Quality fabrics and exquisite attention to detail, mixed in with a splash of vintage: these are the qualities that herald a Mother Maria garment to any discerning (eco) fashionista. Katie Gannon established the Mother Maria label in 2004, after demand for her one-off, vintage inspired creations blossomed. Incorporating a mix of vintage fabrics with new silks, cottons and organic jerseys ensures that each Mother Maria garment is unique. Furthermore, being completely designed and manufactured in Australia means that Mother Maria fashion ticks all the eco boxes.
To celebrate the arrival of Mother Maria's Winter 2010 range (titled Parisienne) instore, we interviewed Katie Gannon about creating eco-fashion in Australia and how she celebrates being green in other aspects of her life:
Sum up your label in 25 words
"Girly, pretty, simple, clean. For the lady with the independent spirit, the good heart, and the imagination to create her own image."
Where do you get inspiration for your designs?
"The people I meet, pictures I see, music I listen to. So many different facets of life spark my imagination enabling me to create my clothing. My colour palettes are really inspired by nature, especially plants. Flowers and fresh food that comes from the garden are a big trigger for me."
What inspired you to pursue eco-fashion?
"I think it started when I chose to use recycled materials. I was in love with vintage pieces I was finding from the 60's and 70's. As my business grew and I needed to start buying more new fabrics to mix in with the vintage, I did alot of research into what different materials were made from and how they were produced. I was really shocked at some of the information I found out about fibres such as polyester and rayon, and couldn't believe how damaging the whole fashion industry realistically is on the environment. It made up my mind to try and be a bit different in the way I chose to participate in the whole game."
What are some of the challenges of creating eco-fashion in Australia?
"Price is a main factor. Most people have no idea that their $10 t-shirt is probably sewn by a child labourer in India or China. Australians love a bargain, and what is important to most people is the bottom dollar. I have to explain to alot of customers that the reason I cannot compete with the price of clothing made in Asia is because I hire people in Australia to sew my clothing and they are paid a fair wage. Clothing production is a very labour intensive job, things aren't just whipped up in a few minutes as some would believe. So you are not just paying for great quality fabric, but paying for someone local who took the time to create, cut and sew the garment. There is alot of time and love in eco fashion.
Price wise, most eco fabrics are alot more expensive also. This shouldn't be the case, but because conventional farmers have used pesticides for so long on their crops, we are currently in a huge transition faze where alot of farmers are learning and converting back to organic, which of course is a costly process itself."
How do you live an environmentally friendly lifestyle outside of your label?
"My partner and I try to live by several rules in our household. Most of them revolve around food! Firstly we always try to buy our food locally. All organic material gets composted in our backyard or into our worm farm to minimise our waste. We then use the worm castings and compost to grow our own herbs, veggies and fruit in our backyard. We have 3 pet chickens which give us eggs in return for a bit of food and love. We try not to consume too much also... we always second question whether we really need that new "..."
What are your top 3 tips for anyone wanting to live a greener lifestyle?
"1. Question everything. Where was this made? What was it made from? Who made it? How far did it travel to get to me? etc.
2. Reduce Reuse Recycle!
3. Try using your garden to produce a bit of organic food instead of buying everything from the supermarket. If you don't have a garden or a green thumb, buy locally made food and products."
Where would you like to see Mother Maria in 3 years time?
"I'd like to use the popularity of the label to educate people on how they can think and live a little cleaner and greener."
"Girly, pretty, simple, clean. For the lady with the independent spirit, the good heart, and the imagination to create her own image."
Where do you get inspiration for your designs?
"The people I meet, pictures I see, music I listen to. So many different facets of life spark my imagination enabling me to create my clothing. My colour palettes are really inspired by nature, especially plants. Flowers and fresh food that comes from the garden are a big trigger for me."
What inspired you to pursue eco-fashion?
"I think it started when I chose to use recycled materials. I was in love with vintage pieces I was finding from the 60's and 70's. As my business grew and I needed to start buying more new fabrics to mix in with the vintage, I did alot of research into what different materials were made from and how they were produced. I was really shocked at some of the information I found out about fibres such as polyester and rayon, and couldn't believe how damaging the whole fashion industry realistically is on the environment. It made up my mind to try and be a bit different in the way I chose to participate in the whole game."
What are some of the challenges of creating eco-fashion in Australia?
"Price is a main factor. Most people have no idea that their $10 t-shirt is probably sewn by a child labourer in India or China. Australians love a bargain, and what is important to most people is the bottom dollar. I have to explain to alot of customers that the reason I cannot compete with the price of clothing made in Asia is because I hire people in Australia to sew my clothing and they are paid a fair wage. Clothing production is a very labour intensive job, things aren't just whipped up in a few minutes as some would believe. So you are not just paying for great quality fabric, but paying for someone local who took the time to create, cut and sew the garment. There is alot of time and love in eco fashion.
Price wise, most eco fabrics are alot more expensive also. This shouldn't be the case, but because conventional farmers have used pesticides for so long on their crops, we are currently in a huge transition faze where alot of farmers are learning and converting back to organic, which of course is a costly process itself."
How do you live an environmentally friendly lifestyle outside of your label?
"My partner and I try to live by several rules in our household. Most of them revolve around food! Firstly we always try to buy our food locally. All organic material gets composted in our backyard or into our worm farm to minimise our waste. We then use the worm castings and compost to grow our own herbs, veggies and fruit in our backyard. We have 3 pet chickens which give us eggs in return for a bit of food and love. We try not to consume too much also... we always second question whether we really need that new "..."
What are your top 3 tips for anyone wanting to live a greener lifestyle?
"1. Question everything. Where was this made? What was it made from? Who made it? How far did it travel to get to me? etc.
2. Reduce Reuse Recycle!
3. Try using your garden to produce a bit of organic food instead of buying everything from the supermarket. If you don't have a garden or a green thumb, buy locally made food and products."
Where would you like to see Mother Maria in 3 years time?
"I'd like to use the popularity of the label to educate people on how they can think and live a little cleaner and greener."
- Shop Mother Maria at Green Bowerbird now
- Visit Eco Friendly Fashion, Katie's eco-fashion blog
- Learn more about eco-chic living at my other blog, Living la Vita Verde
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