Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mara McGinley. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mara, thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?
I think my self-discipline comes from childhood. My parents instilled a strong work ethic and to always work on achieve a goal outside of school- to be able to have a passion or hobby. I excelled at volleyball when I was younger and spent 6 days a week practicing with different coaches and teams, traveling around the country and going to the Junior Olympics twice. Being an athlete teaches you discipline and I think that has been instilled in me, especially while pursuing working on my business and other goals in my life. To be able to achieve anything worthwhile, it takes showing up consistently. Not everything is going to be a win or huge success immediately, but it’s about the discipline and having the confidence to try and learn.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m the owner and founder of an independent clothing brand, MARA THE LABEL. It’s a sustainable women’s brand that develops collections locally in Los Angeles. I primarily design Resort Wear: dresses, sets, loungewear pieces. I also assist with the Creative Direction of the photoshoots and bring the idea to life with photographers and models. I love collaborating with people and seeing an idea come to life. As a designer, I develop the concept from creating a story and moodboard, along with sourcing textiles to develop the concept and work on creating each garment with care and precision to fit. It’s really rewarding when a customer gets excited with how a garment fits them and enhances their confidence.
My brand is currently sold at LAYA Collective in Santa Monica and 1Hotel West Hollywood.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I grew up watching my mom sew a lot of my clothes growing up for holidays, costumes and dance recitals. She made it seem easy and just something you learned how to do. I took a sewing class in middle school and in high school took a textile class where we made a quilt. It wasn’t until college in Fashion school that I properly learned how to sew though. My biggest interest in school was always Art class. I loved learning about a new technique, how to draw with charcoal or paint with different mediums.
I used my interest in art to study Graphic Design and that really opened up an avenue for developing a fashion brand, as I learned Branding, Typography, Layout and Creative Suite .
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I’ve expanded to 2 new stores. 1 in Santa Monica, the other at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.maralabel.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marathelabel_/
Image Credits
Tomas Urbano, Emily Cummings
