We recently connected with Melissa Araujo and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

I am originally from Brazil, but moved to Canada to pursue my education. On my last year of university in Business my friends and strangers alike kept on asking where I bought some of my clothes. I’ve noticed it was the pieces I had designed and had my mom’s seamstress back home make it for me. And I would tell people I’ve designed, choose the fabric and someone made it for me in Brazil. They started asking that next time I’ve designed something and went home to make them something too and they would purchase from me. I did a few and it made me feel so good, excited and proud. Once I’ve finished university I’ve decided to go back to school but this time to pursue a fashion design diploma so I could understand and learn more about the fashion industry. Because once I saw some of my friends wearing a piece I’ve created I knew I wanted to pursue this as a career.

I’ve also learned that fast fashion is one of the main polluters of the planet and exploiters of other humans especially female and children in developing countries. I knew I didn’t want to be just another fashion brand exploiting the planet and humans just for profit. That led me to move into a more conscious, slow and sustainable approach to my business. So from the start M-A was a brand that cared for where pieces are being made, how are the workers being treated, fair wages, what materials are being used and sourced. M-A was created for the person who is looking to include minimal, high quality basics into their wardrobe. M-A is seasonless and does not follow trends. Pieces are handmade in Vancouver, Canada, small quantities and some pieces are made to order to keep waste to a minimum. Most of the pieces are made by me and at times I have another female freelancer help me with the sewing if I can’t keep up with the orders myself.

Melissa, 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?

Please read the first answer where I’ve explained how I got into fashion.

My brand M-A (short for my name Melissa Araujo) provides high quality apparel minimalist, neutral tones, small batches, seasonless, handmade pieces made in Vancouver, Canada. I’ve also extended our products to jewelry. For the jewelry I’ve used, 14k Gold, sterling silver and recycled mixed metals for quality and sustainability. The jewelry is a way to provide our customers with an extra way to express themselves in amore creative way. I am usually inspired by nature, architecture and abstract shapes. I think M-A is different from a lot of brands because it is truly an independent brand, I do everything myself and I do hope I can soon hire someone to help me so M-A can grow. From the design, to making the pattern, to creating the first sample, to choosing the fabric to making the final piece. I’m also the creative director and maker not only for the actual pieces but also for all the shoots I’ve done for all my collections at times even modelling some of them. I’ve literally wear all hats and when they say women can do it all I roar at the back and say yes we can!

I hope more consumers can see the value of supporting a small brand, because a lot of hard work, creativity, tears and sweat goes into creating and sustaining a fashion brand when you are not part of the fast fashion mentality. All of our choices can help the planet and another fellow human being. Shop small, shop consciously. Quality is better than quantity.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

At the start of 2020, I was thinking like many other business owners this is my year, 2020 is going to be incredible for growth, expansion and new adventures. I ordered extra fabric anticipating the sales I was going to get from the new collection and then Covid slowly started to come up on the news. At first I thought this will pass quickly and continue with the plan and strategy I had in place but sooner than later the world and myself saw that was not the case. Covid unfortunately affected not only small businesses but the whole world’s economy and health system. It turned my life, work and mentality upside down.

The first year of Covid was a real though year for my business and my mental health. Being from Brazil where covid took many lives and hearing not only from the news but also from friends and relatives how they were being affected had me at a real low point in my life. Between my businesses almost going under to having uncles died from Covid, to my brothers getting Covid badly before the vaccine was accessible was very though.

Having to stop production, stop creating and reassessing the business and my family well being all at the same time was very hard and many times overwhelming. But with the help of my life partner I was able to put things into perspective, readapt, started showing up without the same expectations and realized in time to change my strategy so I could stay afloat and get to a place where I could push forward again at my own pace.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the transparency on how things are made. Anyone is welcomed into my studio and they have seen the process. A lot of my customers are recommendation from other clients who already have experience with my work, own my pieces and understand my values and belief systems as a person and for the M-A brand. I believe my customers choose M-A to live and shop consciously and intentionally. It is never about quantity but quality. A minimal wardrobe and accessory selection lead to a fuller and higher quality life for yourself and the environment.

They talk about the fit, the quality of the pieces how they last for a long time (if treated properly). how they have for years and whenever they wear it how they still love it and get compliments from other people. Word of mouth is powerful. I was also lucky to have had a few actresses like Emma Roberts buy some of my pieces while she was filming in Toronto, Also stylists have used my pieces for shoots, commercials and Netflix premiers. Which I am so thankful because not only exposed my brand to the actresses wearing but also to the people watching them. Some of those actresses after the shoot or events have purchased my pieces and posted about it like Ashleigh Murray, Madeleine Arthur and Serinda Swan to name a few

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.melissaaraujo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissa.araujo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063485019681