MEUNE : A place where we rethink fashion

Our clothes are peculiar things. 

They are a daily part of our lives. Often, we reduce them to their function: they keep us warm, they cool us down, they make us comfortable, they bring out our confidence, they protect our bodies, and they emphasize our taste. Clothes are functional, but they are much more.

Books and books have been written on the symbolism of our clothes and their social roles. All of this is so important and deserves our attention. And yet, there’s even more.

Everything you have ever worn bears the talents, handprints, and skills of those who made your clothes. Fabrics are a part of someone else’s life before they ever become a garment to wear. Clothes bear memories before we create our own wearing them. The threads that you can see when you take a close look, connect us to people, often across the globe. 

This is the power and the beauty of clothes. Unfortunately, though, the modern fashion industry made the connections, memories, and actual people behind our clothes invisible. The industry created an illusion that clothes are a quick and cheap commodity, made from unlimited resources and meant for fast consumption. This illusion also pushed us into a mindless race for trends and the need to buy more, which is taking a toll on our mental health.

Despite the dominance of such a fashion model, it was never the only option. The alternatives, both new and ages-old, existed all along. In recent years, they are getting stronger. The fashion revolution is already happening, and we can all play a part in it.

Meune is my contribution to this. It is an attempt to honour and advocate for everything that takes to make high-quality, sustainable upcycled clothes, as well as every person involved in making it. It is also a community of those who think deeply about fashion and are set to change it. 

With that said, I want to welcome you to this space.

The story behind Meune

If you’ve been following me on Instagram (in that case, thank you, your support means a lot), you will know that Meune is, as any good story, long and bumpy. You might also know that, after growing up in a small village in Argentina and living in Buenos Aires, I decided to quit a corporate job and embark on a personal journey. This period in my life helped me understand the beauty, as well as the deep injustices in this world. Still, it took me falling in love and moving to Paris to find my true purpose.

This is the start of Meune, at la capitale de la mode. It is in Paris where the trend-obsessed, low quality, and even lower ethical standards of fashion became obvious to me. I could see overwhelming amounts of clothes, empty of their meaning and valued only shortly. It led me to ask questions and learn about this industry, which is glamorous and fun only on runaways and in shop windows. 

Along the way, I learned about slow fashion, and it resonated with me so well. Slowing down in how we consume and make clothes today seems to me like an absolute necessity if we want to continue to enjoy fashion. I’m a strong believer that can indeed love fashion without scarifying people or the planet for it. After all, we have been doing this for many centuries. Realizing this, I firmly decided to help bring the wisdom and alternative ways back into fashion. 

It took me over three years to fully develop Meune. This journey included an actual trip through The Andes heights in Latin America, where I met the indigenous communities that will weave artisanal fabrics for our clothes. There were, of course, several pitfalls since I started. I embarked on this journey alone in a boat, without knowing how to sail nor where the final destination was. I was going back and forward more times than I can count. And yet, here we are: close to launching Meune’s first collection!

 Since I always planned for Meune to be more than a fashion brand, I am starting this blog too. This is a space where I’ll be documenting my journey but also a space for critical thinking about fashion. 

I will be bringing you the stories from the communities, how my clothes are made, and the innovation and knowledge behind them. Additionally, I want to use this space to open conversations about the meaning of fashion, ethics, and sustainability in the deepest sense. Since no individual has the answers to everything, I will be inviting others to contribute to the blog with their writing. After all, we need a diversity of voices in fashion!

In short, this is what you can expect to find here: from wonderful stories, history of fashion, thinking about our role in fashion, mental health, what it means to be ethical, to tips and sharing resources.

Want to come along? There are a few ways you can join and support!

Already reading our blog means a lot! I will make sure to always meet you here with interesting content. Make sure you keep up with the upcoming articles, as well as my daily updates on Meune through Instagram. Trust me, I see every single like, comment, and share. This helps me spread the word and makes my work possible. 

If you want to take it to the next step: subscribe to my newsletter. I promise 0% of spam, but perks and benefits to those who subscribe.

Thank you for being by my side on this journey!

Love,

Nahir, the founder of the Meune