever. Yeah, it's exciting. And then we have our forever line which I guess would be similar to the mainline that we started the business with, that we used to wholesale.

And these are forever pieces, quite literally pieces that are designed to sit in your wardrobe, hopefully for a lifetime. Treasured memories and these really set within the repair. So we're opening up our repairs scheme this year as well. We'll have a free repairs scheme for all forever pieces to really extend the life.

And so I think for us this idea of seasons or collections and is completely obsolete, we don't believe in that at all. And we make a concerted effort through how we speak to our customer and marketing campaigns, to look back at earlier and forever pieces and show how we wear them with newer, forever pieces.

And really it's just about creating a beautiful wardrobe that will hopefully empower our wearer to realize her greatness, as I said before, and Yeah, so seasons to us, are completely obsolete.

Eva Hartling: I think that's fantastic. And congratulations on making the gutsy decision to, go on your own and forego some of those retail partnerships or wholesale partnerships from your end.

Maggie Marilyn: I am a friend who said to me the other week How important it is to choose courage over comfort. And I think that was really key in this decision-making as well, sometimes and doing the right thing is the uncomfortable thing to do. But I think for me, I always lean into being brave and having courage over maybe choosing the easy route.

Eva Hartling: I think that's, that is so commendable and that's a great quote right there that I know we're going to use because especially we're seeing around the world right now, we know our system's broken and we need to do things differently. So kudos to you for real, sticking to your true vision and values and purpose and aligning your, all of your actions from there.

That is fantastic. And I think a great lesson for anybody who is listening to us, no matter the industry even in our personal lives,

Maggie Marilyn: absolutely.

Eva Hartling: This season of The Brand is Female is made possible with the support of TD bank group, women, entrepreneurs, confidently building your business, takes sound advice, plus guidance to the right connections, tools, and resources.

As a woman, entrepreneur myself, I know I need all the support I can get. What's great about TV services for women in business is their collaboration-based approach. They work with both internal and external partners who can provide education, financing, mentorship and community support. TD employees are able to be proactive in the advice and guidance they give to women's businesses.

They can facilitate and connect you to work. Coaching and mentorship and engage other like-minded business leaders in an authentic way, so we can share experiences and learn from each other. So you've talked about how much of a journey this was and, things that you've discovered along the way.

Is there something that you wish you knew before starting this journey and maybe a lesson that you learned that you really wish you didn't have to learn the hard way?

Maggie Marilyn: Yes. And maybe, yeah, I think about this a lot and I think there's so much power in naivety sometimes I am glad, I didn't know how hard it was going to be in business because maybe I would have never started in all honesty and, I'm pretty ambitious, but

this industry tests every fibre of your being, it is absolutely gruelling and I think trying to ride the line and all honesty of commercial prosperity verses, and. Wanting to make a positive impact on the planet as a business, that's hard, it's a hard line to find balance.

Yeah. And yeah, it's really hard, I think every day running a business is the hardest thing that I do. I think it's all-consuming. But I've always thought, you only get one life. Why not make it. A magnificent one. So yeah.

Eva Hartling: Yeah. I agree though. Again, very well said and such, such an important lesson.

I think I think there's a lot of disinformation and misinformation when it comes to sustainability and fashion today, and obviously a lot of the big players, a lot of the fast fashion brands are. Trying to show that they are doing the right thing or trying to showcase some of their efforts.

And certainly, in some cases, there are efforts being made, but it's not really addressing the bigger issue at hand. So what's one thing or what are, what's one way that you wish or maybe one lesson that you wish consumers, knew or something you wish they understood

stood about how fast fashion is set up and all of the pitfalls of what that, that model that exists in the industry brings with it. Because I think not every consumer realizes the impact when they are making a purchase, a $20 top made of polyester of some sort that they're only going to wear once

and we know that there's an issue with those purchases.

Maggie Marilyn: Totally. And I think sometimes we live in a world where we don't question where things come from anymore. And we're so far removed from the origin of where everything we consume in our life comes from for good and for bad, through globalization.

and I think I've always been someone that's asked a lot of questions, probably annoyingly. And I think when you ask questions, it prompts answers. And if you don't get the answer, you like you're able to then make a decision from there. And I think for consumers, It's asking more questions about where the product they purchase comes from and what impact it has on the planet.

And I think something that's been really important in our journey is maybe not looking so much to what. There are so many big brands out there that aren't doing the right thing by their consumers, by the people in their supply chain, by the environment. But I think we're so set on focusing on our journey, and how we can leave behind a better world.

And I think. We absolutely need, governments to get involved in a larger way. We, we need legislative change, but I'm still such a believer in the power of people. And I think we all have a responsibility. And I think when you look back throughout history, all paramount, societal shifts have always started at the grassroots level.

If you think is one person you can't make a difference. I think I would challenge that, the power of the collective. And I also think in terms of, the social sort of media landscape, I would say as well I have a really conflicting. Relationship with social media. And I think everyone does.

Sometimes there's so much virtue signalling. But whereas, the real action behind just adding to the mind-numbing noise that sometimes is across our fades. But I think I like to remind myself of like I said, the power. Community and collective action. And, for us in New Zealand being thousands of miles away from some of the devastation happening in the world right now I think through social media, it's also true that we've never really been closer.

And. I think yeah, through social media together, we can do more than just add to the noise. And I think I would encourage everyone to think like that, we can educate, we can vote. Protest, lesson donate change, and yeah.

Eva Hartling: Yeah, I think what you said is so important.

And recently I was speaking with Maxine who I know, of. From the standard Institute who just wrote the book on ravelled and she brought up that notion and it's funny, I hadn't really thought about it that way myself until she made that point of, we have to stop seeing ourselves as consumers and realize that we are active citizens.

So we have, each of us has a responsibility to make. Insist on making change happen, making the change happen, where we can have the impact, but also advocating with the government with institutions what organizations to really push for the change. So I love that you, you bring that up and yeah, social media can be a tool

Maggie Marilyn: and businesses listen to the consumer at the end of the day.

If the consumer is beating the same from the same drum and constantly asking the same questions, they will. Look at their supply chain, look at how they produce look at how they treat their staff and change will happen from there, yeah,

Eva Hartling: absolutely. No, that's a very important point.

Yeah, I'm curious to know. So we're, we're speaking it's a week where. Literally, the world is on fire in many places on our planet are geopolitical events, natural catastrophes. It's just, it just there's a lot going on right now. And I think we're also, still in the midst of

I dunno how many waves we're at depending on where you sit on the planet, but dealing with a pandemic. And certainly, you being a New Zealand, you felt the impact of repeated lockdowns. How do you, and I think that's a question that's on everybody's mind right now. You're also an entrepreneur who as we know when we run our own business, it is all-encompassing as you've brought up, how do you stay sane?

Like how do you, I don't think we can achieve complete balance, but what's one way that managed to stay grounded, managed to stay afloat and dare I say it remains optimistic. Especially through these dark days that we seem to be going.

Maggie Marilyn: Such a good question. And honestly, I am, I don't know if I found that balance, I think I, I have days where I have a huge amount of optimism and I feel incredibly brave and then I have days where you don't want to get out of bed and the challenges that.

We face right now at this moment in history, feel all too large and all too encompassing, but I like to remind myself of the power throughout history that one person can make. And I'm incredibly determined. And I think that everyone has the power to make a difference and. Yeah, I think coming back to that idea of having a Northern star is really important.

And I always give that as advice for people wanting to start a business or get into the space. I think, find your purpose and have a Northern star and be relentless in your pursuit until you get there. I think, and business requires a lot of grit and a lot of resilience.

And sometimes I think it's more about getting back up every time you get knocked down and just being relentless and. Not giving up. Honestly, sometimes I think that's the difference between people that achieve the goals and maybe people that don't is just not giving up, not taking no for an answer.

I think I'm someone that's from a very small town at the bottom of the planet, but I always had, and such a fire in my belly to create change and to see equity. And be a part of creating a better world. And I think that my. Truest Northern star is that, and by no means, are we there yet, but that the world actually is a better place through Maggie Marilyn being in business, and I think that's something that gets me out of bed in the morning that at the end of my life and my legacy is that I've left behind a bit of world and a better future.

And yeah but it's been honest about that. That not every day, you feel optimistic and excited by that challenge. You're gonna have days where you're like, what a joke, Maggie, who do you think you are? How are you going to achieve that? I definitely have that. Yeah, I think I'm such a big believer in the power of and positive thought and what follows am comes looking for you.

Yeah, I think it's incredibly important to stay positive and optimistic.

Eva Hartling: I think through. Through doing all of that. You're also inspiring many others to follow in your footsteps and also leave a better world behind. And that's the chain effect that we're hoping for.

Yeah.

Maggie Marilyn: I hope so. Absolutely.

Eva Hartling: What is one thing you wish women and nonbinary people would do less.

Maggie Marilyn: I think question ourselves. I think, we have as humans, such a high IQ and intuition for a reason, but I think throughout evolution and history, somehow we've become less in touch with the power of our intuition.

I think that innately, we know how to. Protect and nourish. And I think this is what people on the planet really need the most of right now. Yeah.

Eva Hartling: That yeah, that, that was beautiful. Said again. I agree with you and do you, are you someone who stays in touch with their intuition? Is that, and is that something that typically drives your decision-making process around things?

Maggie Marilyn: Absolutely. I think so. I am someone that I think has a lot. Anxiety and can be highly emotional at times. But I think because I have those traits, it also means I'm highly intuitive, I believe. And that has really guided me throughout this five-year journey. And. Yeah, I think those who know me would know that I'm quite stubborn as a person.

And so if something doesn't feel right and I just, you can't quite articulate it or explain it, it's not the right direction to go in. And regardless of data or those who say differently,, I always trust in my intuition. And I think that's something as humans, we have to lean into more.

Eva Hartling: Yeah. Yeah. I agree with that as well. And what is next for Maggie Marilyn? What can we expect over the next few months and understanding that, there are still lockdowns and COVID restrictions to take into account, but what is ahead for you?

Maggie Marilyn: Yeah, I think again, something. It gives me peace.

Is that Maggie Marilyn, it's the marathon, not the sprint, we are in business to create a legacy and I hope that surpasses my own lifetime. And I think when you're not so beholden to these sort of. Quarterly reporting. When we look at the natural world doesn't revolve around those constructs of time.

I think that gives you a lot of peace. There's been so much disruption in terms of business over the last 18 months. Travel was a huge part of my life and I haven't been able to leave New Zealand. February 2020. And I think if you gave that the power to consume everything that you do, I just think you wouldn't be able to move forward.

And yeah, as I said to you before, we've just entered another lockdown here in New Zealand, I'm working from home and, we have stores here and those stores are closed. But I believe that I always have a relentless optimism and I know Maggie Marilyn will make it through, we have so much that we want to do in this life and on this planet.

And yeah, we're so excited. We launched our first impact report. A couple of months ago and over the past 12 months with thank you. We've been able to reduce our CO2 emissions by 73%, which is really exciting through really turning our business model on its head. And aligning with our customers instead of selling through wholesale channels.

And the time and space that's given us to really look at our supply chain and those impact reductions that we've been able to have. And. Yeah, we hope to open more. We call our stores homes for our customers. So we hope to open more homes around the world and yeah, the sky's the limit, I think.

And for me, I have an interesting relationship with fashion. I still really believe in the power of clothes as I've said before. But I think I would like Maggie Marilyn to pull away from being known just as a fashion brand. Fashion, as we know it is broken it's exploitive.

And I don't want any part of its current system. And so I think in terms of what's next. Yeah, creating an ecosystem and a business that goes beyond the confines of the fashion industry and hopefully being able to create solutions to the climate crisis. I really believe that I think all businesses right now should be looking at what solutions they can offer to the current climate crisis.

Because I think that is the biggest challenge of our time. And yeah, that's our Northern star, that's what we're doing. Finding solutions.

Eva Hartling: While you're off to a good start. And I think that's a great goal for what's next and what's next. And hopefully, there are not be too many disruptions ahead.

Even though we don't want to come back to the old normal since we know the old normal wasn't working well for us or for our planet. Absolutely. And, but thank you so much. It was such a pleasure, getting to know you better. And to hear more about Maggie Marilyn, I am personally very excited about that new pink suit that is dropping tonight.

We'll keep an eye out for that. And I look forward to connecting with you in the future and seeing what you're up to next.

Maggie Marilyn: Thank you so much for having me. I've enjoyed having this conversation with you so much. And as I said, I'm such a fan of what you do, so thank you for helping to amplify important stories within this space and yeah.

Looking forward to talking with you soon.

Eva Hartling: Amazing. It was my pleasure. Thank you. I really hope you enjoyed today's conversation. And if you did, as always, don't forget to subscribe, rate and give us a review wherever that is possible. Thank you to TD bank group women entrepreneurs for their support of The Brand is Female.

You've got it in you to succeed. Let TD help guide you. Visit The Brand is Female dot com slash podcast and click on the TD logo. Thank you for listening. I'll be back in a week with a new guest.