From Spark to Studio: Mary & Shelley's Deadstock Design Philosophy
Lindsay and Natalie revisit the years between an ambitious idea and the independent leather goods label they imagined all along
By: The Lace Ledger Staff
Great ideas have a funny way of torturing their creator until they are fully animated.
The first spark behind Mary & Shelley appeared years before the brand itself. Long before the leather guitar bags and deadstock materials, there were two alt fashion students with a shared passion in horror and music, and ambitious to pursue design. The concept lingered, bubbling beneath the surface, through corporate careers and years spent learning the realities of an industry they would one day disrupt. Rather than rushing to build something before they understood it, they allowed the idea to evolve alongside them.
For impatient individuals (present company included) immersed in a hurry-up culture; this method can feel tortuous. Yet Mary & Shelley is a reminder that some of our best ideas need time to mature like a well-cellared vintage, developing depth and character before they're finally uncorked.
Ahead, founders Lindsay and Natalie revisit the origins of Mary & Shelley, unpacking the realities of building an independent fashion brand and sharing why patience became one of their greatest creative assets.
Garments with a Pulse: A Conversation with Beloved Fashion Designer, Evan Clayton
An exploration of early inspiration, gothic influences and his latest collection
By: Amanda Albert
Fashion, at its highest level, is wearable sculpture. It is an art form designed to move the body and the mind, in tandem.
Because it resists practicality, it is often misunderstood as excessive, theatrical or, frankly, weird. What it truly resists is complacency.
Evan’s work belongs to this lineage of fashion as cultural intervention. Each collection is built as an emotional architecture rather than a seasonal offering designed to dress trips to the grocery store.
His garments carry narrative, emotion, defiance and devotion with weight meant to endure. On the runway, the story each collection carries unfolds as performance art.
In an era that largely flattens fashion into trend cycles, Evan insists on depth. He designs not to decorate the body, but to transform how we experience it.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Evan to discuss his latest collection, what came before and what we can expect next.