In Conversation with Megan Trapnell, Founder of Dart and Grey
Community reporter and fashion designer Victoria Lammie sits down with rising sustainable fashion talent Megan Trapnell, founder of Plymouth-based luxury label Dart and Grey. In this in-depth conversation, Victoria explores Megan’s journey from Arts University Plymouth graduate to circular-design innovator, uncovering how local collaborations are reshaping Plymouth’s fashion future.
When Arts University Fashion Student Megan Trapnell took part in a pilot project supported by local business Micronomy and Plymouth’s very own Princess Yachts, she had no idea that it would lead her to launching a sustainable luxury fashion brand of her own right here in the heart of Plymouth.
After graduating from Arts University Plymouth in 2023, Megan joined the university’s creative business incubation programme Workroom Grow, which supported the development of her plans to create her own sustainable fashion label. Workroom Grow provides residents with creative business and enterprise support, as well as access to specialist facilities within Arts University Plymouth as a Creative Associate of the university.
It was through mentoring from industry professionals Micronomy that she was introduced to the environmental and compliance manager at Plymouth-based business Princess Yachts. Megan used this opportunity to pitch her idea of using surplus unused materials from the yacht manufacturer for her clothing line, creating a collaboration with them. Impressed by Megan’s pitch to utilise manufacturing surplus within her collection, she was given the go-ahead for a pilot project.
Material surplus was used from the S80, a flagship Sportridge yacht that Princess launched at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2024. The aim of this project was to eliminate waste, thus creating a circular economy model through cross-sector collaboration.
I asked Megan to tell me about the brand.
“I would describe ‘Dart and Grey’ as a luxury fashion label that’s very rooted in sustainable innovation, circular thinking and trying to set a new standard for what luxury means. So it’s not just elegant aesthetics but also about responsibility and longevity within the products.”
She tells me:
“Every piece I design and make is with intention and I make it using the surplus and deadstock or sustainable materials. I also love collaborating with all different sectors which I think is really important. Championing local craftsmanship is definitely a big one, I believe that great design shouldn’t come with any hidden costs that implement the planet or people so really just trying to make beautiful items and experimenting with trying to close the loops and reduce waste ultimately. Kind of reimagining those source materials so I think as a whole that’s kind of what I’ve tried to do with Dart and Grey.”
It’s clear to see that every single detail of operating the brand is considered and thought about. I was interested to learn how Megan uses second-hand packaging.
She informs me: “I also work in a retail store so I process a lot of the deliveries and within these deliveries we have a lot of cardboard boxes, tissue paper and bags. So I spoke to my manager and she kindly let me collect all the old packaging up to reuse, which would normally be thrown away.”
What gave you the idea to start your own clothing brand and why in Plymouth?
“I studied in Plymouth, I studied fashion design and it became very very clear there was so much waste and so much over production which was already very embedded within the fashion systems. So I knew I didn’t want to be a part of that cycle, but it’s very hard to make a break from that. So I thought ok how can I really slow this process down? and be the change that I wanted to see within the industry. I think Dart and Grey was born after that thinking and mindset of embracing the scarcity and repurposing those existing materials and collaborating over competing. Being based in the South West having that collaborative mindset we don’t need to compete, we can just work together and make a better system.”
Megan then goes on to tell me how she lost her local manufacturer due to a relocation outside of the UK. But on a more positive note, she has found a woman locally who is able to produce for her — not just the clothing but also the bags and accessories, which she tells me she was struggling to find a producer for.
“It’s so rare to find someone, but this has only been in the last month that we have connected.”
She then explains how she has used an external company to grade patterns which unfortunately hasn’t really worked out for her due to them being technically incorrect. In Megan’s words: “We live and we learn.”
I ask Megan, what’s next?
“I’d love to keep developing my clothing collection in small made-to-order batches. At the end of June I held a pop-up event at Royal William Yard’s Ocean Studios. It was a fabulous event. I loved it! So I’d like to do more of those in-person events in the city and work on refining my practices over the next couple of months. Reach out to some other local surplus suppliers and just take things slow allowing myself time to develop and grow.”
I’ve watched Megan over the past year during my own time at Arts University, and I’ve seen first-hand just how committed she is to making not only her own business a success but striving to make change within the fashion industry for a greener, more sustainable circular future. I admire her drive to collaborate and utilise other people’s waste to create a sustainable, luxury, and very desirable product.
Watch this space — there’s so much more to come from Dart and Grey, and I just can’t wait to see!
@dartandgrey_
https://dartandgrey.co.uk/
