What could ever be more memorable than a snaggle tooth green crocodile wearing cowboy boots?
Being iconic and mad pleasing to the eye is exactly what sets Magg’s Rags apart from other Denver designers. On a mission to breathe fresh inspiration into used pieces — designer Maggie McLaughlin pushes creative boundaries in sewing various whimsy creatures on her designs.
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There’s no question about it — the hallmark of McLaughlin’s designs are sparking joy in whoever sees them. McLaughlin focuses on playful creatures and plants — rats in short skirts playing pool, lobsters holding espresso martinis in their claws, swans in love in signature cowboy boots — the possibilities are endless on what McLaughlin will create with her trusty Bernina sewing machine.
Though who knows what McLaughlin will sew next, the signature trademark of her design has been the lime green crocodile with sharp teeth in cowboy boots. Uniquely Magg’s Rags, the surprise in the design is part of the lore.
More surprising still, the aesthetic pleasing brand only came to life from a huge unexpected change. And sometimes, you need a terrifying push to propel you to reach for what you’ve always dreamed of.
The Beginnings of Magg’s Raggs
McLaughlin started her brand in 2017 as a passionate side project in college.
She attended Pennsylvania State University and graduated with a degree in Marketing and Studio Art with a concentration in Ceramics. McLaughlin was a creative long before studying art in college, first learning to sew from her mom when she was young and then later perfecting her craft from trial and error and learning techniques on YouTube. Though she didn’t take the gig full time, the potential of what Magg’s Rags could be, lived in the back of her mind.
In 2022, McLaughlin moved from her hometown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Denver to pursue a corporate job with Anthropology. She was ready for a fresh start post-grad and hoped to climb higher within a respected and established company. Shockingly, a few months later, she was laid off which sparked a million emotions. This led her to re-evaluate her new circumstances and feel hopeful about the future. It was then she began pouring more energy into Magg’s Raggs.
That was nearly two years ago — since then McLaughlin has made her brand her full time job, amassed over 60,000 followers on Instagram and recently shown her first runway collection at Denver Fashion Week fall ‘23.
Importance of One of a Kind Pieces
The driving force behind Magg’s Rags is a personal stance against the devastating effects of fast fashion. “To me, sustainable fashion is more so about having people really think about the way in which they’re consuming,” she said.
McLaughlin explains that having pieces that are personal to you and knowing where they came from and who made it, is what sustainable fashion is all about. With her creations, customers will always receive a one of a kind piece, that’s been sustainably sourced and then been transformed by McLaughlin’s creative vision.
She isn’t under any assumption that her brand will change the entire world but rather focuses on the community she has access to and providing education on where the purchased pieces come from. McLaughlin encourages people to have pieces in their closet personal to them, something that brings them joy when they wear it.
When asked about what inspires McLaughlin in her designs, she cites the creative freedom found in personifying items in her day to day. She takes ordinary things in her life and gives them a unique and interesting story through her sewing machine, Swiss Bernina.
According to McLaughlin, Bernina thrives in a niche, quilting and artsy market — perfect for adapting what’s in her brain to the fabric. She creates in her sunny studio in RINO and is greatly drawn to the intentionality and purpose of a 360 design. This means being mindful of every detail like creating the sleeves, back, front and collar.
The Longevity and Beauty in Sustainable Design
Fast fashion giants like Shein, Zara and Fashion Nova create pieces to accommodate the culture of influencers — designed for a single wear and then neglected in closets. With it, fast fashion pieces are flat in design, lacking any true interest outside of one feature that’s most ‘Instagramable’.
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McLaughlin’s designs throw this notion in the trash and focus on crafting a piece of art that is intentional and intriguing in its entirety.
A hallmark of Magg’s Rags is the creativity found in her designs. This brand is so addictive due to the bright, visually joyful and gripping designs.
Who doesn’t want a crewneck with a mouse in a cowboy hat, smoking a cigarette? Or a lobster holding an espresso martini? McLaughlin has crafted a brand that exists to throw the middle finger to fast fashion while throwing your head back and laughing from the joy her art brings. A dichotomy that leaves immense room for growth and surely surprises to come.
Magg’s Raggs Designs Process
How does McLaughlin accomplish her line?
It starts with all pieces being second hand sourced. Everything that enters the studio is either thrifted or found online and is taken care of to ensure every piece is of quality. After discerning which garments will be used, all materials added to the piece are sourced second hand as well — including thread, pieces of fabric, and anything else used to create the style.
McLaughlin largely credits community as a huge piece to the success of her brand as well. With supportive family and friends who are invested in Magg’s Rags, she receives fabric donations that she then crafts into an original design. When asked about which designers McLaughlin looks up to, she pointed to someone from within her community — her dad.
There’s so much in the world around us, the practice of reusing what you have before buying something new is one of the most important things to do when beginning a more sustainable approach to your wardrobe — a lesson she was taught from her dad.
The Future of Magg’s Raggs
Overall, her brand is a narrative of beauty. A piece that once lost its appeal and turning it into something completely new is a beautiful process. Nothing is more rewarding to McLaughlin when a piece of hers finds a new home and someone feels joy in wearing her unique design.
With concepts as eye catching as crocodiles in cowboy boots (and really, that’s just the beginning of what McLaughlin cooks up), it begged the question — where does inspiration come from for each collection?
She said that she “loves to personify things,” and finds that in her day to day life. For example, two swans swimming at City Park turns into two long legged swans in cowboy boots in love. A thriving monstera plant at a coffee shop inspires a ‘Magg’s Rags Plant Shop’ jacket.
So where does McLaughlin hope to see fashion go with sustainability in the future?
She can’t say anything all-encompassing, but she hopes to inspire other brands to create from a source of artisan work as opposed to monetary gain. There’s infinite beauty and creativity in what we clothe ourselves in. By leaning into the pleasure of this, McLaughlin hopes to have an impact on supporting smaller brands to take that leap of faith to pursue their own creations.
Again, McLaughlin stressed that she does not think Magg’s Rags will solve global warming. But she would love to see the world of fashion move in an intentional direction, see smaller artists recognized for their craft and consumers take great care of smaller designs after knowing where they come from.
This year, she hopes to incorporate more ceramics into her brand. With a degree in Ceramics, she’s unsurprisingly obsessed with interior design and wants to see her work in functional things like homewares and home goods. While Maggs Rags is all color and surprise and joy, her interior design is soothing but still interesting, with intentional styling pieces for a house. No worries though, Magg’s Rags will still be dropping new designs every month on her site.
Keep an eye on Maggie McLaughlin, cause Magg’s Rags truly is everyone’s treasure.
All photos by Holly Gerard