152. ARCHIVE | Georgia Dant of Marfa Stance

Summary

Podcast Summary: "What We Wore" – Episode 152 with Georgia Dant of Marfa Stance

Introduction to Georgia Dant

In Episode 152 of What We Wore, host Laura Vinroot Poole welcomes Georgia Dant, the visionary behind Marfa Stance. Georgia brings a wealth of experience from prestigious fashion houses like Burberry and Rag and Bone, which she has channeled into creating one of the most innovative brands in contemporary fashion. This archival episode precedes the latest Marfa Stance trunk show at Capitol's Brentwood store, featuring Georgia's insights and journey in the fashion industry.

Early Life and Education

Georgia's creative journey began in Cambridge, England, where she was born and raised on a farm. This rural upbringing, juxtaposed with proximity to the academically vibrant city of Cambridge, significantly influenced her creativity.

Georgia Dant (00:39) shares, “I grew up on a farm, which was an incredibly creative experience next to a city that is incredibly academic and historical.”

Despite being an only child, Georgia developed a fierce independence and resourcefulness, which later became pivotal in her entrepreneurial endeavors. Her mother’s passion for gardening also instilled in her an appreciation for creating something from nothing.

Career Highlights

Burberry Experience

Georgia's formal entry into the fashion world was marked by a pivotal seven-year tenure at Burberry in London. Here, she witnessed firsthand the fusion of heritage and innovation under Christopher Bailey’s leadership. This period was instrumental in shaping her understanding of integrating technology and tradition in fashion.

Georgia Dant (15:34) reflects, “Christopher Bailey was pioneering this kind of digital age within fashion, whereas everyone else was kind of repelling it.”

She admired Bailey’s approach to combining style with function, a philosophy that deeply resonated with her and influenced her future endeavors.

Transition to Rag and Bone

Seeking new challenges, Georgia transitioned to Rag and Bone, where she expanded her expertise to include women's wear alongside menswear. This role allowed her to explore the intersection of androgynous design and functional fashion.

Georgia Dant (19:01) explains, “Working on both menswear and womenswear allowed me to find a great crossover and innovate within those boundaries.”

Her experience at Rag and Bone underscored the importance of customer-centric design, steering her towards creating a brand that prioritizes the wearer’s lifestyle and needs.

The Birth of Marfa Stance

Inspiration from Marfa, Texas

A transformative road trip to Marfa, Texas, became the catalyst for Georgia’s next venture. Immersed in the minimalist and modernist art of Donald Judd, she sought to translate these principles into practical, multifunctional outerwear.

Georgia Dant (23:18) recounts, “Standing in Judd’s architecture studio, I felt a burning need to create clothing that is multifunctional, simple, and adaptable to any situation.”

This epiphany led to the founding of Marfa Stance, a brand grounded in responsible living and versatile design.

Philosophy and Principles of the Brand

Marfa Stance is built on the ethos of creating timeless, adaptable pieces that serve multiple functions. The brand emphasizes zero waste by repurposing excess fabrics into unique, patchworked designs.

Georgia Dant (25:48) states, “We reuse fabrics every season to ensure zero waste, creating colorful, patchworked pieces that are both sustainable and stylish.”

The brand’s tagline, “Create, Update, Renew,” encapsulates its commitment to empowering customers to personalize and adapt their wardrobe according to their lifestyles.

Impact of the Pandemic

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with Marfa Stance’s early days, presenting both challenges and opportunities. While the global situation disrupted traditional fashion cycles, it also fostered deeper connections with customers who were increasingly valuing sustainability and multifunctionality in their clothing.

Georgia Dant (42:25) observes, “The pandemic reinforced our mission of responsible living, as people sought meaningful, versatile pieces that fit their new lifestyles.”

This period solidified Marfa Stance’s reputation as a brand that resonates with conscientious consumers.

Building the Brand: Direct-to-Consumer and Partnerships

Georgia opted for a direct-to-consumer model, prioritizing authentic engagement over traditional wholesale channels. This approach allowed her to maintain a clear vision and directly interact with her customer base.

Georgia Dant (36:17) emphasizes, “I wanted to reach the customer myself and have a laser focus on what the brand is without someone else's cadence.”

After 18 months, Georgia selectively partnered with boutiques worldwide that aligned with Marfa Stance’s values, ensuring the brand’s philosophy was effectively communicated to a broader audience.

She highlights Capitol as her sole US stockist, praising their ability to authentically represent Marfa Stance’s ethos.

Georgia Dant (38:46) shares, “You are the right partner to tell your network and community about Marfa Stance in the right way.”

Customer Engagement and Brand Growth

Marfa Stance has thrived on word-of-mouth endorsements, eschewing influencer marketing in favor of genuine customer recommendations. This strategy has cultivated a loyal and engaged community.

Georgia Dant (39:28) remarks, “Our business has grown strong in an authentic and genuine way, strongly through word of mouth.”

Customers frequently share their experiences, showcasing the versatility and practicality of Marfa Stance’s pieces, such as packing minimalistically yet stylishly for diverse activities and climates.

Personal Reflections and Stories

Georgia shares personal anecdotes that illustrate her journey and growth:

• May Ball Memories: Reflecting on her school days in Cambridge, Georgia humorously recounts a May Ball outfit that didn’t quite hit the mark.

  Georgia Dant (48:12) laughs, “I turned up looking like I just got quite drunk and... had to cover up.”

• Mentorship and Support: She credits Adam Brown, founder of Bar Brown, as a pivotal mentor who transformed her perspective from designer to salesperson.

  Georgia Dant (35:37) shares, “He told me, 'You are no longer a designer. You are a salesperson,' and now I fully understand what he meant.”

Advice for Entrepreneurs

Georgia offers invaluable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of authenticity, perseverance, and adaptability:

Georgia Dant (44:58) advises, “Don't follow anyone else's path. Follow your own. Be incredibly confident about your idea and stick by it.”

She underscores the necessity of wearing multiple hats and being prepared for significant sacrifices:

Georgia Dant (45:12) states, “You have to wear every hat... Be a salesperson, financial director, HR representative, and more.”

Her journey exemplifies resilience and the rewards of staying true to one’s vision despite external skepticism.

Conclusion

Georgia Dant’s story is a testament to the power of innovation, sustainability, and customer-centric design in fashion. Through Marfa Stance, she has redefined outerwear with a focus on versatility and responsibility, creating a brand that not only meets fashion needs but also aligns with modern values of conscious living.

Maria Dant (50:02) concludes, “Thank you very much for everyone,” highlighting her gratitude towards her supporters and customers who have been instrumental in Marfa Stance’s success.

For more information on Capitol, Laura Vinroot Poole, and future What We Wore guests, follow @shopcapitol and @whatweworepodcast on Instagram.

Transcript

[Laura Vinroopool]

Foreign. I'm Laura Vinroopool of capital, and this is what we wore. Georgia Dant took her experience with iconic brands like Burberry and Rag and Bone and poured it into creating one of the most revolutionary products I've seen in my career. I'm thrilled to re air this archival episode before our latest Marfa Stance trunk show in our Brentwood store. You're in Jackson Hole?

[Georgia Dant]

Yep. Yep. I'm in a cabin in the. In the heart of Jackson Hole. And it's. It's very beautiful. So thank you for having me, Laura.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And you warned me earlier if there are some moose mating calls in the background.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, we'll acknowledge and ignore.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And you're there with a lot of friends of ours, the gals from of rare origin and Mir and Crosby. And you're there for.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, absolutely. I'm actually wearing a rare origin right now. Bought it yesterday. Be my honey. Yeah, I'm here with. With a bunch of amazing brands. We had a trunk show all together yesterday, which was really incredible. I've never done something like this before, so. Yeah, it was really fun. And also we're friends with Laleen. They were there too.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, nice.

[Georgia Dant]

It was. It was a whole. It was a whole gaggle of us.

[Laura Vinroopool]

It's unusual, actually, and really helpful because I think a lot of times, especially, I mean, I think for me as an independent retailer, but I think for independent designers, you don't really have a lot of opportunities to be together and commiserate and sort of ask them their opinions about how. What you're doing.

[Georgia Dant]

And last night, we were sitting at dinner. We all had dinner afterwards as a celebration, and I looked around and I was just so happy to see this table of courageous women all together supporting each other. There was perhaps 30 of us.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Wow.

[Georgia Dant]

And I just felt such kind of. I don't know, an overwhelming thankfulness that we can all just actually share this experience rather than be in competition with each other. It's more that we're actually. There's a camaraderie between us, and we all bought from each other. We all support each other. It's really nice. And it's a huge therapy session. Of course.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yes, I think I'm right. I mean, I think your. Your brand started during the pandemic, so I think right before. Right. And so. So being able to be. To be able to discuss things and like, am I crazy? Am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? I mean, that's really amazing.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. And it's. It's a journey as a As a sort of, you know, female founder, doing this on her. On my own. Yeah, it's quite a. It's quite a lonely experience at times. So, yeah, amazing to sort of have that support from other people doing exactly the same thing.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And the ones that I mentioned, actually. And as well as Laleen, I mean, you have mother, daughter from a rare origin and you're in Crosby of sisters and you have best friends and I'm sure you have a lot of support, but you're on your own. And so I think that, that, that merits a lot more support too.

[Georgia Dant]

Well, it's, it's. I mean, I have an amazing team. It's. It's definitely not that I do this alone, so it's, It's. I'm very thankful for my, my team and, you know, our customers also are just incredibly supportive and, And I am. I'm eternally grateful to everyone that's. That's helped my journey, but it's very nice to be among friends.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Georgia, where are you from?

[Georgia Dant]

I'm from England. I was born in Cambridge. Can you hear the accent slightly? I'm. Yeah, was born in Cambridge and I grew up. I grew up there, which. Amazing place to grow up in. I grew up on a farm, which was. Which was, you know, an incredible experience at the time. When I was growing up, I, of course wanted only to be in the city. And now I'm only in the city. I long for the countryside. But it was. It was an incredibly creative experience, actually, growing up in a very rural setting next to a city that is obviously incredibly academic and historical. So I feel like I had a very nice upbringing in, in England, but I spent a lot of time in the USA because of my dad's heritage. So I had a really nice balance between America and England.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Were your parents professors?

[Georgia Dant]

No, not at all. Not at all. My. Actually, my. My father is a farmer.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, really?

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah. What do they.

[Laura Vinroopool]

What do they farm?

[Georgia Dant]

It's arable, so it's barley, wheat, that sort of thing. And my mother, actually, she is a housewife, but a kind of very avid gardener. So it's. We always have very nice organic food at home.

[Laura Vinroopool]

How far is Cambridge from London?

[Georgia Dant]

It's only one hour. It's very close, so I was always in. In close proximity to, you know, the city and I would sort of frequently go there as much as possible. And I went to university in, in London as well. So I feel like I've. I've grown up in London, really.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Growing up in Cambridge, on, on the farm, do you think that The. The rural environment contributed to your creativity. And I think also you're an only child. Am I right?

[Georgia Dant]

Yes, yes.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah. I mean, I have an only child. They're. They're really. Well, yeah, I mean, kind of like we were saying about the other, you know, designers with these partners, you have to really find your creativity alone, I think.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. Yeah. You have to be very independent, I think, in that search for creativity. And I think it actually makes you a very resourceful person because you have to sort of find your own, I don't know, fun or your own sort of interests or. Or your own entertainment to an extent.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

And I think that growing up in a very rural setting adds to that because, you know, you're. You're. You don't. You're not surrounded by constant stimulus. You. You sort of are kind of relatively isolated and you're with nature. And I think that for me, nature is incredibly inspiring. And it sort of. It makes you very grounded, but also you can really dream of and you can be creative. You're surrounded by color and flowers and best upbringing. And also I think creating. And my mom, like I said, my mother was a. Is an avid gardener, and I think creating something from nothing also was incredibly inspiring to me as a child and watching something grow and develop and change. And. Yeah, so for me, it was. It was amazing. And I think being an only child has made me fiercely independent and know my own mind and sort of access my creativity and my imagination way more than if I had been surrounded by siblings, perhaps. Yeah, I mean, I was very social. I was. I was not. I'm not some kind of recruiter. My mother made sure I was very socialized. I always had friends around, and all my friends were boys. I was a real tomboy. But. But yeah, in the sort of, you know, when friends go home, you have to have that time alone.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, I was going to say, I have noticed that my daughter, that she. She definitely is social, really needs recovery time, especially when we're around her cousins in these loud sort of families that, you know, it's just like we're just, We're a quiet house. I mean, it just. And there is time for reflection and thinking. What do you remember creating or making as a child?

[Georgia Dant]

One of my really fond memories actually is going to this department store with my. With my mother. And I don't know whether this exists in the US I guess it does, but it's a department store that allowed you to pick a sort of dress pattern, let's say, or shirt pattern or whatever it Was. And then it's within a haberdashery section of this department store. And then you pick your fabric and you pick your buttons and you pick your whatever embellishment you want add. We used to sort of do that on a Saturday morning or something and buy a few pieces and then we'd go home and she'd teach me to make them and customize. And it was. It was such a wonderful thing to. To learn as a child. And the excitement of creating something that was very unique to me was incredible. And of course, I went wild and picked all the most awful fabrics. Glittery things like, it's fine. And I'm totally the opposite now, but I think I got out of my system at a young age.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And did your mom teach you how to sew?

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. We actually had like a sewing room, actually an industrial overlocker. Industrial machine. And she would always be making things cut and bedspread. She made her own wedding dress. Like, she's very. Oh yeah. In that sense. So, yeah, she taught me to sew. I mean, I actually, the actual act of sewing, I don't like. I was pretty bad at it because I'm quite impatient. But the. Actually, the choosing the components and sort of forming the piece.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

Was amazing. And she would mostly sew it.

[Laura Vinroopool]

I would try and so growing up, did you. What subjects were you attracted to? Did you. Were you mostly into art or all sorts of things?

[Georgia Dant]

I've always been very naturally able at art. I mean, I just. It's been sort of easy for me to draw, paint, and all that stuff, but I was actually not really that interested in it. I think, you know, sometimes when you. When something comes quite easy to you, you. Well, the way I work is I like to try and learn something that I'm not very good at and be able to do it. So I actually was really interested in the science world. Psychology, literature. But mostly it was science that I was really focused on actually as a. As a child. And I studied it for my. My A levels. I'm not sure what the equivalent of that is in. In the U.S. but I guess it's the age of like 17 to 19.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

And sort of. I guess I majored in. In chemistry and psychology and.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, wow.

[Georgia Dant]

It was the path I wanted to take. I guess I found it very creative and I. I loved the idea of problem solving and finding solutions to things via this. This medium. At the same time, I was introduced to this in. Very inspiring. Art teacher who. Who said, you know, you've got this kind of Skill. Why don't you. Why don't you, you know, be part of my class too? And so I did, and he introduced me to this textile teacher, and I would never have ever thought of, you know, going into textiles. It didn't really interest me, actually, as a career. I met her, and she was. She was like, well, actually, textiles and weaving and creating something from nothing is actually incredibly mathematical, and it has a logic to it. And actually, there's a real parallel there with. With your kind of thought process of chemistry. And I was like, okay, let me give this a go. And I ended up finding these parallels with chemistry and art that, for me, was just this unlock. And I was like, oh, my goodness. If I can apply this sort of more scientific logic and problem solving to textiles and fashion, that's something that I could really, really be inspired by and go forward with that. And actually, that's what I decided to do, and I ended up quitting chemistry and. And psychology. I still love psychology, actually.

[Laura Vinroopool]

But, yeah, I was gonna say, you're in fashion, you're doing psychology.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, exactly. Every day. To myself as well. But the idea for me of problem solving and. And applying something that, you know, is not just artistic to fashion, but actually comes from a different place, and fusing it with fashion, like style and function is something I'm really, really fascinated by, was the path I decided to take from this kind of change and fork I had in my schooling. So, yeah, I went full steam ahead into fashion, actually, from the age of 18.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Were your parents like, what's happening?

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, they just went with it. They were like, okay. I think my mom was actually pretty pleased.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And so you went to London and studied fashion there?

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, I did a. I did a work placement at Zondra Rhodes, actually.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, wow.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah. God, crazy pink hair. Like, I mean, it was in. It was incredible. It was all in her house. It was. There was prints everywhere. It was just. It was like this. I've never. I had never experienced anything like this. I was. Yeah. Age 17 or 18, and I just. I was just like, wow. I just want to be part of this world. There's just, like, this. This magic and this alchemy. And I was like, okay, so it's not. It wasn't my taste, actually, but I was like, this is. This process was incredible to me.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

So that was the moment I. I decided to move to London. That was kind of my test. I think it was my parents pushing me to test it before I.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Right.

[Georgia Dant]

Changed career. Yeah. But I loved it. I was completely immersed in this world. And I was like, I want to be part of this world. And so, yeah, I studied in London. I studied at London College of Fashion, and then I went on to study menswear at Middlesex University, which was at the time a very good university for menswear design.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And why. Why menswear? How did you. How did that happen? From Zandra Rhodes to menswear?

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, exactly. There's not really any parallel. I think it's because, for me, the Zandra Rhodes experience was. Was amazing, but it. It really showed me that I didn't want to do that. It was just. It was just creativity everywhere. There was artistry everywhere. But for me, I like a much more logical framework, and I wanted to kind of find my niche in fashion because the fashion world is huge. And, you know, for me, menswear was really a craft, and it was really a kind of framework. And you had parameters and you have boundaries. But for me, it was exciting to try and figure out how to innovate within those boundaries.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And there definitely are rules.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, there are rules, whereas women's wear. It actually frightened me a bit because I was like, you could literally do anything. And I don't really know where to start. I'm very. I'm sort of very menswear. Yeah, in my. In my look. And so I. I really enjoyed the challenge of learning something really thoroughly and then being able to find innovation within that framework. I always call it my education. I got a job at Burberry in London. I was there for seven years. For me, it was my education, and it really taught me well. It taught me heritage. Like, at the time, the company was 150 years old. So it was pretty amazing to me to see this. This. All the history and heritage of that company, but how they were taking it forward into the future. And I was there at a very interesting time. It was 2005 that I joined through. Well, seven years later, I left. But through that period, it was when they were really the pioneers of fusing fashion and technology. And that was something that all the big luxury brands, they were sort of archaic in their mentality, in a sense, whereas Christopher Bailey at Burberry was. Was pioneering this kind of digital age within fashion, whereas everyone else was sort of rebelling against it, kind of repelling it, actually. So, yeah, it was. It was an amazing time. And I think, again, it played to my interests in, like, how to kind of innovate and how to kind of push something and solve something. And, you know, for me, it was. It was a really eye Opening experience.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, and Christopher was a fascinating creature too, because he sort of. He became not only the designer, but he really spearheaded the entire. He became the CEO, I think, didn't he? At some point?

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. And I think to have those. That sort of duality and your brain and your way of operating is something that I feel that I really took from that experience. And I think I have a sort of duality in my way. I think the product I produce has a real duality. But he, I think was. I really sort of looked up to his approach rather than just sort of, you know, making beautiful things for people that just want to kind of buy something that's quite elaborate and statement. He was actually thinking about things for a different reason. And I really looked up to that technical also.

[Laura Vinroopool]

I mean, it was like waterproof me, you mean? And.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, on the product level. Yeah, the fact that the product was. Had both style and function, which is something that I really sort of lead my company with, with that sort of that mantra. But also the fact that you could take fashion and you could. I mean, he was the first person to ever sort of do a hologram Runway and.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah, yeah, I remember that. Yeah, a lot in a live Runway.

[Georgia Dant]

Stream and like, live stream your Runway, buy from the Runway live and like all of these things that. That you can make possible. But they weren't the, you know, they weren't the way to do it. And I just. I love that kind of rule breaking to. In. In reality, it's to help a customer and it's to kind of give a customer a better experience. That's ultimately what he was doing. And that's what I really, really took from. From that experience. Do it in my own little way.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah, well, I mean, I think he was way of, way ahead of his time. And also like Instagram and TikTok or whatever, that didn't exist at that time for sure. You know. And so I think that you have different tools now in order to do that.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. And I think he was with. With. He was very resourceful and industrious with. With what he had at the time. And. And it was very interesting to work in the design team at this time because he always tried to bring in like music and art and it wasn't just fashion. And that's something that was even more inspiring to me, the fact that it created a world rather than just a category.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah. So how did you know it was time to leave?

[Georgia Dant]

I think I've been there quite a long time. I'd been there for just over seven.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Years for Seven Fashion. Seven years is like 70 years.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, exactly, exactly. I was sort of a pensioner of fashion at that time. I was like, okay, I've really got to go. I think it was because I felt like I really had accomplished what I set out to. To do, and I really felt like I knew a lot about. I mean, of course, you never know everything, and I'm learning every single day and every single second, but I really felt that at that company, at that moment, I felt like I'd really absorbed so much and I was ready for something new. And I really like to challenge myself as much as I can. I think it's just my inner personality wanting to learn and develop. And so I actually took a trip to New York. It wasn't to explore work opportunities, but I just took a trip to New York because I love New York. And I happen to meet. Actually can't remember how I did it, but I happened to meet somebody that said, you should meet the guys at Rag and Bone, right? And so I ended up saying, oh, actually, I'm in town. Like, you know, I'm sort of looking for something new. Do you want to meet? I also met with the RL team at Ralph. They wanted me to join that team. And I actually felt like I loved Double around at the time, but I just felt maybe it was a bit limiting. It was like just working with vintage and replicating. Whereas when I met the guys at Rag and Bone, it was an amazing time for them, and it was, like, really growing, and they were just like, oh, we just need kind of some experience and we need some help. And it was. They were like, we could kind of do anything and everything. And I just thought, okay, well, I want to be part of that, because I've been seven years in a very sort of, you know, corporate, established company, and this just felt very exciting to me. So I started as head of menswear at Rack and Boom.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, wow.

[Georgia Dant]

I was then head of women's and men's and denim and, you know.

[Laura Vinroopool]

So when you moved to women's, that was your first time working on women's wear? Was it completely different?

[Georgia Dant]

Totally different. It was something I didn't set out to do, actually. I was only wanting to be a menswear designer. I was just. I just loved menswear. But I saw that at that particular company, the Roots was really like that. The own Marcus, who was my boss, he was just obsessed with menswear, too. And I just thought the women's wear should have more of this. Androgynous kind of, you know, feel. And. And so I thought it was a natural way to kind of try womenswear. And so I. I kind of headed up both departments and there was, you know, a great crossover between the two. Having one leader, I guess. So, yeah, it was. It was actually a really nice way to get into women's wear because it was based around men's wear.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Exactly. It was sort of menswear. Womenswear.

[Georgia Dant]

Exactly.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And you were living in the States at the time for when you.

[Georgia Dant]

And what was.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And what was that like? Did you travel all over?

[Georgia Dant]

Yes, yes, I've traveled all over. I've tried to take advantage of the fact of living in the U.S. i think I was there again seven years, so it was. It was again, a really nice length of time for me to. To be in New York. And I took as many trips as possible. And I mean, I love America. I just think it's such a fascinating country. It's so huge and vast and everything is so huge. Yeah. Everywhere you go, it's just totally different. And I just. I really love the kind of entrepreneurial spirit that you. That everyone seems to have in the US in the US in the uk, it's very different, but in the US Yeah, it's. Everyone is just so encouraging and supportive and. Yeah, it's. I just. I love coming here. So when I. When I lived there, I took as many trips to different states as I could to try and get a, you know, layer of the land.

[Laura Vinroopool]

What trips blew your mind the most?

[Georgia Dant]

I mean, to be very obvious here, I'm going to say that my trip to Martha. Yeah, Yeah. I mean, I took many, many trips that were amazing, but one that really stood out to me was my trip to Marfa in Texas. And I did it with a friend of mine, and it was in 2016 that I took the trip and we sort of did a bit of a road trip. You know, we drove around Texas a little bit and ended up in Marfa. And it was the time in my career that I was thinking about what my next step was and should I. Should I do something that's. That's for myself that I, you know, it's pure, purely my vision, something that I truly believe in. And I was sort of toying with the idea because I traveled a lot, not just within the U.S. but I traveled back to the UK a lot, to Asia, all over the world, and I'd probably travel at least once a month. For me, that was a real problem because I couldn't pack efficiently. I didn't want to take a hundred different things that did 100 different jobs. When you're traveling across different climates and seasons in. In, you know, if you're going from the U.S. i don't know, from Arizona, where it's really hot and you're going to, I don't know, Scotland, where it's raining and freezing. I was like, how can I pack for all of these things? And especially when you're stopping off at different things along the way. And also, how do you go through with hand luggage?

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

Because, like, immigration in the US Took hours. So I was toying with this, like, this problem that I had actually as a customer. And I was just thinking to myself, like, how do I. How do I create something that. Because there is a gap in the market for women. I was just like, it was clear to me having. Having worked in menswear for so long, having been newly introduced to working in women's wear, there's a real problem. It's either fashion or it's its function.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Right.

[Georgia Dant]

And it's just. There's so much kind of sort of theater and drama behind women's wear. But was anyone thinking about the customer? And so I was just like. I was toying with all of these ideas. I was like, I just need something that I could kind of. That could be multifunctional, that could be adapted across different temperatures and different sort of environments and also occasions. Like, you want to pack for different occasions if you have a dinner, maybe you're hiking. I don't know, whatever you're doing. And so I. Long winded story. Sorry, Laura. No, I went to Marfa with a friend of mine, and I had all these ideas and. And sort of questions going through my head. And the reason we went to Marfa is because I'm a huge fan of Donald Judd's work and process. It's not just.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And you'd been to. You'd been to his apartment or his building in.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes, in New Ho.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes, exactly. And I used to always go to Dia Beacon and, you know, all of those kind of guys with the. Dan Flavin and Richard, Sarah and I. I was a real fan of the kind of, you know, minimalist modernist movement of U.S. american artists. And so Martha was kind of this. This fun trip that me and my friend wanted to take. And I was just very intrigued to do this sort of pilgrimage to Judd's process because he's incredibly prolific across writing, across sculpture, across wood cutting, across furniture and the products. The product of his work is not Always my. I don't always love it, but I love the kind of reductive and the, and the sort of simple outcome of all of his different mediums, I suppose. And so I was standing in his architecture studio and looking at one of his, his desks that, that were just absolutely beautiful, understated, really clean lines, really beautifully executed and simplified. But I kind of looked underneath and there are all of these hidden compartments that were not visible just from, you know, the outside. And so I just had this like, very strange feeling. And I, I, it was like this weird, like, burning that went through my stomach into my head. And I was just like, oh, my God, I need to create a product that, that is this, but in clothing that is completely multifunctional, that looks very sort of simple and clean and minimal, reductive, but beautiful, but that I could actually, as a customer, adapt to whatever I wanted to do. Like, for example, this desk, you could put stuff all over, but then you could, you could tidy it up and you could hide something there and you could pull this thing out and do that. And I was just like, I need, I need products to do that for me. And I just was like, I am going to do this brand. And I just.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Did you know it was, did you know it was jackets? I mean, were you that.

[Georgia Dant]

I think it was because I, I love outerwear. I think it was for me, because Marfa Stance is a concept. It's not a fashion brand for me. It's a, it's a design concept. It's a way of introducing something to your lifestyle that you can build, adapt. Well, you can. This is our tagline, essentially create, update, renew. So you create it yourself. You update it when you want to, you know, go to a different climate or activity, and then you renew it through the rest of your life by, by changing it up and adding different things to it and reversing it and.

[Laura Vinroopool]

All that stuff, which, by the way, is like a completely revolutionary idea in fashion. And I can tell you, like, I remember when Albert Elbaz, I remember seeing him speak about a collection I don't know, 10, 15 years ago. We got to sneak in and watch us talk to the team about the sales team. And he said, you know, every single piece here is meant to go with the last five seasons of work. I mean, that's what the, that's what this is. And it was the most, like, mind blowing thing because nobody thinks that way in fashion. You know, it's kind of like, clear out everything from last year and let's start Over.

[Georgia Dant]

Exactly.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And it's wrong.

[Georgia Dant]

You know, it's so wrong. And. And just by working for different brands, seeing that seasonal collection after seasonal collection, the kind of. By the time I left New York, we were doing, like, eight seasons or something.

[Laura Vinroopool]

I know.

[Georgia Dant]

And I think I just. I was just like, this is just, like, ludicrous.

[Laura Vinroopool]

What are we even designing?

[Georgia Dant]

What are we doing? I didn't even know what I was designing anymore. I was like. I just don't even like anything because I just don't even know what. I can't even think. And so, for me, like, this whole Martha experience of taking. And this is what I loved about who Judd was. He took himself out of the circuit and he just took himself to this remote destination and created this community based around something that he truly believed in.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

And was incredibly prolific by being in those conditions. And I think that I took my. I wanted to take myself out of this kind of, you know, fashion world and just create something that. That was completely different, that was based around the idea of. Of renewing a piece. Creating a piece yourself, expressing your own identity. Not what the designer wants to do. It's. It's what the customer wants. Creating this. This kind of blank canvas for a customer to adapt the piece for. For whoever they are and wherever they go, not just for the season and what the trend is like. For me, that's just completely. It's. It's not relevant. So I wanted to create. It was truly relevant to people's lifestyles and for me to. To. I went to Italy, I went to my factories that I used to work with, and I said, look, this is not going to be easy because it's not the normal way of doing things. There are no. There's going to be no seasons. Everything's seasonless. Everything can be built up for winter and stripped back down for spring. The calendar. We're not going to have a calendar. It's going to be when we need to add things, we're going to add things. When we need to develop things, we're going to develop things. And it's going to be a collection of continuity in the sense that the same things that I launched with you now, this was in 2018. We're going to be making these in 2028. It's the same. It doesn't change. What changes is the accessory so that people can keep switching it up. We're going to add new things, of course, but the new things complement the original things, and so you can wear them together. It's a collection of It's a circular collection in that sense. And also what I was very, very focused on creating was a company which also was responsible. So I wanted to be responsible for all of the fabrics. So our fabrics, we use them up every season by doing patchwork styles. So you'll see quite a lot of color blocking and sort of patchworking in our collection. It's because at the end of our kind of production run, we then take the fabrics and then we reuse them so we never have any waste. It's zero waste brand.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Like, that's insane.

[Georgia Dant]

Zero. And I also go to the factories and I find, and it's funny you mentioned Lanvan there because actually our new shearling collar color is this pale blue. And it was left over from a land van production from three years ago. And I just saw this box. I was like, what's in that box? They were like, oh, it's just, you know, leftover. We're gonna throw it away. And I was like, nope, no. So now it's become our best selling color.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh my God.

[Georgia Dant]

We make these things now that are collectible because it's. There's a finite amount of them.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

To answer your initial question, what was the most difficult trip you ever took? I've got to say it's Martha, because it completely inspired me to change my life, jump off the merry go round that I was on, move back to London and start again essentially self funded on my own. That was, that's. I just, I mean, it was the, the biggest risk of my life. So I either was gonna totally blame Donald Judd for everything or, or thank him for everything.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, and how long after that trip did you actually move back to England?

[Georgia Dant]

It was probably about 18 months later. I gave actually a 12 month notice period. I think I quit in 2017. I left in 2018, the end of. Right at the beginning of 2018. And then I took the year to develop the brand, actually. So I didn't launch until kind of midway through 2019, but I took, I took a year and a bit to kind of really, really have a laser focused vision on what I wanted to do without being influenced by anyone else. Just really. What, what? The world doesn't need another fashion brand. So what? How can I create something that actually is genuinely needed? And I just felt like in the women's wear space, in the luxury womenswear space, this concept was needed. And we are very. Well, we are validated every day.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Exactly. Well, and, and the thing I think that is really interesting about it, I think just I've Just come back from market and you know, you hear we have eight or ten appointments a day and you have a salesperson from a, you know, from a brand in Milan who is Brazilian, you know, saying, these are our best selling things. You, you definitely need to add this to your, to your, to buy. And you just are like, I live in North Carolina. You have no idea what my climate is like. You have no idea who my clients are. You have no idea what their lifestyle is and what they do. And I think that it's a, it is extremely unusual to give the power of that to the client and to say like, I mean, and even thinking, you know, thinking about your trip to Marfa, I'm like, I don't even know what the climate is like in Marfa. I don't even know what you would pack for Marfa.

[Georgia Dant]

Exactly. I didn't know either.

[Laura Vinroopool]

But a client will know that. That and a client will know exactly. You know, this is where I'm going. This is how I feel on airplanes. This is what I'm going to want. I'm a hiker. I'm not a hiker. I need to go out to dinner. I mean, all the things. And it's totally in the control of the client.

[Georgia Dant]

Exactly. And this is why I love doing these trunk shows.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

Because I get to go around the US in particular, because the US is actually 65% of our business. I didn't really know how that happened, but it happened totally organically.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Let's go back to when you left Rag and Bone and you moved back to Great Britain and did you have a mentor? Did you talk to people about doing this and you said it's self funded. I mean, tell me how you did that. I mean, how did you figure that out?

[Georgia Dant]

I shot my eyes and just. Yeah, I think I, I thought I was, you know, everyone thought I was a bit nuts. You know, sometimes when you just have this itch and you just have to, you sort of become a little blinkered. And even though, you know, people were telling me, don't do it, it's really difficult. I mean, people were telling me, don't do it out of pure love. Not, not sort of. Not from a competitive, like, you know. Yeah.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Like really, we don't want to see you get hurt.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah. It was purely to protect me. And, and I can't tell you the number of people that were just, you know, really honest and just like, look, you're a great designer, but I just. You've never run a business before. Like, it's a really Tough. It's a really tough market out there. It's a tough world. Don't do it. I think when someone tells me, don't do it or you can't do it, it makes me want to do it more. I think for me, it was actually the best thing for people to have said because I really, I really knew that this was needed. It wasn't. If I was just going to create something that, you know, already existed, then, yes, that feedback was fully valid and they. They were right. But I think because I knew this was something that didn't exist in the market and that was really needed and that people's mentality and they really wanted to that kind of live in a more responsible and conscious way, I think. Well, I suppose that happened actually during the pandemic. That hadn't really happened yet when I launched. The people were starting to think more in that way in 2018. So anyway, I decided that I wasn't going to listen and I was going to do it. And I just said to my partner who, you know, without his, you know, support, I wouldn't have been able to do it. He said, you know, look, if you've got to do this, you've got to do this. I'll support you. You know, you don't have to, you know, I'll cover the mortgage. Like, just do it. So I. I was like, okay, I have. I have the sort of, you know, the. The foundation to be able to do this. I'd worked incredibly hard to. To financially be able to do this. And I saved up all my money. It was my own money. I was like, okay, I'm either gonna. What am I going to do with this? This is what I really want to do. I really have this strong feeling I'm just going to take this risk. And I had a. I had a. Actually, the founder of or Bar Brown was Adam Brown. He was a very, very, very helpful mentor in the. In the early days. My partner at the time was designing for him. And so he was very, very kind in offering me some really good advice. And one thing that he said to me, that was a piece of advice I always remember. He was like, you are no longer a designer. You are a salesperson. And I was like, what? I didn't really understand what he meant. Now I 100 understand what he meant. I am no longer a designer. I am. I. I am like, I just. Yeah, I sell. This is. This is what I do. This is my brand. I really.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, because that's the ultimate goal, right?

[Georgia Dant]

Well, if I Don't have any customers. I don't have any brand for me. And I, and I believe in this concept so much. I live by this concept that I want to show other people like that actually it's so much better for your life. So you can have less and. But do more with it and travel and it's just. And you can also have these pieces that are like super special. And you're helping fund these amazing communities in Italy. And we're really, I hope, trying to do, you know, really good stuff. So anyway, I'm hyper passionate about it. So for me, this. It's not even selling. It's just like trying to tell everyone.

[Laura Vinroopool]

It'S sharing, really sharing.

[Georgia Dant]

It's sharing. So anyway, so he, he was really, he was really helpful. You know, he gave me a couple of really great meetings and, you know, very generous with his time. And he kind of gave me some, you know, I ideas of, of how to kind of stay sane and what were those?

[Laura Vinroopool]

Love to know that. And then you start. And Georgia, you started with E Comic.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. I was very, very, very clear that I wanted to be a direct consumer brand. I've been at companies that were mostly sort of wholesale led. Yeah, for me, being on my own, it was incredibly important to reach the customer myself and to talk to the customer myself and to have this laser focus of what the brand is without somebody else's cadence of what sold better in their store. And like, yeah, I really, really, really wanted to start direct. And I think for me it was the right thing to do because it really authentically and organically grew my brand in these communities that are loyal supporters of Mary. And I think if I, if I hadn't taken that route, it wouldn't have grown like this in this way. But probably after maybe 18 months, I wanted to partner with a very selective set of partners that could really understand the brand and really celebrate the brand and really introduce the brand in the right way to their, to their communities and their networks. So 18 months in, I started to sell to a very few boutique stores around the world. The first stores were in South Korea, Japan, a few in Europe and net supporter and matches. They were the first like group. I still live by the same principle that I want to work with key partners that really can educate the consumer on this concept, not just to buy clothes. And Laura, you are the only stockist in the whole of the usa. And that is intentional. That is intentional because I believe that you and your. I absolutely love what you do and I believe that you are the right Partner to tell your network and community about Martha stance in the right way. And I think that I'm incredibly happy and supportive of what you do as well. So I think.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, it seems to work because we have no more inventory. We've.

[Georgia Dant]

Oh, really? Oh, okay, great.

[Laura Vinroopool]

I'm glad you're coming for the trunk show, but thank you. It means. That means the world, and I appreciate it so much. What has been the most meaningful part of the journey so far?

[Georgia Dant]

I think for me, it's our customers. It's so meaningful to me to see people really wear Moffat's dance and really love wearing Moffat's dance and really living by the concept. I love it when people send me pictures of their suitcase and they've got one piece, five collars, three hoods, a liner and a parker. And this is all they packed. And they're going for like a month to, I don't know, wherever they're going.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah.

[Georgia Dant]

And they really live it. That's all they take. Plus, I don't know, the T shirts, shirts, jeans, whatever. But in terms of a. An outerwear offering, that's all they need. And they can go across all these different places within one month and they are like, this is great. This is exactly all I need. So for me, that is the most meaningful thing. And it's also the. Just the validation and the acknowledgment from people when they then recommend, via word of mouth to their friends. This is, for me, the most. It's. Yeah. I have so much gratitude for everyone that has done that and so many people do that. I think our business has grown strong in a. In a. In an authentic and genuine way. Strongly through the word of mouth.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Yeah, no bots here. These are real people.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah, exactly.

[Laura Vinroopool]

They're real.

[Georgia Dant]

Like, we, you know, I really, really wanted to. To not pay. I mean, we don't pay influencers. We don't do any of that stuff. It's not what I believe in. For me, it's so sincere when actually it's. It's customers really telling other. Their. Their friends. And then somebody sees somebody wearing it and stops them in the street and says, where's that from? And they say, oh, it's this brand from the uk and like, you should check them out. And, you know, we. We have so many wonderful customers that are just so incredibly supportive. And for me, that's the most meaningful thing. That's. I mean, everyone looks great in everything too, I've got to say. Really very validating. And it's, it's something that you Know, when we launch a new, you know, product, I'm actually wearing our new sweater that, you know, you take the neck off, you can take the sleeves off. It can be five different things. When people start to kind of collect from us and they're like, we've just brought out this sweater. There's not many pieces they collect in the bag and, you know, all this kind of thing. So for me, that's. That's the most amazing thing. And I love. I love what's happening right now in. Especially in the US where people are actually inviting us into their home to host an event with us. And for me, that's just. It couldn't get more meaningful than that.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Agreed. Did you ever feel like you had gone in the wrong direction? Were there ever times when you thought, what have I done?

[Georgia Dant]

I mean, honestly, no. Honestly, no. I think from a product perspective, I'm very clear on what I. What I want to design and what I want to produce. And it's, It's. It doesn't happen that often because I don't think it's needed. When it's needed, I, of course, do it. We've just. We're actually just launching a waterproof raincoat and waterproof hood, because I think that was missing from our collection. Something fully waterproof. But, no, I mean, it was. It was a. It was a tricky journey, Laura, because, you know, I launched it sort of late in 2019, and the pandemic happened early 2020. So I really haven't had time to make that mistakes in a catastrophic way because there's been all these crazy world situations like Brexit and the pandemic that have kind of distracted me somewhat.

[Laura Vinroopool]

But also, I think, weirdly like, that also gave you an audience that was not distracted by other things.

[Georgia Dant]

Exactly. I mean, yes. Not to be in any way insensitive, the pandemic actually helped us be more meaningful to the. To the community that were interested in mafaisance, and it also gave us more time to be able to connect and really interact so that I have, you know, that I have some moments within the pandemic that, of course, I was thinking, what on earth have I done? And how am I going to get out of this situation? But for the most part, it was actually a really incredible time for us, and in the sense that. That we were really connecting with our customers in a way that perhaps we wouldn't have been able to do if there wasn't a pandemic, because we would have been running, running, running. And I think it made also it really reinforced actually what we were trying to do. And I had created the company with this stance in mind of responsible living, buying less, but buying things that do more for you. Giving back to a community. Even before the pandemic, we were doing, we always do sort of each month a donation to some organization that we're promoting on our end. And whenever we do a pop up within the local community, we do a give back. So we were already doing this before the pandemic happened. And I think when the pandemic happened, people really had this mindset shift of, you know, we want to be better humans. And I think that what we were trying to do was really resonated with a lot of people and I think a lot of people really wanted to support, I mean, young brands, I mean, particularly ones that had just launched. So there was a real, a real sense of support from people. And particularly being a female founder, I think that there was a lot of women in our kind of network that really wanted the brand to, to, you know, succeed so well.

[Laura Vinroopool]

And I think ultimately too, just the product itself is comforting and it, yeah, it's soft and it's light and it feels like a baby blanket and it feels, it's love. It's really lovable.

[Georgia Dant]

Yes. Yeah. And, you know, I mean, that's pretty cool in it. You know, they weren't just like walking because all you do is walk around the park with your dog.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Exactly.

[Georgia Dant]

I think people really wanted to like, have a kind of cool coat that.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Do you have any recommendations for young entrepreneurs or people that want to start a business and don't know how?

[Georgia Dant]

I mean, I have probably. If you have you got five hours, I can give you some advice over the course of five hours and some pitfalls over the course of five hours. I mean, I would say it's, it's a tricky one to kind of advise people because every journey is so different. And I think that, you know, you might, you. This is something. Another piece of advice someone gave me that, you know, really don't follow anyone else's path. You've got to really follow, follow your own. And that's easier said than done. That's, that's, you know, that sort of, it's very, it's very, it's very scary to do this. And I think it's, it's a very brave thing and a courageous thing if you do decide to do it. And it's easy to look around at what other people are doing and get, you know, panicked and want to just follow their path. But I think you've really. You've got to be incredibly confident about your idea or what it is you want to create, and you've just got to stick by it. And you've got to have a laser focus and you've got to just not be influenced by anything else. And you've just got to figure out how to be very consistent and very clear with your messaging of whatever you want to produce and create and building a business. You have to be aware that there's an incredible amount of sacrifice and the commitment is extreme. And I think if you're not prepared for that, then it's not going to work. But I think you have to. You just have to wear every hat. You have to suddenly be a. Be a salesperson. You have to be the financial director. You have to be the HR representative. You have to be the shipping expert. Yeah. Or not in my case, but the shipping person. You have to just be able to adapt and problem solve. I think that's my biggest piece of advice to anyone. Find creativity and problem solving.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Well, and I think, Georgia, you seem like you were sort of born as a problem solver and that sort of person, but I also think it's interesting that it sounds like all of your experiences before this really coalesced to enable you to do this, you know, And I think that people, I think young people especially forget that. That even bad experiences or so. So experiences really push you further on your path to. To what it is you really should be doing.

[Georgia Dant]

Absolutely. I think if you don't kind of, you know, go through and make mistakes throughout your life, you're never gonna know what is the right path. And I think that there's. Yeah, there's. There's success in failure. I know that's sort of. Yeah, but there really is. And I think, I really believe that. And I think that, you know, you be. Be prepared to fail. And I think it's. Yeah, it feels good sometimes to make a mistake and really learn from it. I mean, you don't want to make too many, but I think it's sometimes good to make some. And yeah, I think it's just how. How you deal with the repercussions is what makes you stronger.

[Laura Vinroopool]

The podcast is called what We Wore, and we ask everybody on the podcast what they wore to the prom. And I know they didn't have proms in Cambridge. Do you have a favorite. Well, do you have a favorite dress you've worn or something you've worn? Jacket or do you have a favorite.

[Georgia Dant]

Piece that you've Made, I think, or.

[Laura Vinroopool]

A place when you felt your best. You're like. You felt your. Your prom best.

[Georgia Dant]

Oh, my goodness. All I can think of is the worst things I can tell you, like. Well, I'll tell you one best and one worse. We. We in. In Cambridge, actually. We did have. Because I went to school in Cambridge, and we. We had the kind of. It's called the May Ball. It's. I guess it's the equivalent of the prom. And I thought it was really cool to go to the vintage shop and. And get this, like, vintage Vivian Westwood thing. It was. No, it's not, unfortunately. It should have been. But actually, I just thought it was very cool and just. And it was just so not me. And it had these. It was. It was the same color as, like, I don't know, you know, a band aid. It was kind of like that strange, like, funny pinky color.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Okay.

[Georgia Dant]

Iridescent, and it's ruched, skin tight.

[Laura Vinroopool]

These look nude.

[Georgia Dant]

So I just looked nude with loads of, like, rushy rolly kind of, I don't know, like, lumpy, bumpy things, big gloves. So I thought I was being, like, very sort of ball ready, but just not nail it. And I turned up and, you know when everyone's in these beautiful gowns and looking so elegant, and I just came in looking like. I mean, yeah, I really. I just. I just got quite drunk and.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Did your parent. What did your parents say when you were. You were getting ready to leave?

[Georgia Dant]

They were like, well, my mom, she was just like, what? You look like a total state. What are you doing? And that made me want to do it because I was like, oh, she just doesn't understand. It's. I was being a punk. And, yeah, it didn't work at all, so hence I have no photos of that night. I hope no one else does.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Exactly. We're gonna check.

[Georgia Dant]

Yeah.

[Laura Vinroopool]

Oh, I love that. Thank you, Georgia.

[Georgia Dant]

Thank you. Thank you very much for everyone.

[Laura Vinroopool]

What We Wore is produced by Capitol and Balto Creative Media. The original song Someone so Enchanting was composed and performed by Britt Drazda. Please follow us on Instagram hatweworepodcast for additional content and show updates. Queencitypodcastnetwork.

[Georgia Dant]

Com.