Process
Megan-Ilene was founded on a belief that fashion can be responsible and sustainable, while also being beautiful. We are scrappy and inventive with our resources, conscientious of our impact and mindful of the balance between fair labor and affordability.
Materials
Our love of natural fabrics is the bedrock of our design and we do our best to select the finest textiles we can find. No matter what, you can always trust Megan-Ilene items will be made of natural material, thus ensuring a biodegradable end to its life cycle. We work very carefully to strike a balance between making the best environmental calls while also making our clothing financially accessible to our customers and to put goods into the world that deserve to be here.
Many of our pieces are surfaced designed; an essential part of the ecological impact and aesthetic, and something that makes each item feel like it’s a work of art. This process is very time consuming as each is twisted, tied, dyed and/or painted by hand. All painting and dyeing is done in-house in the Megan-Ilene studio. We use a range of safe textile dyes, inks and paints, and use natural dyes when possible. After painting or dyeing, each garment is heat-set, washed and dried.
Labor
Megan’s background is in both art and manufacturing. This dichotomy plays a key role in how every piece is made. Each item is cut, sewn, dyed (sometimes woven or knit!), finished and packed in North Carolina. Depending on the style, designs are made in batches ranging from 5-20 pieces, and are frequently restocked throughout the season/year. Any contract labor we acquire is done through careful consideration of in-house labor practices, distance and environmental impact. All labor is paid fairly and with employee satisfaction in mind.
Sizing
Our sizing is constantly evolving as we grow, and is something we’re excited to be expanding in the upcoming months and years. As a small company who makes such limited runs of each style, dividing our inventory into sizes is sometimes a challenge. But, our steady growth has allowed us to start offering more specific sizing on our most popular styles and we hope to keep adding more sizing to more styles until all bodies feel represented by our brand. If there’s something you’d like to see, or feedback you’d like to give us, we’re all ears! We’re here to make you feel amazing in your clothes, so tell us what you want!
Care
We totally get the importance of convenience. But we also try to keep longevity and sustainability at the forefront of every design. Several Megan-Ilene items are proudly wash and wear. We also pre-wash many items before shipping. With that in mind we ask for a few caveats to ensure you enjoy your pieces for as many wears as possible. This information is located on each item’s page under ‘Additional Info.’
Side Note: Always a good idea, get a laundry bag! So easy to treat certain things gently while in your washing machine.
