Eluxe Magazine - Eco Friendly Vegan Fashion Brands We Love

Published July 2020. Written by Chiara Spagnoli Gabardi

Mayd in Chyna

“Their name may be a play on words, but everything that this brand conveys is the polar opposite of every single thing associated with the phrase “Made in China”. Departing from the ordinary, Mayd In Chyna is an ethical brand that makes it easy to dress in your values, while serving the interests of people, animals and the planet.

The vegan brand whose ethos is to be timeless, elegant and kick-ass when they need to be, ensures that all fabric used is not only organic and sustainable but sourced entirely in the USA. Their range includes ladies’ and men’s clothing that is ethically and certifiably produced, providing everyone with the ability to dress both exquisitely and purposefully.”

Fashion Boundary - Q+A: Mayd in Chyna

 
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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where the desire to design came from?

I really loved Barbie dolls and I would spend endless hours with leftover fabric from my mom's sewing room trying to make my Barbies their new outfits. I was probably 7 or so when I started doing this, so I didn't sew these clothes, but I remember just using these different fabrics with these lovely and different textures and wrapping them around my barbies to make some very pretty new clothes. So designing has been part of my life ever since I was able to take whatever I had to work with and put together some sort of creation with it....the result was not necessarily a sewn garment, but just a creation...and I continued to do this later on in my life by creating poetry, creating interior designs and some landscaping. I believe this desire to create has its roots in the way I saw my mother’s interaction with her environment in particular with textiles and the construction of clothing. My mom was a versatile and resourceful woman who taught me to recycle and upcycle everything. She was also a talented seamstress and had an impeccable eye for quality and design. She not only designed but did the sewing for all our family when we immigrated to Canada from Italy back in the 1960s... mine, my dad's, her sisters and their families. She made sure that they were not just perfectly constructed but, when taken care of these masterpieces would last forever (well nearly). To this day, I still have and wear some of her clothes and I still have clothes that she constructed 45 years ago. From mom, I learned the basic skills of sewing and styling and how to respect and create a design so that you wear it and it does not wear you.

How would you describe your own personal style?

I would say that generally, my personal style has the 1960s and 70s core mixed with the addition of a little bohemian flair that adds interesting textures, layering etc that aren't normally associated with those time periods: additionally I only use colour complimentary accessories vs matching ones.


All Mayd in Chyna items are vegan and certifiably sustainable and ethically produced, what does the process look like to have each item certified?

To be clear certification is very complex. So what we have is not an item certification for each piece but process certifications and adherence to certified textile manufacturing standards. What this means is that the processes we use are controlled by and come under the following global standards: GOTS, Oeko-tex and Blue Sign. These standards guarantee that the only substances that are used through our supply chain from growing of the fibre to the spinning to the weaving to the knitting and finally to the dyeing are substances that are not harmful to the environment or living beings.

In keeping with this strict adherence to minimize harm and toxicity, we decided to manufacture our own fabrics and labels; to strictly use quality and premium fibre that is organic and certified to a global standard, to strictly use USA made and the most sustainable and eco-friendly notions, trims etc. that we could find, (from our organic thread, to our recycled buttons, to our no heavy metals and recycled zippers, to our recycled hang tags and to our personally designed and manufactured labels) to have a supply chain that we have personally chosen and met, to create and use designs and colours that are timeless, classic and forever fashionable, to source a supply chain that is entirely USA based starting with our ELS (extra-long staple) organic pima and upland cottons to our New York-based sewing contractor.

Haute Is Online - "Style File: Mayd In Chyna"

 
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Meeting Teresa and Giovanni Perna almost three years ago was both inspirational and aspirational, this mother and son design duo took my breath away. Hailing from Toronto Canada, we met at a fashion event in Lansing Michigan during a period when our state capital was looking to invigorate the downtown retail market of Lansing, by inviting designers from various parts of the country to be a part of a fashion incubator. The project never really got off the ground but the opportunity to get to know Teresa and Giovanni was priceless. Sustainability is key to their design philosophy and has been their core business motto long before the trend became a mantra. Mayd in Chyna is adamant in keeping everything they design vegan and 100% sustainable even at a great cost to their business operation. It is often 3-4 times more costly to run this type of design house due to the high cost of fabrication, notions, and processes that are required. Catching up with this busy duo is a rush and whirl, so I let them tell me everything new and wonderful happening with the Mayd In Chyna brand!

33. - "Ethical Fashion - MAYD IN CHYNA"

 
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MAYD IN CHYNA - Ethical Fashion with Teresa Perna. Read the full interview here.

When did you first realize you wanted to become a fashion designer?

I’m not sure that I knew that I wanted to become a fashion designer per se, but I did know that I liked to use my hands to create anything be it in landscaping, crafts, food, interior design and of course artistically styling pieces of clothing both new pieces and vintage ones that were my mom’s. So fashion designing just developed over the years as a result of this artistic creation and then was fully realized when at one point my son decided we should make a business out of it, which we did.

How do you want people to feel when wearing your clothes?

I want to feel that they are very definitely part of making a difference and of course, i want them to feel the best they can feel about how they look without being conscious that they are wearing clothes, so I want them to feel free and comfortable as if they are wearing nothing at all.

Can you tell us how your brand makes a difference in fashion industry?

First and foremost, it is a means to an end and this end is not profits for the sake of profits, but profits for the sake of philanthropic work geared toward animal welfare, people welfare and planet welfare. So our business model is truly unique.

Secondly, it is as strongly ethical as it is vegan and sustainable so this tri-focus guides our every decision.

Our Brand is first and foremost an entrepreneurial venture that is using fashion to address the social, environmental and political issues of our time. It is not a fashion brand for fashion sake and it is not focused on profits for profits sake but on how profits can be used to do good and help our planet rather than destroy it. So our business model is truly unique. This means that our business decisions will always take into account what is beneficial not only for our Brand but what is equally beneficial for society, the planet and all animals.

Kreep. - "Sustainable with Teresa Perna"

 
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Sustainable with Teresa Perna, co-founder of MAYD IN CHYNA. Read the full interview here.

The brand is focused on how profits can be used to help our planet rather than destroy and exploit it. This also ties in with its choice of fabrics because once you start on a quest to help the planet, then you naturally gravitate towards searching for what is the least damaging in terms of fibres, processes etc. The brand is differentiated from other fashion brands because the fashion label was designed to be a catalyst for change and not just a fashion statement. In the design of this label the first priority was to create apparel that would produce the least amount of damage to all its surroundings and yet provide the good feeling and beauty that we all seek in a fashion piece. Under the umbrella of the most ethical business model we could create, this direction propelled it into looking for the best possible sustainable textiles, the best and least damaging processes, and designs and colours that would last a lifetime.

We particularly reach out to a customer who wants to become part of a new global awareness and solution for the issues affecting society, the environment, and animals.

"Specifically our end customer is someone that demands not only fashionable apparel but also quality and high end apparel that is unique and offers environmentally friendly options. Our customers have a strong awareness of social, economic and environmental issues and how they interconnect with lifestyle choices. As a result this customer does not make price the priority, but considers the other values added as the deciding factor to purchase. In research terminology, these customers are referred to as LOHAS – LIFESTYLE OF HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY (living a lifestyle that prioritizes health and sustainability). All of the above make for a customer who is forward-thinking, open minded, secure and confident in being who they and in their beliefs and values, and strong enough to follow their own distinctive fashion style regardless of fashion or societal trends."

Trend Privé Magazine - "Ethical Fashion: MAYD IN CHYNA"

 
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Ethical Fasion: MAYD IN CHYNA - An Interview with co-founder Teresa Perna. Read the full interview here.

"Our company is wholly run by family members whose professional expertise is on the continuum of fashion design, business management, marketing and environmental sustainability."

The line is produced based entirely on the principles and practices of organic, sustainable and ethical production methods from our raw organic pima fibre, to our hangtags and notions. Our suppliers are either GOTS certified, Oeko-Tex certified, or adhere to the GOTS and Oeko-Tex standards.

"We also wish to borrow from and incorporate the concept embedded in the management approach of 'regenerative agriculture' coined by the Robert Rodale of the Rodale Institute into our business philosophy…meaning that we have to go beyond sustainable when using resources to the idea of improving them with each use."