Stylish Mamas Are Falling For This Mother-Daughter Founded Brand

Photos courtesy of MaisonCléo

For MaisonCléo co-founder Marie Dewet, collaborating on a clothing label with her mother Cléo wasn't just a byproduct of the two's close relationship: it's also in their blood. Following in the footsteps of a long line of women seamstresses and dress makers, the pair were inspired by their history when they launched the brand, which takes their ancestors' approach by creating made-to-order garments only. 

The vintage-inspired line, which has already been shown love by top models, stylists, and influencers alike, opts for a sustainable approach to fashion. Besides the fact that its breezy, feminine blouses and bottoms (think puff-sleeved wrap tops and silk skirts) reduce waste by not being manufacturing massive runs — in fact, everything is made by hand by Cléo — but each MaisonCléo piece uses high quality fabric leftovers from couture houses. 

Because we admire the brand's philosophy and its mother-daughter story as much as we do the gorgeous garments, we decided to chat up Dewet to learn a bit more about Cléo's iconic, inspirational style (scrunchie included), the importance of mindful garment-making, and how powerful mamas play a part. 

It sounds like your mom must have a signature style! Can you tell us how she inspired the brand?

She not only inspired the brand, but without her I couldn't have launched it, because she is really the perfect seamstress. I call her the sorceress because she has magic fingers; she can literally sew anything I ask her to. She used to match all her outfits (handmade by herself) with a coordinating scrunchie, as she did with the outfits she made for me and my sister. She also wore a lot of sets and loved pairing her tops and bottoms, which is why we also make several sets. And last but not least, she always bought — and still buys — a lot of second-hand clothes, so thats why our clothes are very vintage-inspired.

MaisonCléo is sustainable in many ways, from using fabric remnants to only making garments per order. Can you explain a bit why this is important to you?

Several women in my family history were seamstresses who owned their own shops. The grandmother of my grandmother was the head of a big workshop in the north of France in the late 19th century and she tailor-made dresses for her customers. Some were coming from Paris to have their dresses made by her. As all the women of our family only made garments per order, it was something natural for us to do the same.

I also don't understand why clothes are made in advance and in very big quantities. When you know that fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world, it really doesn't make sense to produce pieces in advance. Thanks to our system, we know that we will generate no waste at all, and we can tailor-make all the clothes according to the measurements of our customers. There are also a lot of fabrics that are already existing so why produce other fabrics? We also buy from leftovers from couture houses and designers fabrics, so we can have very quality fabrics at lower prices.

So many stylish mamas are fans of the brand, from Leandra Cohen to Emily Wheeler. Do you feel particularly inspired by powerful moms — especially considering how it's a mother-daughter brand? 

I am amazed by all these mums who stay so stylish during their pregnancy and after. I have so many pictures of my mother and I when I was a baby, and she was so radiant and looked so stylish too! Perhaps that makes you feel better with yourself when you become a mother. I hope I will have as close a relationship with my daughter as the one I have with my mother!

For more on MaisonCléo visit the site here or follow along on Instagram here.