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Emily Bargeron (\u201906) grew up on a dirt road in south Georgia. Her family didn\u2019t subscribe to cable television or play video games. Emily was encouraged to find more \u201cclassic\u201d ways of having fun, being a kid, and exploring her own creative mind. \u201cCreativity is the ability to manifest ideas into something tangible,\u201d says Emily. \u201cI think that creativity has always been a huge part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although she majored in fashion design at Georgia Southern, Emily didn\u2019t leap into her career.\u00a0 She describes it more as \u201ca wading process,\u201d where she eventually found herself in the deep end. \u201cAs a kid I created games and toys, and as an adult I am creating clothing. I don\u2019t know if I ever decided to be a clothing designer. I think making things and creating was just a part of my existence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today, Emily is the brainchild behind the Savannah-based clothing line, Mamie Ruth\u2014named after her grandmother. Look it up and you\u2019ll find that \u201cMamie\u201d means practical, courageous, outgoing, brilliant and witty. A woman who knows what she wants, how she wants it, and how to get there. She is the true definition of leadership and poise\u2014a peacemaker, creative thinker, and an intellect at heart. And that is exactly how Emily describes her own Mamie Ruth.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe taught me that I could do anything if I believed in myself,\u201d says Emily. \u201cShe was an entrepreneur when women primarily stayed at home with the kids. She had her own flower shop and worked non-stop, while being a mother, a wife, and an amazing southern lady.\u00a0 She set the bar high and continues to inspire me to reach for the stars.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Georgia Southern, Emily found similar support. Through her experience as an Eagle, she was able to intern with a designer in Savannah, who taught her how to interact with customers on a daily basis. Emily also says she learned about production, sales, marketing, and other aspects of the business side of the fashion industry. \u201cWhen you are in a real-world setting,\u201d says Emily, \u201ceverything you learned in school is put into action.\u201d Emily recalls Georgia Southern being an \u201cintimate school,\u201d where her design classmates were more like family. Smaller classes gave her the ability to work one-on-one with professors and faculty. \u201cI was inspired by my professors because they saw success in me and pushed me to accomplish my dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n
Admittedly, it\u2019s been a slow but rewarding process establishing the Mamie Ruth brand. But that\u2019s because Mamie Ruth is more than just clothing and jewelry, it\u2019s the carefree feeling that you get when you are genuinely happy, says Emily. \u201cEvery bad day is an opportunity to learn from it. I try to look at the bright side of things all the time. There are always days when you wish you sold more\u2026 but I am healthy and live in a country where I am able to make a living doing what I love. That\u2019s pretty cool.\u201d In addition to that, sustainability is an integral part of Emily\u2019s vision. Each garment in the Mamie Ruth collection is made in Georgia \u2013 manufactured in a small town outside of Savannah in order to cut down on the negative impacts that shipping abroad can cause. The company also uses bamboo-derived fabrics that are easily replenished. \u201cI think we are creating art as well as providing a service,\u201d says Emily. \u201cEach garment is artistically designed and then distributed to stores all over the country. We design our own fabrics, and sometimes I even tear down the curtains. There are no limits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Emily started her own business as a high schooler, making and selling jewelry at local craft shows and festivals. She continued as a student at Georgia Southern. After graduation, Emily began selling her wares to boutiques, while working as a graphic designer at a local newspaper.\u00a0 She received an overwhelming response from stores who also wanted to carry the line. \u201cI eventually added clothing into the mix, making each garment by hand,\u201d says Emily. \u201cIt didn\u2019t take long before I had to hire additional sewing help and find local manufacturing to assist in the growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspired by the 60s and 70s music scene, the Wild West, Native American culture, various art, and desert landscapes, Emily calls her style eclectic. Her favorite designer is Mara Hoffman, whose bold prints and exotic colors continue to inspire Emily every season. \u201cI just like having fun with my wardrobe,\u201d says Emily. \u201cEvery day is a costume party\u2026 Some days I feel like a gypsy queen traveling through time and other days I am a cowgirl wandering the Wild West. I don\u2019t take fashion too seriously. I just wear what I like.\u201d<\/p>\n
Down some of Savannah\u2019s historic cobblestone streets, into an architectural gem with plank floors and exposed brick, there is never a \u201ctypical\u201d day at Mamie Ruth headquarters. Walk into the studio on any given day and there’ll be music playing and women working in every inch of space\u2014from sewing tables to vintage sofas. Besides Emily, the Mamie Ruth team is a single graphic designer and four interns. Emily says they bounce from trade shows to music festivals to photo shoots, and then design a new collection and do it all over again. \u201cWe always have ten projects going at one time,\u201d says Emily. \u201cI think that there is beauty in chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Trunk shows are a staple of the fashion world, and it\u2019s no different for Emily and Mamie Ruth. The term originated from the common practice of merchandise literally being carried to events in trunks. Today, trunk shows allow customers and potential customers, the chance to meet Emily and shop designs from the latest or even past collections. \u201cI had an awesome couple of days vending at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Tennessee,\u201d says Emily. \u201cWe were surrounded by smiles and music and thousands of girls who just loved our clothes. That\u2019s the feeling I\u2019m talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n
To date, Mamie Ruth has been featured in national magazines, such as Lucky and Cosmopolitan, and dressed celebrities for award shows including Brittney Cole Kelley, wife of Florida Georgia Line\u2019s Brian Kelley. Mamie Ruth products are being sold in more than 50 stores across the country and Emily just opened a retail store in Savannah this past fall. \u201cI feel so fortunate to be doing what I love for a living every day,\u201d says Emily. \u201cThe fashion business is a hard and tricky puzzle to crack and every day that I’m still in the game is another notch in the belt\u2026 I want our clothes to make you feel good. It\u2019s not just about the shirt on your back. It\u2019s about how that shirt makes you feel. We design garments that make you want to dance. It\u2019s all about having fun with fashion, being confident in yourself, going beyond your comfort zones and just letting loose\u2026 You aren\u2019t just buying new clothes, you are making new friends.\u201d – Michael J. Soloway<\/em><\/p>\n
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