New Canadian Brand Mes Amies Has Nailed Comfy, Sexy Sweatpants

Sweatpants are usually not precisely a revolutionary idea in vogue. They’ve been round because the Nineteen Twenties when Le Coq Sportif produced the primary pair in grey. They don’t seem to be sartorially difficult: an elastic waist, usually a drawstring, generally elasticized ankles are the commonest design hallmarks.

But sweatpants are so intimate and so tied to consolation that we are typically very selective about them. And we’re decided to seek out our one-and-only favourite model and magnificence, as a result of all of us want the proper cozy go-tos for Sunday night or actually any time of any day throughout a worldwide pandemic.

I had been on such a quest, and thought I’d discovered The Pair a number of occasions, solely to be dissatisfied by material that loses form, capsules, or turns into scratchy after a couple of washes.

Enter Mes Amies, a Toronto-based streetwear line created by finest pals Pamela Saikaly and Meghan Cossman. Unsurprisingly, the pair conceptualized the streetwear model on the peak of the pandemic, specializing in sweatpants and cute cotton cropped tops.

However their easy, curated and classy first assortment consists of essentially the most comfy sweatpants I’ve ever skilled, and so they have held up after not less than 5 washes. They’re sturdy however so tender, plush on the within, and have a relaxed however not extremely saggy silhouette that makes me really feel barely much less embarrassed to be sporting sweats in every single place I’m going nowadays.

So I reached out to Pamela and Meghan to learn how they created these magical pants! Learn all about it beneath.

How did the 2 of you meet? Are you able to speak a bit about your backgrounds?

Pamela: “Meghan and I’ve been pals for a few years. We’re from Toronto and met whereas we attended college collectively. I studied criminology with a specialization in legislation, and Meghan studied communications. After commencement, I labored in mission administration at a personal fairness agency that centered on the event of infrastructure tasks. Meghan modified paths and went again to highschool to pursue her curiosity in vogue, and enrolled within the Attire Product Improvement program on the Vogue Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. She later moved again dwelling and commenced working within the vogue business in Toronto.”

How did you provide you with the idea for Mes Amies? How did you select the model title?

Pamela: “We got here up with the idea for our model as a result of we discovered ourselves struggling to seek out on a regular basis fundamentals that have been trendy, moderately priced, and made with supplies that have been comfy and good high quality. With the onset of the pandemic, we discovered the Canadian market particularly was missing in variety of manufacturers who met this standards. We took this as a possibility to study extra about attire design in order that we may create a set and finally, construct a model that addressed these gaps we discovered available in the market.”

Meghan: “We selected the title Mes Amies, which in French interprets to “my pals” as a result of it finest described our imaginative and prescient. Over the course of our friendship, one fixed theme was how grateful we have been to have one another, together with many different robust ladies in our lives that supported and inspired us. We needed to honour our connection by our model and proceed to develop our ‘friendship circle’ by creating private and significant connections with our prospects.”

How did you determine to launch with a small curation of choices? Do you could have plans to increase?

Pamela: “As a totally self-funded model, we had a small manufacturing finances and determined to launch with a restricted assortment to check the market. We now have many archived designs that we can not wait to provide as our model grows. We wish to take heed to what our prospects are searching for in order that we are able to incorporate their suggestions in upcoming collections.”

Meghan: “Launching a small curation has enabled us to be inventive by highlighting the flexibility of the items we launched. For instance, our Cold Shoulder Long Sleeve is at the moment a finest vendor as a result of it’s reversible and might be worn two methods for a special look. We now have a tank model of this similar fashion popping out within the spring which we made changes to the size based mostly on our buyer suggestions. Our plan is to slowly increase our assortment with extra of your on a regular basis “non-basic fundamentals”, with high quality and luxury as our high priorities.

The sweatpants material is really wonderful. Are you able to speak about the way you discovered and selected the material and what makes it so tender and resilient?

Meghan: “We had a couple of non-negotiables and have been each very choosy by the material choice course of as a result of we had excessive expectations of the type of sweatpants we needed to launch. We knew we needed a heavy weight fleece that appeared luxurious on the surface, however with cozy inside brushing, stretch, and straightforward wash-and-wear.

We additionally knew we most popular a pure fiber over polyester, regardless of understanding that might be pricier. We combed by numerous material swatches and shortlisted the few that met our necessities, and proceeded to have samples made in all of them. Though our finances was small and there’s fairly a hefty price ticket on sampling, it was crucial to us to get it proper, as it could set the standard customary expectations of our model to our first prospects.

After testing the sturdiness of the varied samples, we lastly selected the cotton spandex mix our sweatpants are made from in the present day. The cotton as a pure fiber is robust but tender, breathable, and insulating for heat. The spandex provides stretch for consolation in addition to added sturdiness. We additionally went with a pricier, longer fiber of cotton which reduces the prospect for pilling. All in all, we’re actually pleased with the material and so are our prospects!”

How would you describe your buyer?

Pamela: “Our buyer is somebody who likes to look put collectively effortlessly and desires to be comfy on the similar time. They like minimalist, traditional items over shopping for stylish vogue. They don’t prefer to spend an excessive amount of time considering what to put on within the morning and love the simplicity of a capsule wardrobe. They’re at all times on the go, and like dressing in clothes that may transition them from day to nighttime, from sofa to espresso store, from work to comfortable hour.”

As we come out of the constraints of the pandemic (fingers crossed) do you count on the demand for loungewear to wane? If that’s the case, do you could have plans to handle the change?

Pamela: “I believe the pandemic has prompted a major cultural shift in on a regular basis vogue, particularly with the unprecedented earn a living from home insurance policies. One takeaway from the final two years is that individuals wish to costume comfortably, and we predict there’ll proceed to be a requirement for loungewear. We’re seeing this shift particularly in on a regular basis workwear with some corporations opting to stay totally distant, and others choosing ‘costume in your day’ insurance policies as individuals are being referred to as again into the workplace.”

Meghan: “Our objective with MES AMIES is to design closet necessities that bridge the hole between consolation and class. I believe we’ll see that buyers are going to be extra intentional when searching for clothes, and can gravitate in the direction of loungewear that’s extra elevated and long-lasting over stylish quick vogue. We plan to proceed increasing our assortment with extra items that may additional exhibit the flexibility of loungewear and the way it may be worn inside and out of doors the house.”

Do you could have any sustainability efforts constructed into what you are promoting?

Pamela: “By producing small, restricted version drops, we be certain that we don’t overproduce types that will not be in excessive demand. This permits us to iterate and ideal our merchandise by incorporating buyer suggestions and producing solely what’s in demand. We additionally use as little packaging supplies as potential, and our packaging is all comprised of recycled supplies.”

Meghan: “One initiative we’re engaged on proper now to attenuate waste is utilizing the surplus material now we have from our sampling part to create a restricted micro assortment. The material is ideal, however based mostly on excessive minimal order portions with our producer they’re unable to make use of it. We’re going to be partnering with native garment designers in Toronto to assist us create this mini assortment. We’re conscious of the style business’s impacts on the setting, and are dedicated to repeatedly implementing methods to attenuate these impacts.”