Today we’d like to introduce you to Margaret Mahaffey.
Hi Margaret, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I vividly remember the moment that changed everything. I was about to graduate college when I passed a strip of silk dotted in brilliant purples and pinks. On closer inspection, I realized they weren’t just colors—they were impressions of real flowers. It was organic, natural, alive. I stopped in my tracks, completely mesmerized. Something stirred in me that I can only describe as a divine spark. In that instant, I found my creative calling and sense of purpose.
From that day on, I became consumed with understanding natural dyeing and sustainable fashion. I dove headfirst into the world of eco-conscious textiles, studying, experimenting, succeeding, failing, laughing, and crying along the way. I even traveled across the world to Bali, Indonesia to immerse myself in the deeper roots of the craft and gain inspiration. Each experience shaped me—not just as a designer, but as a person.
After college, I moved to Nashville determined to start somewhere, anywhere, in fashion. I walked into the studio of Emily Phillips, the designer behind a sustainable shirtdress brand, and told her, “I’ll do anything. I just want to be here.” That moment marked the beginning of a transformative mentorship. Over the next four years, Emily taught me not just about eco-conscious fashion, but about courage, business, and the power of standing firm in your values as a woman in the industry. While working with her, I wore many hats—traveling to trade shows, assisting with marketing, managing orders, and diving into the intricacies of ethical production. Staying connected to fashion through this job grounded me and kept my creativity nourished while I prepared, behind the scenes, for something bigger.
In 2025, after years of persistence, false starts, and soul-searching, I officially launched my brand: Maggie and The Moon. The risks I’ve taken and lessons learned this year have been many. This year has been a whirlwind of growth and grit—I showcased my designs in two fashion shows (May and August), debuting 15 looks overall, and I’m currently preparing for my next in Nashville this November. One of my proudest moments came when I was awarded the Greenest Designer Award at the Deep Tropics Fashion Show, where I competed alongside eight other eco-conscious designers. And to think—it all began with one small, flower-dyed scarf. That single moment of inspiration has become a mission to shift the fashion industry toward something more conscious, more intentional, and more connected to our roots.
We must consider that eco-dyeing isn’t new—these colorful tequniques have ancient, ancestral origins. We see it in cave paintings, pottery, museum textiles, and photographs of traditional body art all around the world. For millennia, this was the only way we created pigments prior to artificial coloring. These methods connect us to the earliest forms of human expression and survival, the need for decoration, to stand out, or, even more exciting, to make a fashion statement. My passion lies in honoring those traditions from our mothers past while using them as tools for progress—tools to help combat the environmental toll of modern fashion.
This is more than a business. It’s my purpose. It’s how I hope to be part of the solution.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. The path has been anything but smooth—but it’s in the struggle that I found strength.
As a single woman chasing big dreams, I juggled waitressing jobs, bartending gigs, and side hustles just to save enough to fund my craft. At times, I was working three or four jobs simultaneously. I attempted to launch my brand twice before finally getting it off the ground, and each attempt came with its own lessons—many of them painful, but all necessary. As many creative people can relate, if you are hindered and unable to practice what you feel in every part of your being you should be doing, uncomfortable feelings of frustration and self-doubt can roll in. I always had this feeling I was meant for something more, and so I did whatever I had to do to get a taste of it. Slowly but surely, here we are.
One of the biggest challenges was starting as a young designer without formal training in design and having to learn everything about how to get there on my own. It was extremely intimidating when I took those first steps. My degree is in Fashion Merchandising and Video & Film Production. So, design wasn’t something I was taught on the level I needed. I didn’t have the technical skills—sewing, pattern-making, construction, and most importantly dyeing. I had to teach myself, often through frustration, trial and error, and many, many broken needles. I held myself to high standards, so when things didn’t go perfectly, I struggled. Even the brightest of sewers will still have hiccups. I certainly still do! But I always came back to the table. I kept going.
After my first fashion show, I experienced a feeling I had never truly felt before—pride. Real pride. The kind that comes from proving to yourself that you can do the thing you once believed was impossible. It was a turning point for me. I had faced down fear, and in doing so, discovered the fuel I now run on. That feeling is what I chase today—not perfection, but progress, and personal triumph.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have always had a profound respect for the planet, and I carry this with me through my design work. My designs are made the hard way, but I have always said that there’s no other way I could be a designer and produce more clothing into our already oversaturated clothing production crisis unless I do it this way. My moral obligation is to honor and protect our planet.
My brand, Maggie and The Moon, is an eco-conscious, sustainable fashion line rooted in respect—for the earth, for our bodies, and for the generations of artisans who came before us. I work with ethically produced materials like peace silk, organic hemp cotton, and biodegradable embellishments. Notice the colorful pigments in the fabrics, of which are naturally dyed solely with organic matter: local food waste and an array of flora. It was founded on this simple principle – to create pretty things while impacting our planet as little as possible; to make people feel beautiful about the way they buy and wear clothes.
One of my favorite things to say is: “if you buried one of my garments under a tree, it would probably make the tree grow better.” That sums up my mission—to create beautiful clothing that leaves no harm behind. Maggie and The Moon is more than clothing and textiles. It’s a lifestyle and a choice to consider and honor our bodies and the planet on which we reside. I’m proud of the designs themselves, of course—but more than that, I’m proud to be part of a movement.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I love most about Nashville is its creative heartbeat. You can feel the magnetism of inspiration in the air. People from all over the world come here as a sanctuary for the mind, with an openness and curiosity. It is filled with exploratory people, like me. It’s not just a city of musicians; it’s a city of dreamers, makers, and doers, like me.
I’ve grown up here, and I’ve seen firsthand how this city fosters transformation, and have witnessed people discover talents they never knew they had. It’s addictive to make connections here and incorporate newfound knowledge that may or may not correlate with one’s main drive. I’ve lived in a small town with one stoplight, the suburbs, and the growing city. I’ve seen musicians break into fashion styling, creative direction, and even build coffee shops. I’ve seen bartenders start their own multimillion dollar businesses. I’ve seen back countrymen and women and people from New York City come together on major projects. The opportunities in our city are endless, and the people within it are some of the most interesting and compassionate I have ever met.
What Nashville needs is more fashion discussion and risk takers. We have iconic men and women here who have made a name for themselves, but I would love to see this city continue to grow in opportunities for fashion designers to connect and conquer. I launched my natural dye classes in hopes to share my love for this craft with visitors and locals alike, and I hope it offers a chance for people here to feel that same spark I did and open the conversation of sustainable practices.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maggieandthemoon.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maggieandthemoon/
