mick margo

(originally published at grechen’s closet June 24, 2008)

Interview with Cary Weekes, co-owner of MickMargo.com

First, I’d love it if you can share with our readers what you’re wearing today? What’s your favorite piece in your closet?

My closet today is a little strange since I’m pregnant and still too small for maternity but too big in the waist for regular clothes. So what I want to wear and what I am wearing are two very different things. I’d love to be wearing Organic’s white high waisted jeans with a striped Royalton tee everywhere this summer, but instead it’s maternity jeans with the Royalton tees which are great because they are long. The Organic Drawstring pant was perfect before and is still working for me now and it’s the ideal pant for a Saturday afternoon shop in Union Square’s Green Market.

Some non-eco-friendly favorites of mine have been my Alexander Wang silk tank which I layer under my Allude grey boyfriend sweater with my Earnest Sewn black Harlan skinny jeans. I wear this outfit so much it is embarrassing, but it has been perfect since it’s been chilly in the mornings and hot in the afternoons. For my best friend’s wedding a few weeks ago, I wore the Jovovich-Hawk Love Goddess Dress which is amazing and flows so beautifully when you walk. It is definitely my favorite dress from the summer collections. I also love the Rachel Comey Moon Dress, though it’s about to be inappropriate for a pregnant lady!

What inspired you to start carrying more eco-friendly items at MickMargo.com?

“Going Green” has become such a trend, but Nadine and I wanted it to be more than that on our site since it is more about a lifestyle change than anything else. We’ve also discovered that it’s hard to find great designs in this category. Some collections have great shapes, but the fabrics just don’t feel good to the touch, while other collections just don’t work on a high style girl. We strive to find as many things as we can that are eco-friendly for our customers that won’t have them sacrificing an ounce of their style. In each market appointment, we always ask designers if they have eco-friendly pieces in their collections and we’re starting to find that they are listening to us. Just today we were at an appointment for Resort 2008 and found organic cottons sneaking into the mix of some very high style designers. They aren’t fully converted, but it’s a start. T-shirts are an easy way to start for us, but we also love the knits from Lutz & Patmos for fall and Organic has really found a way to create great clothing that’s still environmentally conscious. And the best news is that the price discrepancy between regular and organic materials is shrinking, so we no longer have an excuse not to go-green.

What are some of your best-sellers? What are some of your personal favorites from the boutique?

I LOVE this high waisted skirt, it is so fresh and of the moment, but the fabric is an everyday cotton which makes it more wearable and accessible.

The embroidered top has been the biggest hit in this category for us so far because it’s so easy to wear:

This jean has a fantastic fit, a wide leg that is still flattering since it doesn’t start wide too high on the leg AND it’s organic cotton.

I believe in taking a “holistic” approach to greening my wardrobe; while I’m not opposed to buying organic cotton t-shirts from Banana Republic or Wal-Mart, I prefer to support smaller boutiques and designers who focus only on earth-friendly design & production; I love the idea of as few steps as possible between me and the products I buy. Do you agree? Why do you think it’s important for consumers to consider the company behind the product, as opposed to just the product?

I really like your concept of loving the few steps between you and the product, but for me it’s more about making choices and trying to set an example. I recently attended a lecture by Anna Getty about living an eco-friendly lifestyle and the steps we can take in our own lives to be better to the planet, and she said that by making the choice to buy something that is Organic you are sending a signal to the corporate powers that be who create so much of the pollution and waste and use so much of the world’s natural resources. If we just start making different choices and talking to others about their choices, we can effect a change. She said that even choosing to buy the Tropicana Organic Orange Juice rather than the regular Tropicana, sends a message (though it would be better to buy direct from a local grower if you can, but it is a good start). So personally, I would rather spend $70 on an eco-friendly tank than $65 on one that’s not. Hopefully, others will agree with me and friends will start to do the same and ask questions about where their clothes (and food) are coming from. The more people ask questions and talk about it, the bigger the issue becomes in the world.

Do you have any eco-living tips for our readers? What are some small things we can do at home, and in our closets to make a difference?

As I mentioned before, we always ask our designers if they have any eco-friendly items when we are out on buying appointments. Your readers should do the same whenever they are shopping. When you ask the salesperson for eco-friendly items, it will eventually get back to the buyer/owner and it will make them consider new buying habits for their store since they are there to please the client. And if you have the choice between an eco-friendly item and one that’s not, choose the eco-friendly one. It does send a message to the person you’re buying from and to the people in your life. I also try to take my new purchases home in my purse rather than taking another bag from the shop. I carry big bags usually, so this works for me. But when I don’t have a big bag (or it’s already full) and I do take a bag from the shop, I always keep it and reuse it again for something else and the again and again until the poor thing breaks. Also, I’ll pass on another tip I learned from Anna Getty: all of those cloth bags that come with your shoes that wind up crowding your closet, use them when you go to the grocery store for your fruit and veggies instead of all of those clear plastic bags. I’d never thought of this, but it is certainly a good idea that I’m trying to implement in my life.

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