Our story
Boutique Marguerite was created by the mother and daughter team, Linde and Maya. Linde was a 30+ year veteran of the garment industry and Maya was studying fashion design at Otis College in 2020 when the two women began daydreaming about opening a sustainable fashion boutique. They envisioned a shop that would be welcoming and relaxed, where customers could shop for more ethical fashion choices under one roof. A boutique that “walked the talk” about the future of fashion in harmony with the future of the planet.
The coalescence of Linde’s industry knowledge and Maya’s youthful vision resulted in the opening of Boutique Marguerite in June of 2022.
The store’s namesake, Linde’s mother and Maya’s grandmother, was a child of the Great Depression and grew up very poor. She was hard working, beautiful, and had a truly loving spirit. As a farmer’s wife and mother of five, Marguerite never spent much time thinking about what she wore, but she had a great eye for design and a head for business. The fashion industry has changed drastically since Linde began her career and Maya’s generation is poised to revolutionize how fashion is made, sold, and worn.
“Marguerite” is also the French word for “daisy” and Marguerite’s favorite flower. The daisy is a symbol of resilience, simple beauty, and harmony.
About our collections
We recognize that a perfect solution to the fashion industry’s environmental harm is not a reality at this time, but the industry can do much better. We seek out brands that are making more sustainable practices a part of their mission.
The collections we choose to carry at Boutique Marguerite meet one, two, or all the following criteria.
Slow Fashion
We don’t buy into trends “of the moment” and we don’t think you should either. “Fast fashion” brands over produce, steal independent designer’s ideas, exploit labor, and market feelings of inadequacy to their customers. When a garment looks great on you and is well designed, it should last years, not weeks.
Sustainable Materials
We look for fabric and trims made from biodegradable, organic, sustainably produced, or recycled materials. Tencel, Modal, Ecovero, and other sustainably produced fibers are great alternatives to Rayon, which uses highly toxic chemicals to turn trees into silky fabric. Petroleum based synthetics (polyester, nylon, acrylic) are basically plastic and take over 200 years to break down in a landfill. We look for synthetics made from recycled plastic. Small designers often utilize “dead stock” materials. Dead stock is the fabric and trims left over from manufacturing or old inventory that can be salvaged and used in “small batch” manufacturing.
Small Batch and Ethical Manufacturing
No one wants to wear something that is the product of human suffering. We purchase from small companies, or individual designers, that cannot place unfair price demands on third world factories like the huge “fast fashion” brands do. We look for certified B Corporations, Fair Trade companies, and made in the USA brands that pay a living wage and follow worker protection laws. Our jewelry, candles, home, and bath and body products are all handmade by individuals in the US and Canada. In many cases we know the makers personally and are proud to support their work.