Morgan is a fellow girl boss. Her company 'The Garment' connects ladies wanting to start the often overwhelming process of building a capsule collection to relevant brands. (Her IG @thegarmentlife is a must follow.) I love her complete honesty and courage to stand up to fast fashion and make a difference in this world. Plus, her kids are adorable and she has great style...
Who I am and what I do.
I’m Morgan, fashion ethicist and mama of two in Calgary, Canada. My interest in the ethical side of fashion started with a sewing class I took when my eldest daughter was about one. I had a yearning to make something for her with my own two hands. As I did so, I realized the work it takes to create a single garment, and it inspired me to think about the creation stories behind my clothes.
I started learning all that I could about the fashion industry – including the history behind the fast fashion paradigm that most people find themselves shopping in today. My own closet was an example: it was filled to the brim with clothes of mediocre quality; there were few pieces that I liked and even fewer that I loved. And I had the thought that there must be another way…
Around that time, I discovered the concept of a capsule wardrobe – a term that refers to a small collection of clothing that doesn’t go out of fashion, such as dresses, pants, and shirts, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces. The idea is that when we are intentional about the pieces we choose to buy, we can curate wardrobes we love, and have more time, money and energy for other things that are important.
The mission of my company, The Garment, is to connect women and responsible brands. I do this by running capsule wardrobe workshops, virtual pop-up shops on my IG feed (of which Pyne and Smith is a part;) and connecting the founders of responsible brands with one another. I never cease to be amazed by the kindness and generosity I have found in this slow fashion community, and am excited about the prospect of leveraging these connections to change the world.
My typical day.
Ooooooh, typical day – that’s a tough one, as each of my days look pretty different. So let’s go with today. This morning, I woke up to find my four year old daughter in our bed, along with a wet pull-up that she had somehow managed to remove in the night (???). I followed the sound of “Mama, NURSE!!” to my baby’s room, and proceeded to do just that.
We had breakfast together, kissed daddy good-bye, and got ready for the day. I was the mommy helper at school today, so my eldest and I headed off to our neighbourhood pre-school while our nanny stayed with the babe.
We came home for lunch, I put the babe down for a nap, and then welcomed Grandma, who had generously offered to watch the girls for a few hours. It’s pretty rare that I have an afternoon all to myself, so I decided to take advantage of it by doing errands that are tough with two babes in tow.
I had a few pieces that didn’t make the cut for my Spring capsule, so I took them into one of my favourite consignment shops. Pre-capsule Morgan would have spent the entire afternoon there, and walked out with $200 worth of stuff. Post-capsule Morgan is slower, more deliberate. I found some amazing Eileen Fisher culottes, but – in the interest of maintaining the integrity of my capsule – decided to put them on hold so I could contemplate the purchase overnight.
Next: the coffee shop, because my littlest was teething last night, some afternoon caffeine is definitely in order. Now, I’m writing this blog post. I try my best not to go on my phone in front of my kids, so will likely try to do a quick Instagram post before I leave.
It’s the end of the week, and I don’t feel like cooking, so will probably swing by the health food store on my way home to pick up something pre-made for dinner. Oh, and I’ll stop for a bottle of wine. After putting the girls to bed, my husband and I will likely watch The Office - we’re one of those couples that watches a series like 10 years after it comes out. Then, it will be off to bed - earlier than I’d like to admit.