about.
maem disko was founded by Margot Castor in early 2020.
A backstory..
My love of Vintage began when I was young. Thrifting and finding unique pieces was my favourite pass-time. At the end of 2018 I decided to start an online store based on Instagram called Deadglow Vintage to sell some of my favourite personal pieces from my wardrobe. I loved the idea of being able to give girls the chance to wear something completely one off and not easily accessible. This then seeded the development of my love for sustainability.
With the fashion industry now producing such high levels of waste and pollution the option of buying a garment which has already been in existence for years, instead of a purchase from a fast fashion company (initiating more waste) was a small triumph with each sale.
As time went on I found that the demand which I received for the vintage styles was difficult to keep up with. I had been working on my designs for some time, however the idea of putting them into production seemed to contradict the mission which selling vintage had stood for all along.
When I decided to take maem disko into action, extreme thought and research was put in into how I could make each piece sustainable, ethically produced and with the least amount of waste and impact on the earth as possible.
The ethos of ma-em disko lies in being able to provide detailed, personal and unique garments without compromising our planet any further.
I have decided that the best way I could go about this was to release piece by piece drops of slow released garments which are hand made ethically in Australia, using all sustainable materials.
The release of small drops and use of pre-orders will allow for a slow production rate and minimal textile waste.
As this label is small and completely self-funded I needed to figure out how I would be able to stay true to these values and implement them into every step of my design and production processes.
Instead of using fabrics which are made of certified sustainable fibres (an incredible route which many large companies are taking) I decided that I would begin by choosing to use deadstock fabric for all of my pieces.
Deadstock fabrics are end-of-line, mill overruns, cancelled orders or designer excess. These fabrics are typically deemed a waste product in the fashion industry and would usually end up as landfill. This choice comes with such limited accessibility in terms of fabrics, and thus no guarantee that pieces will be able to be restocked.
Three beautiful seamstresses based in Alexandria, Sydney are responsible for the entire physical production process of each and every garment. All ma-em disko orders are sent using fully compostable biodegradable mailers and all sustainable packaging.
These choices have been costly however are essential in my personal opinion, and I hope that they are also valued by our customers.
I want this brand to grow, learn and develop as we all do as individuals, and strive to assist each other and our environment to heal and move forward with care and knowledge of our actions and lifestyles.
I would love to hear any feedback, opinions or questions.
Please don’t hesitate.
Contact us at hello@maemdisko.com or @maemdisko__ on Instagram.
With love
- Margot