{"id":1597630,"date":"2020-04-30T16:11:39","date_gmt":"2020-04-30T20:11:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/?p=1597630"},"modified":"2020-04-30T16:11:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T20:11:39","slug":"womeninspiringwomen-with-canadian-fashion-designer-hilary-macmillan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/womeninspiringwomen-with-canadian-fashion-designer-hilary-macmillan\/","title":{"rendered":"#WomenInspiringWomen With Canadian Fashion Designer, Hilary MacMillan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hilary MacMillan is known as a trailblazer in the Canadian fashion world. \u00a0Her eponymous brand is cruelty-free and she offers extended sizing for select pieces in her Spring\/Summer 2020 collection<\/a> (up to a size 28). \u00a0In addition to embracing inclusivity in her line, she donates 15% of the sales from \u201cThe Feminist Capsule\u201d collection to charity.\u00a0 MacMillan entered the sustainable fashion space with her newly launched \u00a0Signature Blouse made from cupro (a 100 per cent biodegradable waste product of cotton).<\/p>\n

We spoke with her during the continuing quarantine.\u00a0 She is committed to making 100 masks a week for COVID-19 and has a rolling list of requests. She will continue to produce them as long as they are needed. This accomplished Canadian designer is the latest subject for #WomenInspiringWomen<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Canadian<\/p>\n

You are known as a trailblazer in the world of Canadian Fashion.\u00a0 Your line is cruelty-free and you have inclusive sizing even though this still isn\u2019t a priority for many brands. Why was this so important to you?<\/h3>\n

We began transitioning towards becoming cruelty-free in 2016, but before that, we were using fur and leather.\u00a0 As a Canadian brand, we were following the tenants of Canadian fashion, and prior to the current climate, many were using that kind of material.\u00a0 In my personal life, I became vegan after watching documentaries and it opened my eyes into what happens in the fashion industry.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like what I was seeing, so I wanted to make the transition over to being cruelty-free.\u00a0 It\u2019s a passion of mine.\u00a0 As of 2016, we cut out fur, leather, feathers and any other skins.\u00a0 Over the next 2 years, we slowly phased out silk and wool which is more difficult.\u00a0 We have a big coating business and we needed to find good alternatives.\u00a0 Leather and fur were much easier to replace.<\/p>\n

When I started the label, I always wanted to be an inclusive brand.\u00a0 It is a big undertaking and it wasn\u2019t something that I was traditionally trained at in school either.\u00a0 It involved more capital because you have to hold more stock and size ranges and I really wanted to get it right.\u00a0 For Spring 2020, we were at a place in our business where we could take the opportunity.\u00a0 We wanted to test it from an e-commerce standpoint, not a wholesale standpoint. We did a capsule collection and we actually went into the community and talked to people about what they were looking for and interested in, the styles they wanted and how they felt left out of the fashion world. It was an eye-opening conversation for me having this discussion with so many different types of people.\u00a0 When we were doing research on similar brands that were at our price point, there really isn\u2019t much past a size 16 or 18 \u2013 that\u2019s where it stops.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We wanted to be able to offer up to a size 28 or 4X.\u00a0 Originally, we were up to a 22, then we got feedback that we should go up to a 28, so it was very much a conversation.\u00a0 A lot of people feel like second class citizens if you are over a size 18.\u00a0 Even standard stores, like Old Navy have plus sized options, but you can only get them online.\u00a0 You can\u2019t go into a store to try them on, and this was something shocking in the fashion world that my eyes were not open to.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think that there are unless you have these conversations or you are in that space for sizing.\u00a0 After having conversations, it became even more important to me to create something that was for people in our look, just in a larger size.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t want to create a whole new collection or a separate capsule.\u00a0 We wanted people to feel like they could dress from a size 2 to a 28 in the same look. \u00a0We worked within our collections to see what pieces could stretch across that size range.\u00a0 For Fall 2020, we\u2019ve expanded the collection and we are hoping to keep going.<\/p>\n

I noticed on your site; you showcase designs on sample size models as well as on plus-sized models.<\/h3>\n

Yes, we were hoping to add more, then this situation [with COVID-19] occurred and we had to put our photo shoots on hold.<\/p>\n

The Feminist Capsule Collection<\/a> is always a highlight.\u00a0 Why did you decide to support Up With Women from proceeds from this collection?<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

When I started the capsule collection, I always had the plan to support a woman run charity and help women out.\u00a0 We are a local brand and I wanted to help either a local or national charity.\u00a0 Smaller charities don\u2019t get as much publicity.\u00a0 I signed up with them and met up with the founder of Up With Women and the coordinator who went through the program themselves.\u00a0 It is a program that helps women permanently exit poverty and gives them career training and resources.\u00a0 I loved speaking with them and they highlighted that it is a small run program and most of the recipients are impacted by domestic violence.\u00a0 We are happy to give back with a piece that people are interested in and it\u2019s easy to produce so it\u2019s the perfect marriage.<\/p>\n

You once said in an interview that young designers should go work for another designer instead of launching their own collection first.\u00a0 Why is this important?<\/h3>\n

I didn\u2019t do it \u2013 I interned with some designers but didn\u2019t work with anyone for very long and it is one of my biggest regrets.\u00a0 I definitely made a lot of errors in the beginning that could have been overcome by working for somebody.\u00a0 It also would have provided me with access to connections, fabric sourcing or figuring out how production works and smoothing out any kinks.\u00a0 You are always going to come up against challenges regardless of what stage you are in your career, but I think that those things can help you develop a lot.\u00a0 If you like how the designer that you are working with operates, they can be a mentor and help mentor you through your own collection.\u00a0 That would be my advice to anyone just starting out.<\/p>\n

What are the biggest challenges to women leading their own label in the fashion world, particularly in Canada?\u00a0 It\u2019s not an art or business supported with funding.<\/h3>\n

\"Canadian<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a missed opportunity within Canada.\u00a0 A lot of other countries have funding set up for fashion.\u00a0 It is a billion dollar industry.\u00a0 I think the pandemic is shining a light on the fashion industry because a lot of labels are re-tooling their production and trying to help out.\u00a0 It\u2019s showing that we don\u2019t have a large domestic manufacturing base and I think it\u2019s because there is a lack of support and funding.\u00a0 Right off of the bat, that is an important thing that needs to happen in Canada.<\/p>\n

Men disproportionately dominate top roles in all areas of the fashion world.\u00a0 It is an industry where women are overwhelmingly the consumer, so it\u2019s a weird thing that\u2019s happening\u00a0 where men are running it, but its mostly women purchasing the apparel.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s about 40% of women that run their own labels and I\u2019m not sure why there is a disparity.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s because when women reach a certain age, they have to wear many hats and decide how they are going to balance their family life with their work life.\u00a0 It\u2019s something that we need to fix and prioritize supporting more female-run clothing brands.<\/p>\n

You have had your designs worn by people like Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and Victoria Beckham.\u00a0 As a designer, what does it feel like when you see high profile people wearing your designs?<\/h3>\n

It definitely offers a bit of credibility.\u00a0 With Victoria Beckham, it gave us a little bit of street cred and it\u2019s validating.\u00a0 It\u2019s lovely to have that kind of imaging of them and it also gets out to a larger market of people that may not have seen your collection.\u00a0 It gets more eyes on it and that\u2019s a great feeling.\u00a0 Through e-commerce, you can see a lift in your sales when someone high profile wears your pieces which is cool.\u00a0 It\u2019s exciting, but I don\u2019t put too much stock in it.\u00a0 It\u2019s more exciting to see our wholesale or e-commerce grow year after year.<\/p>\n

If people could only afford to buy one piece from your entire spring collection, and that would be their staple, what piece would it be?<\/h3>\n

\"Satin<\/p>\n

I love our Satin Boyfriend Blazer \u2013 it\u2019s over-sized and double breasted, so it\u2019s multi-functional.\u00a0 It can be worn as a dress or worn as a blazer.\u00a0 I like wear it with a mock-turtleneck underneath and a pencil skirt or button it up and wear it as a blazer.\u00a0 It has a lot of utility and stretch so that\u2019s what I would pick.<\/p>\n

The Canadian fashion world can be challenging and comes with a lot of pressure. How do you stay motivated as an artist and as a business woman?<\/h3>\n

\"Canadian<\/p>\n

The most important thing is finding a team of people that work well with you and play to your strengths.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have a business head so I rely on my team to take the helm at those responsibilities, with me overseeing them. Everyone should have a good team in place and that\u2019s how I deal with those pressures.\u00a0 Make sure that you have work\/life balance.\u00a0 It\u2019s really easy in this industry to be sucked into working 24\/7, especially if you\u2019re just starting out.\u00a0 That is a quick way to burn out and it is harder to get perspective on your collection is you are always seeing it.\u00a0 Sometimes pulling away helps with editing or helps make more the more tough decisions.\u00a0 I encourage that for my staff as well and for myself \u2013 go on a trip, have a life or just spend your weekends doing something fun making sure that you can recharge once in awhile.<\/p>\n

You are inspiring to many young women trying to make it in fashion design and the business world.\u00a0 Who inspires you?<\/h3>\n

Early on in my career, I was very inspired by Stella McCartney.\u00a0 She pushed veganism and finding alternative materials in fashion.\u00a0 She was at the forefront and it was great to see because fashion needs to play catch up sometimes.\u00a0 Nowadays, it is more in the forefront but there is still room to grow in this [vegan] space.\u00a0 Seeing her create that type of line and making it successful was amazing.\u00a0 Recently, Joanna [Griffiths] from Knix has been inspirational, especially seeing the growth of her business and seeing it take off in the last few years.\u00a0 I was listening to her story on Fashion Talks and lovely to see Momtrepreneurs making it in the fashion industry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hilary MacMillan is known as a trailblazer in the Canadian fashion world. \u00a0Her eponymous brand is cruelty-free and she offers extended sizing for select pieces in her Spring\/Summer 2020 collection…<\/div>\n
View Post<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":1597645,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[6074,6075,5067,6082,588,6077,6073,6076,6079,6081,6078,6080],"powerkit_post_featured":[3],"class_list":{"0":"post-1597630","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fashion","8":"tag-canadian-fashion-designers","9":"tag-contemporary-fashion","10":"tag-covid-19","11":"tag-cruelty-free-fashion","12":"tag-female-fashion-designers","13":"tag-feminist-fashion","14":"tag-hilary-macmillan","15":"tag-inclusive-fashion","16":"tag-spring-summer-2020-fashion","17":"tag-sustainable-fashion","18":"tag-the-feminist-collection","19":"tag-vegan-fashion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1597630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1597630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1597645"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1597630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1597630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1597630"},{"taxonomy":"powerkit_post_featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/divine.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/powerkit_post_featured?post=1597630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}