We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gregory Lagola. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gregory below.
Gregory, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
For many years working as a fashion designer for many different companies, I always felt that there was a lot of waste, both in terms of time, materials, and resources, and this was before the conversations around sustainability had become important and prevalent. When i decided to start my own brand of demi-couture women’s wear, I knew that I would only be comfortable in doing so if I could find a way to have the idea make sense for me, personally, and professionally. The personal part was the need for me to create a company that would be as efficient and non-wasteful as possible. The professional part was wanting to create a company that could sustain itself over time.
Why is this meaningful? I think for two reasons. One is that re-purposing and using existing resources runs in my DNA. My father was re-purposing long before the term existed, and I grew up in that type of environment. Secondly, it just feels like the smart and responsible thing to do, given the sobering statistics we are seeing around garment manufacturing waste and it’s impact on the environment.
Gregory, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started my journey towards fashion through my early interest in Architecture. I had wanted to be an architect all through High School so I entered University in that discipline. It became clear however that creating building models and agonizing over how to properly generate floor plans was not going to be for me. At the same time, I discovered a paper called WWD and W in our University book shop and I was mesmerized. I stared at the fashion illustrations and couldn’t get enough, and for me, there were some parallels to Architecture, since like Architecture, Fashion is an applied art, it calls for a “user” to experience it and live in it which appealed to me in every way. From that day on, I decided to finish my degree in Art, and then attend FIT in New York to study fashion and embark on the journey that would bring me here. And where exactly is here? My journey has taken many twists and turns through the years, but I am now comfortably where I need to be. My business is centered on crafting one of a kind styles utilizing zero waste cutting methods where possible, and working with existing fabrics to cut down on textile waste. This is something I have been interested in doing for many years, even before it was fashionable to incorporate sustainable practices. I offer my clients the opportunity to wear items that were carefully designed and crafted, while recognizing their long term impact. Slow fashion is the buzz word surrounding these initiatives, and I’m fully engaged. I am also proud of the fact that I can sustain my business independently, and through word of mouth alone, I have been able to keep moving forward with new methods, and styles, constantly learning and engaging with customers as well as local makers in new York to refine and build the best high fashion brand I can.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As it happened, and who can predict such things, I ended up launching the first iteration of my brand one week before the Covid driven shutdown in March of 2020. I had spent months of time and resources to prepare for the launch, and just like that, I had no market to sell to. It was devastating. But, I needed to find a way to survive and keep some money coming in (to pay off the debts incurred with photography web site, etc. So, like many others, I started making and selling masks. Thankfully, this helped keep the lights on and got me through that very difficult year. I decided at that time as well to institute a buy one/donate one program so while I was able to keep some money coming in, I was also able to provide some free masks to local charities which made the whole year somewhat manageable. I suppose the lesson I learned was to never give up, and if you need to pivot to keep your head above water, go with the flow! For me this was an experience, albeit a stressful one, in learning to be resilient, and to never give up on the long term goal.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
For me, I would really like to create an environment where I can continue to refine what a modern demi-couture fashion brand looks like in the 21st century. Apart from straightforward methods and practices, like zero-waste cutting and using overstocked textiles, there are many other areas that need work. For example: how to use less packing materials, replacing milled paper products with repurposed materials for tags and labels, how do we stay local, but sell to a wider range of customers? There’s also the challenge of educating your customers to buy more quality (read more expensive), but less quantity, while fast fashion outlets have the strongest voice? I envision a world of design driven (not trend driven) clothes that can be worn for many years, and even passed down to family and friends over time (like heirlooms). This is my mission and goal as I build my brand.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gregoryjoseph.com
- Instagram: @gregoryjosephcollection
Image Credits
Jana Schuessler