This Oakland-Based Sustainable Fashion Brand Uses Eco-Friendly Fabrics But Elevates Ethics With A Sliding Scale Policy Creating More Accessibility for BIPOC & Queer Communities

We were so excited to speak with Marion Maynor, Oakland-based founder of new sustainable brand Black Borders. Community, empowerment and creative collaboration are an essential part of this brand while expanding new definitions of sustainable fashion with a sliding scale policy so that they can serve BIPOC and queer communities. Many of the styles are unisex and customizable so that we can accommodate and celebrate all body types. I want to see my people thriving and styling!

Check out this interview:

When and why did you create the brand Black Borders? What does the name mean/symbolize?

In 2018 my professional career was on a singular administrative track and I was desperate to make a creative shift. I quit my job and began my detour working as a production seamstress for a local sustainable brand. My enthusiasm was quickly tempered by a widespread lack of representation within an industry that serves mostly small white bodies. I saw inclusion as an obligation, and I saw the same regurgitated trends season after season. I didn't see myself, and I knew I could do it better. Black Borders started as a way for me to fill the gaps in my own wardrobe and it grew from there.

As far as the name Black Borders--during a particularly meaningful time in my life, I was with a close friend who had taken photos on an instant camera using black film. When I saw the photos, I said that I loved that they had black borders. I bought the web address for BXB directly after.

How do you define sustainability?

For me, sustainability means people over profit. When something is sustainable, it's reasonable, it's mindful and it's authentic. Sustainability is a lifestyle, a moral code.

In what ways do you consider your brand sustainable?

My constant goal is to make deliberate choices that promote high standards and have a limited environmental impact. This is why all the patternmaking and construction are done in-house with eco-friendly fibers like linen and cotton. Growing Black Borders sustainably means valuing my work, adequately paying the people helping me, and building trust with the community I'm a part of. What we do is thoughtful at every step of the process, from concept to completion.

What's the landscape like being a BIPOC sustainable designer in Oakland?

There are some incredible people and brands demanding space for BIPOC creative communities in Oakland and I'm lucky that I was able to tap into that a bit before we were all quarantined. Even since things have shifted online, I've found so much support and community. Granted, I started really sharing Black Borders this past summer when BIPOC creators were suddenly on everyone's feed and it was trendy to buy black. It's definitely been bittersweet, but Oakland is an incredibly strong community and it's been inspiring to see so much activism through art.

Talk about your sliding scale policy that serves BIPOC & Queer communities.

I took a business class through Uptima Business Bootcamp this past summer at the same time that I was designing my 03 collection. The focus of the program was to support diverse entrepreneurs in creating thriving businesses in service to their communities during the pandemic. It was incredible to be in a class with all WOC who were passionate about social justice and empowering underserved communities. 

At one point during developing my collection, I had the troubling realization that I couldn't afford my own clothes. The class challenged me to identify my core values and to do only work that was in alignment with them. Accessibility is integral to Black Borders. I asked myself how I could value my work and still put my clothes on the bodies of the people I wanted to serve--a sliding scale. After a bit of digging, I was excited to find a few small brands that were doing it! I reached out, learned more about how it was working out for their small businesses, and found a lot of community within that network. I landed on a privilege-based sliding scale that asks people to take inventory not just monetarily, but of their own privileges. These are the kinds of conversations I want Black Borders to provoke. 

What's your greatest inspiration? 

I've been creative my whole life, very seriously exploring many mediums and styles, all in search of finding "my thing", something to dedicate myself to. I still hold with me every skill that I've acquired, every creative lesson. They've each urged me towards a place of greater self-assurance, but I always move on. I keep adding to the toolbelt.

When I first started patternmaking and designing, I could feel that I was on to something special. Turning those paper patterns into 3D visions was just incredible to me. And when the designing was over and the construction began, sewing the pieces proved to be just as satisfying, with its very own creative language and technique. I loved it! I'm inspired by the exhilaration of following your course and even more inspired by the courage to change it when you're lost. My most valued moral is that it's never too late to start anew. 

What has been the greatest challenge thus far? 

Trying to stay energized during such a crazy time. It's more than that this year has just been one disaster after another, oftentimes overlapping disasters, but that it's been equally terrifying and transformative. My greatest challenge has been finding balance in all of the chaos. Being creative when it heals me and taking a step back when I'm overwhelmed.

What are you looking forward to in the near future? 

I'm planning to move to Atlanta next year! My bonds in Oakland are tight, so the move feels more like extending my network rather than leaving one behind. I'm definitely looking forward to the energy and inspiration that comes from starting a new chapter.