We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mary Cross a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Mary, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s go back in time to when you were an intern or apprentice – what’s an interesting story you can share from that stage of your career?
Finding an internship in my field and location was tougher than I anticipated. Living in the Midwest definitely limited my options, but I applied to as many opportunities as I could. At first, I was set on landing something in fashion, but when I was offered an internship as creative designer for a women’s outerwear company I accepted. The company specialized in women’s hunting, fishing, and snowmobile apparel—all sports I had never participated in. Safe to say it wasn’t exactly what I had imagined. The learning curve was steep as there was a lot to know about the different sports and how to design for complex technical garments. It didn’t help that I didn’t have the same passion for outerwear that I did for fashion, so decided to challenge myself to think differently about it. I told myself “if you did like these activities how would you want to look? What would be important to you?” That shift in perspective really helped me step into the mind of the target market. Not too long after that, I adapted and began to thrive—quickly designing and developing stylish yet functional garments. One of my favorite accomplishments came when I was tasked with creating a cold-weather hunting garment that went on to become one of the company’s best sellers.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
From a very young age, I was always sketching fashion illustrations and creating mini collections. There was never a moment where I didn’t have a pen and sketchpad with me. Even though I continued to grow my sketching and sewing skills well into high school, I was told that fashion design was an impractical career so I didn’t pursue it initially. After trying out a few “practical” jobs and realizing I absolutely hated them, I finally decided to follow my true passion. At 23, I enrolled in fashion school, and while I was the oldest in my class, I didn’t let it deter me—instead, it pushed me to work harder. By then, I knew this was where belonged.
My start in the industry came after I was offered a job as Head Designer and Merchandiser from the same company I interned for. While it wasn’t the glamorous “fashion job” I had always envisioned, I saw it as a great opportunity and went with it. I found unexpected excitement in the challenge of turning basic, functional pieces into something beautiful. My goal was to create designs that looked so good and functioned so well that anyone would want to wear them—whether they were into hunting/fishing/snowmobiling or not.
The ultimate moment of validation came when I saw Cardi B rocking the hunting jacket and bib I designed in her “Cardi B Tries Survival” segment. It was surreal to see her in that camo set, but she owned it! Seeing someone of her caliber pull off that design so flawlessly was a real win. After years of pouring my heart and creativity into that company, however I felt it was time to move on to new challenges. I took the leap into freelancing, and since then, I’ve been lucky enough to collaborate with some amazing clients and explore fresh, exciting opportunities across the fashion design world.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Both in university and in my career, I’ve faced challenges I didn’t anticipate. As a student, I pulled many all-nighters while trying to “balance” work and school life. The program I was in had a very high drop-out rate due to its rigorous nature. There was constant critiquing, constant projects, and, unlike other programs, the work didn’t stop during any academic break. It felt grueling at times, but I stayed motivated by the question, “What else is there?” The answer for me was simple—there was nothing I’d rather do than this, and I was determined to forge my own path. Dropping out or quitting was never a consideration. Even when another student tried to sabotage my work, I worked extra hard to ensure nothing I did went in vain. Looking back, I’m so glad I didn’t let the negativity get to me, because the truth is, I had so many more people rooting for me. Presenting my junior and senior collections was a huge success, and I was even awarded Best in Show. I’m a firm believer that hard work pays off.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Over the course of my career, I’ve made some truly amazing connections in this industry. I’ve met a lot of awesome people at trade shows, fabric shows, and through other opportunities I’ve had along the way. Through these shows and opportunities, I’ve been able to grow my network both in person and online, which, in turn, has helped grow my clientele. It helps to be curious, friendly, and to ask people questions. My bit of advice for people looking to grow their clientele or network is: don’t be afraid to connect with people in person or on LinkedIn, send a cold-email if there’s a company or person you’d like to connect with, and always have some business cards on hand in case the opportunity to pass them out arises.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maryccross.com/
- Instagram: fashionbymccxoxo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-c-cross-3ba888108
