When you value your clothes, your style will flourish.
I’m Emily Mechling and I am a self-taught sewist and pattern maker. It all began when I realized I had an abundance of clothing in my closet that I no longer wore. I decided, rather than to get rid of the clothes, I would remake each article into something new.
Through this experiment, I learned about garment construction, design principles, and most importantly, patience. I developed a deep appreciation for clothing and it’s functionality. This soon lead me toward a passion I know my ancestors would be proud of.
Over the following year, I found myself elbow deep in thrift store fabrics, sorting and finding beautiful pieces that had been discarded by the previous owner. I studied pattern making workbooks and principles, listened to hours on end of podcasts revolving around the fashion industry. I spent countless hours drafting, seam ripping, perfecting, and then enjoying articles of clothing that I could proudly say I made from scratch.
It soon dawned on me how this lost art of sewing and mending has resulted in society losing an appreciation for the clothes on our back. This has in turn resulted in mass market apparel production, our over consumption, and an enormous amount of waste from clothing and textiles. But I would like to rewrite the narrative…
Why I began Mech.
Through Mech, I hope to reinstate value and intention into the garments that make up our wardrobes. I’m doing this by designing small batch, intentional clothing. All clothing is made up of deadstock, recycled, and repurposed textiles that are already within circulation. This makes each article I produce limited, one of a kind and helps to prevent those textiles from ending up in a landfill.
We all love new clothes, and if you, like me, want to begin making your closet more intentional, Mech is here to help!
