Care What You Wear: The Story of Majamas Earth
Offering eco-friendly, fair fashion made in the U.S.A., Majamas Earth is pushing the boundaries of conscious clothing.
As a pioneer in maternity fashion—and now producing a range of items for women, men, babies, and even pets—Majamas Earth’s high-quality, ultra-comfortable clothing is created using sustainable fabrics and low-impact production.
We had a chance to connect with the founder of ME, Germaine Caprio to discuss her vision for Majamas Earth and the future of sustainable fashion.
So, what’s your story?
Crazy but true, I actually got into the garment industry because I had a baby.
I couldn't find anything to wear under my business suits for easy, discreet nursing access and I was tired of sleeping in a bra so I took matters into my own hands and designed and patented the very first nursing tank for new moms. I brought it to Nordstrom Department Stores and they bought it.
Suddenly I was thrown into the fashion business.
Getting that first P.O. from a major retailer was the moment I knew I had to start my company, Majamas Earth.
Nordstrom validated my belief more women needed the same thing I did.
When they placed reorders for the tank and asked for more designs I knew I was on to something. Majamas created an entire category in post-maternity/ transition wear that never really existed before and I was thrilled to be an innovator in that market.
Why does this matter to you?
Anytime we can improve on an industry, it's a good thing.
I definitely improved the post maternity market but I realized underneath all the hype connected to the fashion business was an ugly, high-polluting industry that needed to change.
I was raised by a mom who saw climate change coming way before the rest of the world so when I got into such a dirty business, I knew I had to operate differently. Ensuring Majamas Earth leaves the smallest impact on the planet is incredibly important to me.
It's the only way we can create our clothing and the way all clothing should be made: responsibly!
What have been the biggest takeaways since launching?
Since launching Majamas Earth, I've learned that everything changes.
Our maternity collection is no longer a big part of our business and if we hadn't seen that coming we'd be out of the game.
Today we design clothing all women can wear and we have an eco-friendly, ethically, USA made men's collection too. Fashion moves fast but I've learned by creating it thoughtfully and responsibly we have the power to slow it down and make sustainable clothing that lasts.
That's good for us and the planet.
How have you noticed this landscape changing?
Everyone blames Amazon for obliterating brick-and-mortar business. But I believe if it hadn't been them, it would have been someone or something else.
When we started we sold to hundreds of small boutiques in addition to bigger chains but after the 2008 recession, that changed. Small boutiques fell away and online business flourished.
A brick-and-mortar store without a website failed fast. I think small boutiques offering an experience in addition to clothes will survive for a while.
As for ‘fast fashion,’ while they may be trying to green-wash their image, I believe the more we educate the public about how damaging it is, the more people will care where their clothes come from and stop supporting it.
One of the biggest changes from a wholesale supplier perspective is the stores we wholesale to and our direct customers are buying less. That's a good thing but it means the days of holding stock for our retailers is gone so we are only making what's selling consistently.
It's a tough balance as a supplier and an even tougher one as a retailer because supplying clothing is our revenue stream and the less we make, well the less we sell.
The thing is, clothing isn't like appliances; people need to replace it but if we can offer longer lasting options, I believe our customers will return to us and that is a sustainable business.
Where do you plan to go from here?
Majamas Earth will continue to create ethically made, eco-friendly capsule collections for Women, Men and Baby moving away from maternity.
By offering smaller collections and appealing to more people we plan on growing our business and changing the fashion industry for the better.
On another side, I'm getting more involved with universities and teaching fashion students there's more to the apparel business than designing clothes. They need to apply their eye for fashion to web design, marketing and social media so they can bring more awareness to the responsible, more eco-friendly options like Majamas Earth and other brands operating right.
Majamas Earth isn't a big clothing company. We're tiny but mighty and we're passionate about the planet. We do our best to create beautiful fashion that doesn't harm our beautiful planet and we're proud of what we do and how we make our clothes.
Eco-friendly clothing doesn't have to look like plain vanilla. It can be bright, fun and fashionable. And that’s what we’re about.
Germaine Caprio
Founder, Majamas Earth
Committed to making beautiful eco-friendly clothing that doesn't destroy our beautiful planet.
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