Meet Mountains of the Moon
UPDATE: SEE MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON 2010 SPRING COLLECTION VIDEO AT BOTTOM
MEET MADISON BUYER DESIGNER: Melissa Baswell – Mountains of the Moon
What inspired you to jump into fashion?
I had an interest in fashion from a very young age, and started sewing with my mother when I was a child. In college (University of Wisconsin-Madison), I studied Acting/Theatre, and it was during a required costume design class that I basically had an epiphany where I realized I wanted to design for a living.
What makes Mountains of the Moon different from other collections?
A few years ago, I would have said being a line of contemporary women’s wear that is both stylish and eco-friendly makes us different, but there are so many sustainable lines now that this aspect alone doesn’t make us unique. (This, by the way, is a wonderful thing and something we’ve been working toward for a long time. Thank goodness so many designers are creating eco-conscious collections!)
Today, I think the main thing that makes Mountains of the Moon different is a concept still based on sustainability, but taken a step further. Our collections include a variety of styles, from casual to designer, but every piece is designed with consideration for the fact that truly sustainable fashion must be timeless, and can’t be “out of style” in one season. We really focus on creating pieces that the fashion-obsessed woman can appreciate, yet still feel chic wearing years down the road.
As a designer, what are your most difficult challenges?
Obviously, as with all independent designers, the state of the economy is our biggest challenge right now. People aren’t in a position to spend their money on clothing these days, and with so many boutiques closing and larger chain stores producing overseas and selling garments for cheap, it’s not an easy time to prosper. We’re incredibly thankful that we have such a wonderful customer base and have been able to stay in business and continue doing what we love.
The other big challenge is finding a balance between work and real life. I have a 60 to 80 hour work weeks on average, and need gentle reminders from family and friends that there is actually life outside of work!
What do you find most rewarding?
Seeing someone out and about wearing my designs is by far the most rewarding part of being a designer.
Who is your primary target audience?
Most of our customers are young, urban women, but really, our customer base isn’t defined by age, income, or location. I work to design styles that are versatile and can be worn in many different places and for many different occasions. It’s important to us that our collections offer a little something for everyone.
What’s in store for Mountains of the Moon customers in the near future?
Other than new designs and future collections, our customers can look forward to seeing our designs in person more often. We’re planning some really incredible local shopping events this summer, and we’ll also be involved in a number of different sustainable fashion events going on at music festivals throughout the country. We’ll have more details available soon on the Events page of our website.
Mountains of the Moon by Melissa Baswell: The Spring 2010 Collection from Mountains of the Moon on Vimeo.
Find Mountains of the Moon: Website * Facebook * Twitter
Mountains of the Moon: Earth Conscious Fashion
Anyone who knows me knows I love classic fashion, Audrey Hepburn is my idol and I’m a total greenie. You can see, then, why I was pleasantly surprised to find that Mountains of the Moon makes not only an honest effort to keep the planet healthy, but makes it part of their mission as a fashion company.
According to lead designer and company president, Melissa Baswell, “We use eco-friendly fabrics (mainly organic cottons and hemp blends) that are low-impact dyed and low-impact printed, as well as eco-friendly and recycled trims and buttons. Everything is made in the USA, sweatshop-free,” Baswell said.
In addition to eco-friendly, Mountains of the Moon also creates timeless fashion featured in the 20′s through the 60′s with icons like Audrey Hepburn and Edie Sedgwick so the styles are not discarded as quickly as they would be otherwise.
“Sustainable fashion should include timeless, well-made designs, rather than typical trend-based garments that are no longer considered stylish in a season or two. Fashion design used to take this into account much more than it does now; there wasn’t the same level of mass-production, cheap materials, and designs based on short-lived fads that we see on the racks today,” Baswell said.
There is something for everyone at this store; go check it out. Being on a college budget generally means I have little additional money for clothes, but Mountains of the Moon considers all kinds of styles and budgets as they create their beautiful pieces. If there is something for me, there is something for you.
They’re even starting a new accessories line that has one-of-a-kind handcrafted statement/bib necklaces and hair accessories that are made from leftover fabrics and reclaimed materials from vintage and thrift shops. They honestly make sure that nothing goes to waste. I love it!
Sora Designs
Meet Yueh-Wen Chang, owner and designer of Sora Designs. Sora means “sky” in Japanese and “Possibilities are as open as the sky” is Wen’s motto. While earning her Ph.D. in early intervention from UC Berkeley, Wen designed jewelry as a creative outlet and in the fall of 2008 Sora Designs was launched.
Wen is based out of San Francisco and draws inspiration from flora, fauna, and bold colors. Her jewelry is unique, functional and stunning, yet affordable. She uses recycled or environmentally friendly materials and favors vintage buttons, artifacts, Lucite beads, pendants, and colorful semiprecious stones and fabrics.
Why don’t you have an Es-n-Yaa?
About a month ago I got the chance to meet one of the coolest girls, her name is Es. Es came to the USA in 1992 from Ghana. Her mother Yaa still lives in Ghana and together they came up with the idea to create an eco-friendly, handmade accessories company that assists underprivileged communities in West Africa. They call their collection Es-n-Yaa.
What is so striking about Es-n-Yaa accessories, besides the beautiful colors and detailed patterns, is that they hand make all of their fabrics. All of Es-N-Yaa accessories are made of limited edition “woodin” fabrics. So not only do they make beautiful accessories, but they are also creating trends. They are involved from start to finish and that’s what makes Es-n-Yaa a one-of-a-kind.
Check them out their website, follow them on twitter and fan them on facebook
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