Fashion Designer Focuses on Femininity

Written by Katrina Daniel Thursday, December 16 2010

Snapshot: Megan Maude McHugh

Megan Maude McHugh

She’s young, talented, and crazy creative. Her designs are, to say the least, anti-grunge. The about-to-turn-30 Megan Maude McHugh describes herself as “an extremely eccentric version of Ralph Lauren.” Think Lucille Ball’s flounced skirts. McHugh started designing and selling her fashions on eBay in 2007. That enterprise morphed into McHugh’s own e-commerce design business. She works in her studio, in an old house in Decatur, Ga., that she is renovating with her husband. McHugh’s companion and muse in her home studio is Gus, a miniature poodle.

Womenetics: Who are you designing for? Who is your market?
Megan Maude McHugh: I like to think that I design for any woman who wants to feel amazing and fancy on a daily basis.

I suppose I have really been designing for the 15- to 25-year-old demographic group until recently. As I have gotten older, I have started designing more clothes for people my own age. I’m turning 30 this month and I feel like I can’t get away with some of the things I could when I was younger. I feel like there’s probably a lot of other people in the same predicament; I don’t want to look boring or old, but I also don’t want to look like I’m trying to keep up with the kids. So lately I’ve been designing a lot more for the 25- to 35-year-old demographic.

Womenetics: What, or who, is your inspiration?
McHugh: My biggest inspiration is probably classic American sportswear. I love the idea of getting all dressed up to do rather casual things. Crisp white shirts, tweed blazers, sharp vests, and smart skirts made for leisurely days at the country club top my list for sources of inspiration. Another huge inspiration for me is the classic Hollywood films from the 1930s through the early 1960s. I love the glamour and the fabulous images portrayed by actresses in those movies. It’s something to aspire to.

Womenetics: If you were interviewing for a design job in New York City or Los Angeles, what would you say to sell yourself?
McHugh: I like to describe my fashions as an extremely eccentric version of Ralph Lauren. I make alternative clothing with classic styling, details, and materials. I design clothes for the people who are alternative or off-beat at heart, but who want to do it with a little more taste and class than the typical edgy crowd.

Womenetics: What’s your creative process like? How does it work? Do you see a silhouette or a color and then take off on it?
McHugh: My creative process works by the distillation of a lot of nebulous ideas into a single, more solid idea. I watch a lot of old classic films while I work, and I will often see a detail in a character’s clothing and make a mental note about it. Then I’ll be flipping through the pages of a book and see an architectural detail that I love. Or I’ll be at a fabric store and see a number of cool fabrics and make a mental note about them. Then I’ll be listening to a History Channel documentary while I’m sewing, and I’ll hear something that piques my interest. All those things just float around until they come together and I put the resulting idea into the world either through a drawing or a sewn sample.

Womenetics: Where would you like your business to be in five years?
McHugh: I’d like to be in full factory production and have my designs in higher-end boutiques. I’d also like to expand into menswear and handbags. I want to be at the point where I can have enough employees to where I can focus mainly on designing and marketing. Right now I have to do absolutely everything, and it really takes away from my time to come up with new ideas.

Katrina Daniel is an award-winning journalist and broadcast reporter/anchor. She has worked in Miami, Los Angeles, New York, and as a national correspondent for several networks. She commutes between Miami and the Carolinas, writing for magazines and news organizations. She lives with one horse, four dogs, and a cat.