27 May, 2024
Madison Robson and Grace Morabito, best friends since birth, have turned their lifelong bond into a thriving fashion venture. The duo behind Madison Grace, a Melbourne-based clothing brand, combines their passion for fashion with a commitment to sustainability and timeless design. Madison and Grace discuss the late-night conversations that sparked their brand idea, the inspiration behind their pieces, and the challenges of growing their brand while staying true to their values.
Can you start by telling me how you two met and became best friends?
Madison: Believe it or not, we have known each other since we were born, 9 days apart to be exact. We share family and one of my first outings as a newborn was to visit Grace in hospital. We have been best friends ever since. We do everything together, and switching to a professional relationship has been nothing but seamless.
Talk about being day 1s. When did the idea of starting a clothing brand together first come up in your conversations?
Madison: It was honestly a late-night thought one night, throughout our younger years we have always wanted to do big milestones together, moving out, travelling, you name it, we wanted to do it together. I was studying marketing at the time, while Grace was at RMIT studying Fashion Merchandising, we thought why not combine our passions and put the two and two together?
And what was the first step you girls took towards making this brand a reality?
It would have to be naming our brand. Surprisingly, it took us a long time to figure out, but once we decided on Madison Grace, everything else just fell into place. There’s so much administration and time that goes into a business, and we did it all ourselves, which was the most challenging part. However, getting to create our brand aesthetic and designing the pieces we love made it all worth it in the end.
Madison Grace is known for its commitment to slow fashion and sustainability. What made you both embrace this approach?
We both are very conscious about our environmental impact as a brand. The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries, and through our education we were both taught how great of an impact it has. It is incredibly important for us to include sustainability and ethics into our brand culture. We hand make our pieces ourselves, and as we grow we want to keep our manufacturing local. Fashion should be slow, and our customers value the efforts we put into creating high-quality products that they will have forever and that has been made ethically, what could be more sustainable than that?
Earlier in our conversation, I mentioned that the 'Serena' set is what caught my eye. What was the design process like?
We wanted something sophisticated and timeless for summer. When we are designing something new, we start by choosing an aesthetic that we are both drawn to and want to explore. The set was first shot on a tennis court, as we wanted to reference the ‘Wimbledon’ aesthetic, and coming into the Australian Open, the timing was perfect.
Where do you draw inspiration for your pieces?
Inspiration for our pieces come from a range of places. We are our customer, a young woman that loves to dress up and go out. We are inspired by what we want to wear and translate that into our designs. For direct inspiration, we love looking back in time to the runways of the late 90s and early 2000s.
How do you manage to create designs that stay relevant yet timeless?
We prioritise timelessness when it comes to designing for our brand. In terms of trends, we explore what we are drawn to, and create something that we think will outlast the fashion cycle. We never go searching for trends, it just comes to us. We also enlist the help of our friends, showing initial sketches and designs, while taking in their reactions.
What do you hope women feel when they wear pieces from Madison Grace?
We hope our customers feel confident wearing Madison Grace. Our style emphasises a woman’s silhouette while being very chic. We value inclusivity and want Madison Grace customers to feel like they are a part of the brand. Each piece is designed to empower women to feel their best. We ensure that every garment we design not only looks stunning but feels amazing to wear.
Grace, can you share a personal favourite piece from your collection and why it stands out to you?
Grace: It is hard to choose, but my personal favourite would have to be the Bianco Dress. The design process came about so effortlessly, and you can’t help but feel amazing in that dress.
And Madison, what has been the most challenging part of running a fashion business?
Madison: The most challenging part since starting Madison Grace has been keeping with our growing workload. In an industry that is so fast-paced, we are expected to keep up with bigger brands and their prices. We are currently still a team of two, who completely handcraft each of our garments by hand, resulting in our smaller drops. We understand as a brand that this may cause some disappointment however, we are working towards expanding with trusted local manufacturers.
Has your friendship evolved since starting a brand together?
I think we both can say it has changed for the better. We have seen each other during the highs and the lows. Our communication styles have definitely evolved, but we have always been open and transparent with each other when we love or hate an idea. We both feel like there is no one else we could do this with.
Are there any parting thoughts or messages you’d like to share with us before we wrap up?