Mojowear, from the Wisconsin-themed skirt line.
You may have seen Mo O’Grady’s Mojowear clothing line during your Saturday visits to the Dane County Farmers’ Market or while shopping at Anthology on State Street. O’Grady has been on the local business scene for 10 years, first making printed T-shirts and then launching her own line of handmade upcycled clothing. She took some time away from her shears and serger to discuss the inner workings and inspiration behind Mojowear.
Mo O’Grady’s daughter, Neeva O’Grady, wearing her mom’s upcycled clothing, Mojowear.
What motivated you to start upcycling?
A friend and I came up with the idea of making T-shirts with phrases on them. After she got another job, I took over the business, and I had this huge pile of messed up T-shirts. I thought it was a shame to just throw them away. So I started researching ideas for what to do with them, and I started making skirts. They did so well — it hit at a time when people were really interested in reuse.
Is the ecological impact of used clothes a big motivator for your work?
I do pay quite a bit of attention to how I can use my entire item. People will give me bags of stuff and I reduce that down to an eighth of what they’ve given me, because I can use almost everything in my piece. I even turn the pieces that I don’t use into rugs. I try to use every T-shirt I can and do what I can to keep garbage out of landfills.
Does the design for an item come first or the material?
I wouldn’t really call myself a designer so much as that I get inspired by my materials. It’s a very organic process — I own a sewing machine called a serger that cuts and wraps the edge at the same time, so I don’t need to cut patterns. I don’t need to have a concept before I start; I’ll just take something that’s really interesting to me, cut out that piece, and add to it from there.
Where do you find your materials?
At this point so many people know what I do that whenever I go out to meet people for a drink or dinner I come home with a bag of clothes. At times I’ll get a little picked over and I’ll go to Goodwill, especially in winter when I work with sweaters. But my workshop looks like a hoarder’s paradise right now!
What’s your biggest seller in your clothing line?
If I was to pick one thing, it would be Wisconsin-themed skirts. But it comes and goes; people just seem to be happy with what I make, which makes me happy.
O’Grady’s work can be found at the Dane County Farmer’s Market, at Anthology, 218 State St., or through her Etsy shop, which is accessible through her website berniesgirl.com.
