Maggie Hewitt, founder of Maggie Marilyn, might still fall into the ‘emerging talent’ category so far as fashion designers go, but when it comes to building a sustainable business, she’s more seasoned than most. Launching her first fashion line in 2016, Hewitt founded her brand ‘to make a difference in an industry that was ready for change’.
Now, with the experience of multiple seasons under her belt, many conversations with jaded buyers in showrooms, pressure from wholesalers to deliver cheaper clothes that drive more profitability and the rapidly changing landscape of consumer behaviour, Hewitt is going back to the drawing board. Taking the learnings from her already impressive sustainability efforts with Maggie Marilyn, Hewitt launches Somewhere, a direct-to-consumer collection of seasonless wardrobe styles crafted from ethical materials at affordable prices.
Two catalysts–wholesale pressures and price point–galvanised the line of denim, shirting, tailoring and jersey hoodies, made from Responsible Wool Board certified, non-mulesed New Zealand merino wool, GOTS certified organic cotton from India and Turkey, and regenerated nylon from waste such as industrial plastic from landfills and oceans.
For MM fans wondering if Somewhere’s pared back style or lower price will cannibalise the existing higher-priced feminine fashion line, Hewitt confidently addresses that head-on by housing the line on maggiemarilyn.com, right up against her mainline collection. Vigilant about the credibility of every claim along the supply chain, traceability with suppliers and fabrics is her metier.
At an intimate dinner in New York this week, she cited Ellen MacArthur’s circular economy and closed loop system as inspiration. Somewhere will launch a collection system in 2021, to recycle well-loved items and bring them back to life. ‘Buy less, buy consciously, buy forever,' Hewitt toasted.
INFORMATION
-
Broken up into six pavilions, this brutalist Mexican house is embedded in the landscapeSordo Madaleno’s brutalist Mexican house, Rancho del Bosque, is divided up into a series of pavilions to preserve the character of its hillside site, combining concrete, curves and far-reaching views
-
Etihad Airways’ A321LR redefines the single-aisle experienceAbu Dhabi’s flagship carrier brings wide-body sensibility to its new generation Airbus aircraft, a rethink of what short and medium-haul travel can feel like
-
Ralph Steadman has worked with everyone from Hunter S. Thompson to Travis Scott and Quavo – now, the Gonzo illustrator is celebrated in LondonA new exhibition provides a rare opportunity to experience the inimitable work and creativity of Gonzo illustrator Ralph Steadman up close. Just don’t call it a ‘style’.
-
Cult 1960s boutique Granny Takes A Trip gets a sustainable rebootFounded on King’s Road in 1966, ‘radically creative’ fashion store Granny Takes A Trip is being reimagined for a new generation. Dal Chodha takes a closer look
-
BITE Studios: ‘We want to have a brand which makes an impact’BITE Studios is marrying sustainable textiles – from seaweed fabric to pea silk – with designs by a team including alumni of Proenza Schouler and Acne Studios
-
Icicle, the cross-continental label championing sustainability for 25 yearsOn the arrival of a new collection, ‘Hemp Up’, womenswear artistic director Bénédicte Laloux tells Wallpaper* the story behind minimally minded fashion label Icicle
-
Louis Vuitton announces decade long project to rewild London's ChelseaCentral London’s first ‘Heritage Forest' on Pont Street in Chelsea, will be the result of a rewilding partnership between Louis Vuitton, Cadogan and SUGi
-
Textile innovator Byborre empowers creators to cut waste‘We developed a new process that allows creators to innovate,’ says Borre Akkersdijk, co-founder of Dutch textile innovation studio and clothing label Byborre
-
Water inspires Holzweiler’s Snøhetta-designed Oslo flagshipHolzweiler Platz, the new retail destination of fashion brand Holzweiler in Oslo, is designed by architects Snøhetta as a naturalistic space that unites fashion, art and food
-
Marni Market arrives at Matchesfashion in MayfairMatchesfashion is offering first access to its new Marni Market to Wallpaper* readers
-
Advene’s debut bag is forever‘We want our debut bag to stand the test of wear, weather, and time’
