In Fashion
In Fashion
Episode 13: MAGGIE HEWITT
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Maggie Hewitt has always had the big picture in mind with her label Maggie Marilyn. Here, the New Zealand designer opens up about her bold business moves, her grassroots-up focus on sustainability, and how she’s learning that things don’t always have to be black and white in life as in business.
Hi, I'm Glynis Trailnash and welcome to season three of In Fashion. If you're new to the podcast, welcome. I hope you'll enjoy listening to these conversations across all aspects of the fashion industry and a little bit of beauty too. And for regular listeners, welcome back. I really appreciate your patience. Kicking off the season is New Zealand designer Maggie Hewitt. Now I first met Maggie in 2016 when her first ever collection for her brand Maggie Marilyn was launched onto Net a Porter. Now to say that she hit the ground running would be an understatement. But it's been fascinating to watch her navigate the brand's evolution and to see the bold business moves that she's made in order to remain true to her brand ethos and her values around sustainability. She's now based in Sydney, which is where we caught up for our chat. I hope you enjoy this episode of In Fashion.
GTNMaggie, so nice to see you.
MaggieSo nice to see you. Thank you so much for having me. Oh my god, it's
GTNsuch a pleasure. And um, Before we get into the kind of fashion side of things, I'd love to get a little idea about young Maggie and where you grew up in New Zealand and then how that kind of informed what you wanted to do in fashion because there's quite a connection there.
MaggieAbsolutely. I reference it a lot when I'm designing. So I grew up, In the Bay of Islands, which is like the far north of, the top of the North Island in New Zealand. A very small town of around 8, 000 people. So extremely rural. but I just, I always had this affinity with And I don't honestly really know exactly where that came from, considering I grew up in such a small town where, um, it wasn't like I was surrounded by, you know, big fashion brands or glossy magazines or anything like that. But I was just, um, enamored by the industry and I just always knew that I wanted to be in the industry in some capacity, so.
GTNAnd then you went and studied, um, fashion in, in Auckland and straight after that you decided to launch a brand. Why did you want to do that so quickly?
MaggieI always say this to people, like, I can't believe like how naive, but like audacious it was like as a young 21 year old. But you don't know what you don't know, I guess. Which is. Like also the beauty of it, um, but I, yeah, I studied fashion design and was lucky enough to go to a university that really opened my eyes to, um, inner workings of the industry, like for the good and bad sides of the industry. And it's really where, I found a deep passion for, sustainability and fashion and understanding, uh, what goes into making clothes and, the long and, and most of the time disjointed supply chain. and so, yeah, I think that when I first graduated university, I had this, um, yeah, our mission and our slogan to begin with really was using fashion to create a better world. Um, and I think that that was really a statement of intent, but also a sort of personal belief system that I thought, why should you have to compromise on beautiful designs for your values and, or why should you have to compromise on building the next Chanel or the next Patagonia? Like why can't it be both? Um, so I guess that was really the initial inspiration behind like, okay, let's just do it.
GTNSo when you did first launch and you touched on the sustainability, which has always been such a huge part of the business, there was a lot of focus on New Zealand made. Um, is that still kind of a key tenant for the brand?
MaggieIt's really about, transparency within our supply chain. I, you know, I founded the business in New Zealand, um, but now we have a really global supply chain where we manufacture still in New Zealand with the same, suppliers that we worked with from very beginning. And as we've, Expanded into new categories, you know, we've expanded our footprint in terms of where we manufacture. So we manufacture Portugal and Cambodia and China and New Zealand. Yeah. Yeah, so we truly have a pretty global supply chain
GTNand I was looking at your website the other day and I mean you've got quite the Quite the statement that, well, the document that everybody that you work with has to sign and adhere to. It's like quite phenomenal.
MaggieYeah. Well, we became B Corp certified, at the end of 2022. And that is a pretty rigorous process. and we were really proud that we, scored one as one of the highest women's wear brands, in the fashion industry, like there's nothing that you can hide behind, you have to, You know, submit all the receipts and transactions, of purchase within your supply chain, you have to submit, you know, a full P and L for the business so that they can really like sense check the actual like commercial health as well. So, yeah, it's something that we felt really proud of. And also is something that you have to resubmit every two years. So it's not something that you sort of get this shiny certificate and then you can say, okay. Um, we can be a little bit more loose with how we do things, so, um, yeah, we're actually about to resubmit early next year. Yeah.
GTNWow. Now, when you launched Maggie Marilyn in 2016, your first collection was an immediately snapped up by Net a Porter. Um. And we met shortly after that, I think, went at Australian Fashion Week at a lunch for Net a Porter when you went onto the website as it were. I mean, most brands are kind of watched for season upon season before a big retailer like that will snap them up. and I mean, also the following year you were shortlisted for the LVMH prize. I mean, how did that feel as a 21, 22 year old? To get that sort of recognition so quickly.
MaggieYeah. Well, firstly, I, um, I can't thank you enough for, the influence that you've had, you know, and, and the journey for me personally and Maggie Maryland, like I so clearly remember you at that net a porter lunch and just, how kind and open. And I've always just felt like you're with such a safe space to have conversations with, which is really nice. Um, But, yeah, I guess I've always been extremely ambitious and, and, um, and knew that I wanted to build something, really new and exciting when I first founded Maggie Marilyn, but I guess I, I didn't know how fast we were sort of going to be thrust into like the global wholesale calendar. I guess never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get picked up by Net A Porter on our first season. And then, being shortlisted for the LVMH prize and very shortly after that picking up, most of the, the greatest, you know, retailers in the world, which was, I guess a bit of a whirlwind, you know, it's kind of crazy to think back to that time and being 21 and, you know, literally packing those orders and shipping them with my sisters, like out of our parents garage. and at the time really there, there wasn't time for questioning how fast things were spinning. And I guess making sure that our supply chain was in a really Good place in order to fulfill the orders. Um, and making sure that we could negotiate the right terms. Um, so, yeah, it was a really steep learning curve.
GTNOh God, I would imagine. Yeah. And so Within a couple of years, you at the peak of the brand, as I recall, you had like 75 accounts globally. And I remember that you told me a few years ago that in 2019, you'd taken like 60 international flights. And I mean, for a lot of brands that sounds like success.
MaggieYeah.
GTNAnd yet, what was wrong with this picture for you?
MaggieYeah, absolutely. I mean, we experienced enormous commercial success in those, like, first few seasons of the brand, but really, um, yeah, it was, it was fragmented and flawed and unsustainable in so many ways. Um, like I touched on before, we really didn't have this strong foundation as a business in terms of, our supply chain and me being in a place as a business owner to really, work with these retailers to negotiate the right terms, you know, we were at the mercy of, you know, Seasonal markdowns, which, um, is extremely difficult, especially as a business when you don't have a strong direct to consumer. Business of your own. You know, when we first launched with net a porter, we didn't even have a website. Um, we didn't have an e commerce platform, which is crazy to think. Um, you know, most brands would launch and have both, but this, I guess, was eight years ago. Um, where a lot of brands, when they first started, they did just start with wholesale out the gate. Um, and so we had no mechanism really for working with these retailers to You know, um, if they wanted to send back stock to be able to find a way of, you know, clearing through that stock of supporting them with those seasonal markdowns. And so, it became Really challenging, and we were just so removed from our customer. and it was a whirlwind of speed in terms of, you know, how quickly you were sampling collections, getting it out there, selling it, shipping it to the retailer. and so really, by the end of 2019, Before, the world was thrust into a global pandemic, I'd really decided that we needed a reset as a business. and that we really needed to get closer to the customer. And I think the last four years, has, has really given us that space to really strengthen our supply chain. At the very beginning, we didn't have those, those strong relationships that we do now with our partners where it was like, there was no calling in a favor, you know, we were the small brand that no one had ever heard of trying to fulfill these orders. And yeah, now we really understand who our customer is, and how to best serve her. And so, yeah.
GTNBecause As you touched on, when COVID happened, I mean, everyone is in lockdown, the whole world goes into turmoil. Um, the fashion industry fully goes into turmoil, but you took it as a moment to Put your thoughts into action basically. And you, you got rid of your wholesale accounts, which most people would just be like, are you insane? Yeah. I mean,
Maggiemany people thought I was mad and quite literally said that, um,
GTNdid any of the retailers say that?
MaggieAbsolutely. Cause we had incredible relationships, with some retailers, but, I knew that it was the time that we really needed. Um, and that we needed to build a strong foundation based off of our own direct to consumer platforms and being closer to the customer and having that time to strengthen supply chain relationships and perfect the product and really take that time to Strengthen our DNA and what our offering was as a brand, you know, towards the end of our time in wholesale, we were having really tough conversations with retailers that sustainability wasn't something that the customer was driven by. And it wasn't a key point of difference for us. And I think that was really challenging for me because What came into play for why, you know, the price was what it was for the product and the intricacy, and the detail and the quality of, the garments and how the fabrics were sourced. And I knew that if we had a reset and we built those really solid foundations with our own customer, um, I knew that that we could communicate our values in a way that would Build strong customer loyalty. And so, yeah, we're really excited to, be in this, this place now as a brand where we've just built, a really solid foundation.
GTNAnd so it is interesting, I guess, because as a direct to consumer brand, you, you, you were lucky in that you had had this global presence in all of these other retailers first. So that was able to, I guess, start you off on a certain customer loyalty situation. Was there anything that surprised you when you did do this shift in the focus, like direct to consumer? Yeah. Like, were you surprised by how loyal customers were, for example?
MaggieAbsolutely. Like, to this day we still have customers that have shopped with us since our first collection. and I know these customers by name and I honestly never take it for granted that customer loyalty, especially the time that we're in where there's, um, competition for eyeballs with social media. So yeah, it's really special. The, the customer base that we have.
GTNAnd you also within that shift, and that, what I sort of think of as a fairly radical rethink of the business, you, you have what you call your forever pieces, which are those very, um, um, I guess if you want to differentiate it.
MaggieSeasonal, playful. Um, yeah. And then we have our sunwear line which is our evergreen essentials.
GTNAnd you've got, I was looking again the other day at those pieces, they're really good. The cuts of the t shirts and the tanks which you're wearing today also.
MaggieThank you. Well, we, again, you know, um, we had the time to invest in, in the product R& D and perfecting the fits. And, and that's also something that at the very beginning, we, we got a lot wrong with the fits of the garments. You know, I was just, I had just finished university. I had no idea how to, you know, Make a few hundred of something and you had to make one of something well, but, you know, understanding how to multiply that and get the fits right across the size curve. That was a massive learning curve for us.
GTNUm, and so in that, in that rethink of the business, you flipped. the emphasis, I guess, on these two different collections. So you've got your everyday somewhere pieces and that then made up about, I think at that point it was like 95 percent of the business as opposed to like 5 percent of the business. It was the forever very fashion forward pieces.
MaggieSo it was always about that. Both lines would roughly make up 50 50 in terms of revenue split. but that the inventory investment was really in somewhere because they were these evergreen essentials. Um, you know, we launched somewhere at the end of 2019 and we've been selling the same one product since then. So, you know, we'll continue to invest into our one blazer, our one singlet or one t shirt. Um, and so the majority of our stock investment as a business goes into these pieces. Um, and then we have Our seasonal, collections known as forever and really, the intention, um, with being able to step away from wholesale was to not have seasonal markdowns because I really wanted, to invest in, and building really strong brand equity. And so we have a pretty close to a hundred percent sell through for our forever collections. And that's really mapped out by, this inventory ratio and strategy, um, around somewhere versus forever. And that even as we grow, we, we make sure to maintain that we're only producing enough forever that we can have that really high sell through.
GTNYeah. Great. I mean, was there, Obviously this must have impacted the business sort of going out of wholesale and just doing direct consumer for a little while. Was, was there a negative impact as well?
MaggieI've always maintained having this really long term vision for the business. I didn't start this brand to, make a quick buck or, you know, sell it within five years or whatever. you know, I really had this long term vision for the brand and business that I want to build and what sort of, legacy, I guess I wanted to create through the business. and so really it was more of, uh, you a redistribution of resources. And I think that, at the time it was so difficult to the size that we are in the, the resources that we had as a business. So difficult to invest in building a strong wholesale business and a strong direct to consumer. Cause fundamentally they're very different in terms of operations. you know, investing and, building out e commerce platform as well as opening our own stores. and so that's been like a whole learning curve in itself, I really, had a vision for opening stores right from the very beginning of, of starting Maggie Marilyn. And I think that really comes from this, world building desire that I have for the business. and I think that bricks and mortar is a really, great way to show a brand's true DNA. And I think of if retail is done right, it can be this really amazing space for being a conduit for connection and for really being able to educate and share our values with our customers. it's been both exciting but challenging, you know, opening bricks and mortar is expensive and, it's high in overheads, and leasing and staffing. I think that we've also learned so much in the last four years. You know, when I Decided to exit wholesale and invest in building our direct to consumer business. I was only 24. Um, so it's not like I knew a huge amount about, leasing negotiations and, and running a bigger team, you know, through retail staff and, and all of that. So it definitely hasn't come without its fair share of, challenges, for sure. Yeah, and you've got the
GTNtwo stores in Auckland and one in Sydney now, which is a beautiful store. Um, and there's, there's a bit of a sort of, like you're saying, it's kind of a place for people to come together and there's, even the design of the store is kind of like an apartment, isn't it?
MaggieYeah, yeah, they're really, we call them homes and we really welcome our customer into the store like they're, walking into our home and I always wanted there to feel like there was a strong sense of warmth and like it was a place that they belonged and that they could stay and they could sit, you know, we have a dining table in our Paddington home where people can, you know, sit and stay and have a conversation and really be that space for, for connection. So, yeah.
GTNI do think also just quickly on that, um. On the COVID thing, it is so interesting that you, you pulled this off, this whole, upheaval of your brand so early on. And remember at the time, so many brands coming out, big designers, the Dreeses, the Armanis and all of that, saying, we need to change this, we need to do something different, this is not working, blah, blah, blah. Nothing changed.
MaggieYeah.
GTNAnd yet, you changed. So, good on you.
MaggieThank you. Well, you know, I think, It's really exciting. We're moving into, you know, I spoke sort of at the beginning about, our original slogan being using fashion to create a better world and that being like our statement of intent. And, I think, yeah, we're moving into this new phase, I guess, as a business where my team have been using the words better to be brave. And really, we hope that embodies how our customer feels when they put on a piece of Maggie Marilyn or they read our journal or they leave one of our community events or or visit one of our homes. You know, I guess to remind our customer that, it's always better to be brave and to stand for something and to. Um, I guess have the courage of your convictions, and really be the person in the arena rather than the critic. And so when I think about the future and the problems of our industry, you know, definitely seem pretty enormous. but I also think they're solvable. I really do. And I think that starts with, having a little bit of courage and being brave to say, Hey, maybe we can approach this differently and we don't have to run this business the way that, you know, it's always been run.
GTNSo on that, what have been the outcomes of changing your business from a sustainability perspective?
MaggieYeah. Great question. I think. When I talk about, like, how do we solve, these enormous challenges that, that, uh, before us as an industry, I think it really does come from a place of, Building a business with integrity and understand first and foremost, I think you can't change what you can't see. And I think that having a transparent supply chain is, is just a really great place to start for any brand, hoping to. operate more responsibly. and so exiting wholesale at the end of 2019 has really just allowed us like the luxury of time, you know, to invest in, um, in strengthening those relationships. You know, before you're, you're asking someone to try and turn around a collection, in a few weeks, you know? I think, how do I explain this? Like, before, you're designing a collection, selling a collection and hoping to deliver it within, you know, a space of three months. And, For us and the values, that we wanted to uphold it, it just like, wasn't doable. It really wasn't realistic and wasn't realistic with the partners that we had at the time. And so over the last four years, we've had, this really beautiful fluid flexibility within our product launch calendar. You know, if something just didn't feel right and we hadn't nailed The product and the fit for the customer, or we hadn't really nailed exactly, how we wanted to create the product. then we would just move it out. We would move the launch out. which is just not something that we have the flexibility to do when you have to ship to a really big retailer. And if you don't deliver on time, then they just canceled the order.
GTNYeah. Um, and you, you as a business have some fairly, I mean, ambitious sustainability targets in place. Yeah. You met your goal of becoming carbon positive in 2022. Yeah.
MaggieYeah. Yeah.
GTNCrazy.
MaggieYeah.
GTNAnd you're the New Zealand's first fashion brand to do so, I believe.
MaggieYeah, no, absolutely. And, and exiting, you know, wholesale and focusing on that direct to consumer business gave us, the time and space to be able to achieve those goals for sure.
GTNAnd you're now moving into the regenerative.
MaggieYeah, you know, we, when we first launched Somewhere, we launched these evergreen were, uh, compostable and traceable. And so what that really meant was that we had an end of life solution for These somewhere essentials, um, and that the customer could trace back the product from farm to finish Garmin. And so we firstly had organic fibers within the somewhere collection, and then we learn about regenerative agriculture. and I guess, I won't get into like the many complexities of it, but I guess in its purest form, it's really about like farming in harmony with the land. And doing so you get these really incredible results by increasing biodiversity on farm and on station and increasing carbon sequestration. And, this was something that was just incredibly inspiring to me. And so through creating the somewhere line. We were introduced to, two farms that we work really closely with, good earth, cotton and morey, um, and, like how we are stationed in central Otago in New Zealand where we get, um, our Marino. So those two farms make up a large portion of the fibers and somewhere. and again, it just comes back to that, like simple. belief system of, running a business with integrity, you know, we, we get asked a lot, you know, um, why, if you're so passionate about, the climate and sustainability, why do you even have a fashion brand? Like it feels contradictory. and I really don't believe in this degrowth model. That people talk about, the fashion industry is always going to exist and people are going to need clothing. And so I think that, If brands like Stella McCartney and Patagonia didn't exist, then we wouldn't have these incredible, new technologies like a fiber trace where it traces the fibers back to source. And so I think that as an
GTNAustralian,
Maggieyeah, which is, yeah. And Australian innovation. And so I think that, um, Yeah. Innovation is obviously key in, in solving a lot of the, the problems that are before us. But, in order to solve those problems, we need brands like a Maggie Marilyn to grow and prosper and hopefully take market share away from brands like Shane. Yeah.
GTNYeah. That'd be nice.
MaggieYeah.
GTNAnd has working with regenerative, producers. Has this changed at all how you design?
MaggieThat's a good question. I think it goes back to having that time, um, and space for product R& D and to actually invest in, embedding these fibers into our supply chain, which we never would have had the opportunity to do that with a, uh, Fast and rigorous calendar that we were on with global wholesale. Um, and so much of the enjoyment I think of what I do comes from relationships and the relationships that we've built over the course of the last eight years and being able to actually step on farm for where the fibers of your garments come from and. Not just visit these farms, but actually build really meaningful friendships with someone like a Danielle Statham from Good Earth Cotton or Jeff and Justine Ross from Lake Howe Station. Is what it's all about and really feels like I'm living out the dream and the intent that I had for the business when I first founded it.
GTNYeah.
MaggieI
GTNmean, how would you describe your designs? Particularly the forever pieces.
MaggieSuch a big question.
GTNI mean, for my part, I always feel like there is an element, an element of whimsy.
MaggieYep. Yep. Beautiful.
GTNUm, and surprise. And yet that's embedded in something just very Beautiful and wearable. I mean, the tailoring, you know, we'll just have some, just some little surprise quite often.
MaggieYeah, I think, like I said before, I'm quite like theatrical in my creativity and I, I talk so much about this idea of world building at Maggie Marilyn. And I think the. Brands that I really admire in our industry, uh, world builders, you know, so clothing is one part of the world that we're trying to create. whether it's, how, our customer feels when she puts on a garment or. The journal on our website or our community events, um, or, the way that our stores feel. but ultimately, yeah, it, it's really about, empowering the wearer through, you know, color and femininity and playfulness. Um, and that whilst Some of the issues and challenges that we're trying to overcome through the business is serious. I think we want the clothing to feel joyful and playful and not so serious, you know? We use a lot of color and I really believe that color just has the power to be so uplifting, to the wearer. So it's as much about the clothing as it is about the way the wearer feels and the world that we are hoping to build around that.
GTNYeah, and I read in an interview that you often tap into nostalgia.
MaggieYeah.
GTNAnd in that sense, what are you nostalgic for?
MaggieYeah, so interesting. I think, the upbringing that I had in the Bay of Islands and, um, I don't know, it seems like this, like, quieter or simpler time, like, growing up in rural New Zealand and, climbing trees with my sisters and spending, so many of our days outside and, going fishing with dad on the boat and putting on these, Fishing windbreakers and the feeling that I would have when like, at the time I probably complained about it, but I feel nostalgic for it now is like the seawater, like whipping your face and your hair feeling, dry with the sea salt in it. And so we're, we're always trying to like, I guess, recreate these pieces that I wore. So my parents wearing. Growing up that just felt Joyful, that's so
GTNfunny because some of the pieces that I was looking at yesterday on the website and that really surprised me We're like the windbreaker Because it's quite it's got quite a How would you describe it? It's very, the branding is very sort of tongue in cheek. It's quite sportive. Yes. And very kind.
MaggieYes, absolutely.
GTNI was really surprised by those and I just, they made me laugh and I went, oh, that's good. Yeah. That's really good. And
Maggiethat they're, they're really unisex. Like my partner, he wears like our Longing for Home polar fleece and my dad wears our windbreakers. And it's kind of like this weird full circle, that my dad wears something that was originally inspired by something that he wore, and I think again, it comes back to that way. I feel when I put on a garment and like how I hope we can make the wearer feel, we talk about this a bit of as a team. I think we're a brand that I think, Customers lean into when, they feel like their best selves, we're not quiet. I think having the confidence to wear a bright color and be someone that stands out in the room, you know, and being brave, it kind of comes back to that theme of, better to be brave, wear the bold color, wear the bold print, don't always play it safe.
GTNYeah. Yeah. There should be more of that.
MaggieYeah, I think so. I think that's what fashion is for. That's what the fashion that I grew up consuming and fashion magazines felt like. Yeah.
GTNYeah. What did you read?
MaggieI guess like, Australian Harper's and Australian Vogue was, what I could get my hands on. And You know, the far north of New Zealand, but at the time, those magazines felt, yeah, bold and brave and colorful and joyful and it's very much, I think, how my mother dressed growing up, she wasn't ever afraid to wear, bright color, and clashing prints and, I, I just, I always admired that. Yeah. Yeah. And
GTNyou've got three sisters. Yeah. That's a household. Um, do they I know, really, my dad is
Maggiea saint. Yeah, definitely. He has five sisters. Oh my god. So he's just Um, being around women his whole life. Oh,
GTNwow. So having, having so many sisters, is that helpful when you have a fashion brand? Do they test out the, uh, the designs at all?
MaggieHonestly, I feel like they don't think I'm cool at all and I like probably my like biggest critics, but that's great. That's what family's for. Right. but absolutely, my youngest sister is, It's in her early 20s and then, you know, I'm 30, so I guess it spans different generations and um, and then also thinking about designing pieces for my mom. And so yeah, I think I'm really lucky to have these like muses in my life that, um, I always feel like it's the ultimate win when, especially my younger sister Coco, like, likes something in the collection. Like, yes. Okay. Cool. I did it.
GTNOh, amazing. So would you consider wholesale again now that you've had a reset of the business?
MaggieYes, absolutely. We are, um, uh, considering it and, and hoping to, yeah, re enter it early next year.
GTNYeah,
Maggiewhich is exciting. And I think we're just at a really good place in the business where we've built this really solid foundation to grow off of. and I think that, something that I've learned now that I'm, you know, 30, as opposed to starting the brand when I was 21, is that things don't always have to be so black and white. And I think that I can, in the earlier years could, could be very black and white in my thinking that it had to be one or the other and very strong in my convictions. and I think that exiting wholesale was the bravest and best decision that we could have made as a business that hopes to be here, in 20 years, 50 years time. But I think that I've also learned in the later part of my 20s that running a business And life in general sometimes requires like operating a little bit more in the gray, you know, and that things don't sometimes have to be one or the other. And that, as we continue to grow, there will be opportunities in places where we might not think we would ever have a store, but there might be a retailer that could How's the brand? where there would be a great opportunity for customer acquisition. And I think that's something that Yeah, we feel like now we're in a real position of strength to be able to work with retailers in the right way.
GTNYeah.
MaggieYeah.
GTNIs there anything that you would say was the biggest mistake you've made since you've started the business? Because mistakes can be so important.
MaggieSuch a good question. Oh my gosh, absolutely, I feel like I make so many mistakes, like every week. I'm such a big believer that like you're either learning or you're, you're winning or you're learning. I really think I've always tried to have that mindset that absolutely there's been so many times where, I haven't made the right call or I've probably led from like the heart instead of the brain a little bit too much or, and there's absolutely been some really challenging times in the business as well. Like, navigating exiting wholesale, a global pandemic, a recession, you know, it hasn't been all roses and sunshine. And also as a business owner, I've had to make really tough calls sometimes. Like we've had to let great people goes in, in stages of the business. and that's been enormously hard as someone that, Has a lot of empathy and is actually quite sensitive as a person. It's all just such a journey, but I love the quote from the CEO, Ryan Geller at Patagonia, where he says the reward for solving one problem is an even bigger problem. Um. And I think that, that gives me, a lot of courage, I guess, in the sense that, courage and bravery is key for being in business and that it's not always easy. And sometimes you have to make really tough calls. but, when you, you have the dreams that are like as audacious as wanting to build a legacy brand and building something that could be here in 50 years time is even audacious enough to say in itself, you know, it requires bravery and, you don't become brave from everything like going your way, you know, and not, having failures along the way and and making missteps. So. Ironically, I can't think of like a specific, um, example for you, but there has been many and I'm sure there'll be continue to be many more along the way.
GTNAs someone, as you say, who is sensitive and empathetic, I mean, how do you deal with those things personally when you have to say, let someone go, you know, do you have mechanisms in place to,
MaggieI honestly don't think it ever gets easier to be honest. I haven't found that in my case. You know, we've had really difficult times in the business where we've really great people go that you think to yourself, I want to keep this person on the journey with us, but I have to make a really tough business call. It's, it's awful. It's shit, you know? and, I think that that's where, being so rooted in having these strong values as a brand, keeps me centered almost and motivated for what we're trying to build and that it is, it goes beyond creating beautiful clothes whilst that is, At the center, it's about, creating a world and building a brand that hopefully empowers not only our customer, but everyone in our supply chain.
GTNI think the last time we caught up, briefly, you were pregnant with your now baby boy, Ralph. Yes, we
Maggiehad lunch, I remember. And I
GTNjust remember at the time, you were so pragmatic and unfussed about it, which was really quite refreshing. How has life and business changed for you and your partner?
MaggieI mean, I think I was on set of a shoot. Day five after having Ralph. So, it's been a massive slap in the face, I think, to say the least. Um, to be like perfectly honest. It just, I love that. It really has been like, it's been so much harder than I ever could have imagined. As, as you say, when I last met with you, and I think for most people in. Um, and my life, you know, I was really, like steadfast and it wasn't going to change my ambitions or like the trajectory of my business. And I think, it's challenging that we have to feel like that as women, But yeah, the juggle is, is real and it's, it's difficult and it's messy, but it's also like, yeah, it's been like the best and hardest six months of my life, I guess. Like, he's like the absolute love of my life. And, it gives my life a whole new sense of like purpose and meaning, I guess. And I think as a business owner, it's given me this real sense of, uh, pragmatism around my time and decision making because when I'm at work, I'm away from Ralph. So, I think it's, given me, Yeah, another layer of, of strength that I don't think I thought I had, you know, like we spoke about before, I am really sensitive and empathetic as a person. And I think sometimes I've found in business, the two, don't always align, you know? I remember. Having conversations with my dad, you know, where you'd be like, you just need to be tougher, max. Like you need to like take a concrete pill and like you need to like get tougher. And it's been, yeah, a really hard journey for me being a creative and a business owner and operating in these spaces. Like what we were talking about of making the tough calls, like exiting wholesale or letting someone go, Or, you know, reducing budgets in the business so I think, yeah, it's given me this whole new lens of, just being quicker with decision making. Which. It has been beautiful, I think. Yeah. Yeah.
GTNAnd you moved to Sydney last year?
MaggieYeah.
GTNFull time. How's that? How's that been and how often are you getting back to New Zealand?
Maggieit's been amazing. So, yeah, I guess we saw huge, growth and success coming from our e commerce in the Australian market, like towards the end of 2021. And so it really felt like the right time to think about opening a store as we'd really seen the success in having both our online and stores in New Zealand. So when we started looking serendipitously, like the right place became available in Paddington, in the intersection. And so we opened Sydney, in August, 2022. And at that point, I was, you know, coming backwards and forwards almost every month. And I guess it just felt like it was becoming a bit unsustainable. And I, as someone that is, a very grounded person. I just felt like I didn't know where home was. and I knew that, there was just so much opportunity here in the Australian market for Maggie, Maryland. So it felt like a good place for me to be. Um, and so I moved here at the beginning of last year. and then after falling pregnant, you know, I definitely had those moments during my pregnancy of feeling um wobbly about living in Sydney versus going back home, but ultimately I just I made the decision that I knew I needed to be here Um, and that we were building something really great here in the Australian market. And we had opened an office here and had a team here. So yeah, here's where I'm based for right now. Yeah. And I love it. I like live in North Bondi and I pinch myself that I get to live somewhere so beautiful. Yeah, it's incredible.
GTNAre you in the water a lot?
MaggieYeah, absolutely. I mean, I grew up, like, by the water. So, um, the ocean is, like, my happy place. Whenever I'm feeling wobbly or sleep deprived or all of those things. I think just, like, dunking your head in the ocean. Is the best remedy.
GTNYeah. I mean, we never know what the future looks like. We never know what's going to happen, but if you had your way, what would the next sort of five years look like for Maggie Marilyn and for Maggie Hewitt?
MaggieYeah, interesting to ask the two questions like singularly. Cause yeah, I think that, um, well, excitingly, at the beginning of next year, reentering wholesale, um, and in a whole new chapter and through a whole new lens, which I feel energized and excited by to be able to access a customer that we're not able to access. And I think that, Our clothing really shines in real life, and so I think for them to be able to feel the quality of our fabrics and the intricacy and the detail of the finishing. and to be able to hear our why and how that clothing is produced. I feel really excited by that. and then really continuing to expand our retail footprint. And, and the both. wholesale and direct to consumer. The two strategies, work hand in hand and compliment each other, which it's something that's been an evolution in my thinking, you know, from where I am now compared to where I was four years ago when we first exited. And really at the time I was pretty resolute that we were never going to reenter wholesale and that I was going to build this business on my own terms. That. Yeah, I'm excited by the two working together. and we have our sights set on more retail expansion in Australia in the near future. And I think for Maggie Hewitt, trying to be the best mom that I can be, and especially to a little boy, like growing him, in a way that he's gentle and kind and inquisitive, and questions the world around him, which I think is always what I've done. Um, so yeah, right now Sydney definitely feels like home, which is really nice and feels good.
GTNYeah. Maggie, always such a treat to see you. Thank you so much.
MaggieThank you. It's such an honour. Thank you for having me.
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