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designer q+a | slideshow | micaela greg | fall 2012
words_dena rochelle
My buddy Deirdre, of Curator, introduced me to this line and I think it’s beautiful! One flip thru the lookbook and I knew it was a perfect fit for a Tres Chic Now special feature. It’s one of those lines that makes me happy about the impending cooler temps of fall. I love to layer, which is why I cannot wait to get my hands on some of these amazing knits. Without further ado, I give you Karen and Marie—sisters and San Francisco-based designers—of Micaela Greg:
Dena ~ What makes your line stand out from other knitwear collections?
Karen ~ “We focus on bold geometric patterning in effortless silhouettes. A super soft hand feel is very important to us, so we make our sweaters from fine quality Italian yarns.”
Marie ~ “Also something that can’t be seen until you turn the garment inside out is that all of our knits are manufactured in the U.S. We do everything here, which was our biggest hurdle in getting started. Small scale knitwear manufacturing in the U.S. is like finding the Loch Ness Monster nowadays.”
Dena ~ Are there any signature styles that remain in the line season after season?
Karen ~ “We always gravitate towards a black and white palette so that remains constant in the line season after season. We have a style called the Cube Shrug that has been in the line since 2009, its has a great texture and drape and the optic geometric pattern is really easy to wear in black and white. We use draping techniques in our silhouettes which gives our knitwear a distinctive feel.”
Dena ~ How do you work together? Do you have different responsibilities or is it a true collab thru the entire process?
Marie ~ “I would say that Karen is focused on the big picture and I am a little more of the dreamer. But there is really no clear delineation of who does what. We both have our hands in every single step of the process. We have been collaborators since the days of making potholders and fimo bead necklaces when we were young. We are only 15 months apart in age. We have husbands that have been best friends since they were 12. We have babies that are 5 months apart. We worked designing at a company for years, only desks apart. To say we share the same vision is an understatement I guess. We agree on almost everything aesthetically. We definitely both have strengths and we know each other so well that often times our roles are unspoken. We know what needs to get done and we just both work towards that goal.”
Dena ~ Which pieces are you most looking forward to wearing this fall?
Karen ~ “The Poncho that you have pictured [above] is certainly a favorite. It’s so versatile. It can be worn buttoned, unbuttoned, as a poncho or as an over sized scarf. It’s super cozy and a great piece for layering.”
Dena ~ What other designers/brands do you like to wear with MG?
Marie ~ “We both really enjoy vintage shopping and mixing with designer pieces. But what we really like is seeing how other people individualize wearing our knitwear, injecting their own sense of style. It’s always inspiring. We have a friend that wore a knit legging and cardigan both in a matching geometric patterns out. She did accessorize it with a beautiful Margiela tote and the look was definitely a head turner for one reason or another.”
Dena ~ Who are your top retailers?
Karen ~ “We do great in independent boutiques, like Eden & Eden and Conifer and we were picked up by Steven Alan stores this season which we thought was a great fit.”
Dena ~ What are your fave blogs and fashion sites?
Marie ~ “We have less and less time to just cruise the internet these days since we are trying to run this business with two toddlers running around. But a fashion site that has been around for a while that we often enjoy looking at is ShowStudio. We have also always loved Advanced Style (we, of course, want to become one of the ladies one day).
Dena ~ Any faves on Pinterest?
Marie ~ “Any pinner that has a board dedicated to textiles!”
