About MARA

Hola! My name is Marangelys or Mara. I am the creator and designer of MARA AMAR. I am an eco-friendly fashion designer that was born in Puerto Rico (Boriken) and raised in Alabama. Being from these two places has inspired my fashion creativity and designs. The connections Puerto Rico has with Africa you can also see blossom in my work. I am passionate about getting back into my roots, sewing seeds in the community, and building a foundation through repurposed fashion and art. I am also a graduate from The University of Alabama where I received my Bachelor’s degree in Human Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Apparel and Textile design. At The U of A is where I learned more than just fashion construction, but about fast fashion, slow fashion, fair trade, and sustainability. All because one of my professors told us to watch a documentary called The True Cost. This documentary changed my life and lead me to create my brand with purpose, intention, positive impact, sustainability, and amor.

So, I created MARA AMAR — an eco-friendly fashion brand.

MARA AMAR  stands for Make Art Repurpose All To Love.

My goal is to create unique, wearable art out of used clothing, secondhand fabrics, unconventional items, and fabric scraps. I also love to thrift and resell rare vintage pieces. The reason I created my brand is because the fast fashion industry causes pollution on the planet, most garment workers who make our clothes are affected by it mentally and physically, and the fashion industry needs a circular economy. So, it’s my mission to change the fashion industry by preventing fashion from getting into the landfills, hurting the planet, and the people in it such as in BIPOC communities. I cannot make a difference in the fashion industry alone. Let's start a Fashion Revolution together. 

MARA AMAR will help the planet by upcycling all things, teaching people about fast fashion vs. slow fashion, giving back to the community, & showing people how to make a difference in the fashion industry by repurposing too. By being a conscious consumer or creative and choosing ethical & eco-friendly fashion, we all can make a difference. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Repair. ReLOVE. Repurpose.

Shop MARA AMAR ♥

Photographers:

Storm Jackson, IG: @eyeofstormj (black&white photos)

Mr. Craig Graves, The University of Alabama, CHES @ua_hes | Fashion for Life fashion show pictures

Models: Chloe S., IG: @atlantaamira

T’nya Owens, IG: @nyabaddaxs

Yetunde Damilola, IG: @nottherealye

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