Why This Circular Fashion Brand Doesn’t Gatekeep Their Patterns with Megan McCullough of The Sample Room

We’re told in fashion business that your brand’s patterns are your IP, don’t let anyone else have access to them. It is true that your patterns are one of the most legally protectable aspects of your brand’s unique fit and design aesthetic, but is gatekeeping patterns really necessary for fashion business success?

Today’s guest, Megan McCullough took the opposite approach for her brand The Sample Room. 100% of styles are available as both the finished garment and the sewing pattern. Not only that, but Meg designs each pattern and style to be upcycled so that the final garment is not its final form. The unique business model means The Sample Room operates half way between an apparel company and an indie pattern company.

In episode 135, we talk about the reasoning behind her decision to sell her patterns and ask the question: ‘Is there any financial benefit to working with upcycled materials?’. It’s an interesting conversation about business, fit, circular design, and more. Hear how this all fits together in her signature Workwear Jacket.

Meg McCullough is a clothing designer and the founder of The Sample Room, a circular fashion brand focused on designing garments that can be remade, repaired, and eventually returned to the earth.

She also runs Studio M, a freelance apparel design studio where she helps small brands design and tech pack clothing. With over a decade in the fashion industry, her work focuses on better design, natural materials, and clothing made to last.

What we learn about fit in this episode:

Fitting the people

The Sample Room customers’ response when she designed the Workwear Jacket to be upcycled

Why Megan shifted from using GOTS certified cotton to upcycling garments in her fashion brand

What The Sample Room’s fit testing process looks like given that they sell both garments and patterns

How Megan balances fitting each individual fit model versus fitting her customer across the board

How Megan keeps the fit and sizing consistent across her fashion brand while working with a variety of fit testers