Today we’d like to introduce you to Mara McGinley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Thank you for having me. I launched my sustainable apparel brand almost 3 years ago. I developed the idea of wanting to create a clothing company prior to attending FIDM. I had wanted to infuse sustainable design, as I had studied it in college. Upon graduating, I began working for established companies where I gained experience in the fashion industry. I moved to Los Angeles 6 years ago from San Francisco. Once moving to LA, I began working on how to begin a business and learned steps along the way.
Working in the fashion industry, I learned everything from design to sourcing materials and producing photoshoots. All those skills have helped me in launching a business. Currently, my brand has been featured in Glamour UK, Pitchfork, Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam and others. My brand has retailed at Flying Solo, Wolf & Badger, Shop Morpheus and 1Hotel in West Hollywood. It’s been a great experience learning all of the steps from setting up a business, to cut and sew production and meeting wonderful people along the way.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Creating a business is challenging since you are wearing many different hats and learning some skills along the way. However, having the opportunity to make my creative dreams come to life is one of the most satisfying feelings. It hasn’t always been smooth yet, approaching uncertainty with grace and an open mind is a necessity.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about MARA the Label?
I create sustainable clothing collections for women that help them feel their best and offer unique, limited designs. My most popular styles have been: the bias silk slips and matching sets. One of my best-sellers was the Rose Quartz print, which showcased at Miami Swim Week for Resort. I’ve had the pleasure of developing fashion collections for shows and the opportunity of having photoshoots in beautiful locations like Joshua Tree, Anza Borrego and Malibu.
I’ve been fortunate to meet so many wonderful creatives along the way, which has developed a larger community. That part of the journey as an entrepreneur has been wonderful.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Creating a new collection and having the ability to make the product come to life through production and telling a story with the photoshoot is extremely rewarding. Then having the opportunity to sell the product to customers who are equally excited about it makes every step of the way worth it. Developing collections using beautiful, sustainable materials definitely sparks happiness for me, as it’s been my passion prior to attending school.
Pricing:
- $85-750
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maralabel.com
- Instagram: @marathelabel_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marathelabel
Image Credits
Emily Cummings, Tomas Urbano
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