Morgan Widmer, the creator of Morgania, one of the brands that you will be able to find in the Port Authority location, sat down with me to talk about the beginnings of her brand, her hopes for the future, and the sustainable methods she used to create her first collection, Dessert Before Dinner. Morgan is already brewing some ideas for her next collection so keep reading to find out how she created her first collection and how Art to Ware gave Morgania a platform to succeed!
KL: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
MW: My name is Morgan and I am the creator of my brand Morgania, which is a brand that makes clothing and accessories out of scraps and things that would otherwise be put in landfills.
KL: Can you tell me a little bit about Morgania? How you started it? Why you started it? What does Morgania mean to you?
MW: Morgania essentially started because of my distaste for the way that the fashion industry works. I learned about how bad it was when I was a freshman in college and I thought, “I don’t even want to be in the fashion industry if I am going to contribute to the terrible parts of it.” I want to do something that helps and Morgania is my effort in doing that and doing something good for the fashion industry. It also includes my desire for creating clothes that help you escape into a fantasy!
KL: On Instagram, you said, “One of Morgania’s core missions is to help create more opportunity to be sustainable with our wardrobes- whether that be through directly providing clothes made of scraps, education, tips, etc… “ I also know that much of what you created for Morgania’s first collection was made with deadstock fabric and natural dyes. Can you talk about a few of the methods you used to make Morgania a sustainable brand? And, why is this so important to you?
MW: I sourced all of the materials for my collection from FABSCRAP in New York which is a place that sources deadstock from designers and places in the textile industry all over, so it was all made of scraps. And then I saved the scraps of my scraps, so like the pieces I cut off of tops and the stuff that I was leftover. I would put that stuff in a bag and use it to make accessories. I also played with natural dyes so I used things like avocados and the waste from avocados to dye things pink.
KL: Your collection is being featured in Art to Ware, a Manhattan-based pop-up shop focused on ethically sourced fashion. What does being featured in this space mean to you? How has it helped Morgania?
MW: It was really exciting that the first place that was featuring my stuff was a place that did all of the things that are important to me; it was ethical and sustainable. Because it was the first place that was carrying my stuff, I learned a few tips about what people like from my stuff and it got some exposure. I am going to continue working with Art to Ware and I’m very excited about it.
KL: You recently won the West Virginia Innovation and Business Model Competition presented by Marshall University. Congratulations! Tell me a bit about this process. What does winning this award mean for Morgania? And, how do you plan to use your winnings?
MW: I worked with the Launch Lab at West Virginia University at the beginning of last semester to talk to them about what I wanted to do and they said I should entire some pitch competitions. So, I entered a few and I worked my way up to the one that I won and I got $3,000 from it to use on equipment. I got three industrial machines to produce stuff on so it’s made a huge difference.
KL: What can we expect from Morgania in the near future? Where can we find you? When will the Morgania website be ready for browsing? Etc.
MW: I just launched my website yesterday, morganiaofficial.com. I am showing some stuff there and you can look at my collections. Also, I’m on Instagram, @morganiaofficial. You can also find me in the near future at Art to Ware in the new location!!
KL: Do you have any plans for another collection any time soon?
MW: I have some things brewing in my brain!!
