In episode 223, Kestrel welcomes Maggie Hewitt, the founder and designer behind Maggie Marilyn, to the show. Made in New Zealand, Maggie Marilyn is working toward a more transparent, circular, regenerative and inclusive fashion industry. “Really the biggest achievement of all to-date was making this sort of bold decision to pivot our business model to operate entirely direct-to-consumer, and I think really now — our values and our business model actually align.” -Maggie Hewitt, Founder + Designer of Maggie Marilyn On this week’s show, Maggie shares more on what led her to build a fashion brand that places sustainability at its core. She also explains more of how over the last five years, they realized as a brand, that in order to move forward with their focus of transparency, circularity, regeneration and inclusivity, they had to transform their business model to align with those values — which, for Maggie Marilyn, meant shifting away from wholesale and functioning entirely as a direct-to-consumer brand. Maggie and Kestrel also dive into ideas around transparency, responsibility and accountability as a sustainable brand, and how Maggie Marilyn is pushing to truly hold themselves accountable when it comes to their statements. The below thoughts, ideas + organizations were brought up in this chat: “Stylists Are Giving Sustainable Fashion New — and Aspirational — Appeal” in WWD “I think really the biggest achievement of all to-date was making this sort of bold decision to pivot our business model to operate entirely direct-to-consumer, and I think really now — our values and our business model actually align.” Coercive labour practices in Xinjiang, how Maggie Marilyn responded in their communication + actions All revolutions have always started at a grassroots level, and so I think that consumers really need to know that they hold so much power in transitioning our industry into one that is sustainable for the future. You know, it’s a tagline that we use a lot that we really believe everyone has the power to change the world, so yeah — ask more questions.” -Maggie Maggie Marilyn’s Diversity and Inclusion Policy Maggie Marilyn’s Sustainability Strategy Follow Maggie Marilyn on Instagram > Thanks to this week's sponsor TEN/TEN — an exclusive collection of ten one-of-a-kind engagement rings, designed by ten of the most distinctive designers working today. Using only diamonds responsibly sourced from Botswana, ten design masters have each produced a uniquely beautiful commitment ring. Learn more at BlueNile.com >