Maem Disko is bringing its fabric-first femininity to London

Long before Maem Disko‘s silk capris became one of the internet’s most coveted summer staples, Margot Castor thought they had failed. After spending every dollar she had on a Paris photoshoot to launch the design, the Australian designer watched as only a handful of pairs sold. The styling was beautiful, but too editorial – all puffed sleeves and Victorian romance – but she now admits that customers couldn’t picture the trousers in their own wardrobes. 

Moving back into her childhood bedroom and taking a job as a dental receptionist to recover financially, Castor refused to abandon the piece. “I was heartbroken because I loved them so much,” she admits. Instead, she reconsidered how she presented the design. Styled with nothing more than a plain white tank top and a pair of Tabi ballet flats, the same garment that once appeared twee and delicate was transformed into an effortlessly cool it-girl must-have. “You know they’re special. Your job is to show people why. You need to teach them this,” her boyfriend reminded her at the time.

The advice had a lasting impact, and taught her to trust herself – an instinct that now runs through every part of the Sydney-born label. Before silhouettes come fabrics: rolls of vintage lace untouched for decades, weighty silks discovered in fabric stores, and organic cotton sourced wherever she can find it. “I’m a very fabric-oriented person,” says Castor, describing a design process that begins by draping materials over herself before sketching or pattern-making. Working predominantly with natural fibres including silk, bamboo, organic cotton and lyocell, she’s built Maem Disko around the belief that longevity starts with what a garment is made from, well before it reaches someone’s wardrobe.

Now, after years of building a devoted Australian following, Castor has relocated to London for the brand’s first UK pop-up at 20 Cheshire Street on 18th & 19th July. For Castor, London’s fashion culture has lived on the brand’s moodboard for years. As Maem Disko has matured, so too has its styling: whimsical silhouettes are increasingly paired with tougher references, from neon lingerie peeking beneath silk dresses to exaggerated “stripper-style” platforms and unexpected pattern clashes. It’s a contrast Castor believes London women wear better than anyone.

Ahead of Maem Disko’s London pop-up, BRICKS caught up with Castor to discuss trusting her instincts, building a fashion brand without formal training and why, sometimes, the right idea simply needs time.

Your journey into running a brand didn’t follow a traditional route. What first drew you to wanting to work in fashion?

I’m from a tiny country town in western Queensland, and I just felt like I was this girl trapped in a place I wasn’t meant to be. I loved the way I grew up, but I’d get the train to Sydney where my cousins lived and think, this is where I’m meant to be.

I used to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Devil Wears Prada, all those iconic films. Then Tumblr happened, and I was obsessed with fashion blogs. Margaret Zhang was my life. I’d spend all my free time reading fashion blogs, and I think that was really the starting point for it. I did a fashion business diploma, then interned at a magazine in Sydney and later at an Australian fashion house, but I realised neither was really what I wanted to do. I felt a little deflated because I thought this was the industry I wanted to work in. 

I ended up working loads of hospitality jobs while figuring things out. Eventually I just thought, I need to do this. There’s no rulebook – I literally Googled “how to start a fashion brand.”

Why did now feel like the right time to bring Maem Disko to London?

London has subtly inspired me for a long time. When we first started, we were super feminine, super whimsical. As the brand has developed, we’ve become really inspired by harder, edgier styling. We still have feminine pieces, but I love styling them with higher contrast.

The girls here are just more free. They’ll wear something super feminine with a really exposed neon bra or something unexpected. London is so diverse with how people dress. There are just a million different aesthetics here, and that’s so fun. I’d wanted to move a couple of years ago, but the business just wasn’t in a position where it would have been possible. Now I have a warehouse in Sydney shipping orders, so it finally felt like the right time. London always felt like the natural next step.

Your design process is incredibly fabric-led. Where do ideas usually begin?

I get a lot of inspiration from fabrics, so historically we’ve used a lot of lace and a lot of silk. There was a fabric store in Sydney with rolls and rolls of vintage lace that had been sitting there for thirty years. It was the most stunning lace I’d ever seen, and I just thought, I need to do something with this fabric.

I’ll buy a few metres, take it home, cut it up, drape it on myself, take videos of it and send them to my friends asking, “Do you think this works better as a mini, or would this work better as a long skirt?” I’m not technically trained. I’ve taught myself Adobe Illustrator, I have the cheapest sewing machine you can buy, and very early on I literally Googled “pattern maker Sydney” and started calling people until somebody said yes.

Sustainability has always been a big part of Maem Disko. How do you balance those values with the realities of running an independent brand?

It’s been a hard one. The issue with Australia is we have barely any sustainable fabrics, so that was a huge limitation for me at the start. We worked with a lot of deadstock because that was what was available without importing huge rolls of fabric at huge cost.

Fabric is where I’m trying to put all my energy. I’m trying to literally not use any polyester unless it’s necessary. Swimwear, for example, has to be made from polyester, but when I do use it, there’s no reason people should be using fresh polyester. There are eco options. For the rest of this year, I want all of our pieces to be made from natural fibres. Everything’s made from silk, organic cotton, bamboo, lyocell or mohair.

I’m aware that anyone making clothes is, in essence, unsustainable. I had to accept that. I deserve to follow my dreams and follow my passions, and I’m just going to do everything in my power to make sure it’s impacting the planet the least. I’m just trying to be as intentional as possible with every step in the process. When I select a manufacturer, when I select fabric, when I decide quantities. Our website is literally sold out right now because I refuse to make bigger quantities; I don’t want anything to ever be wasted.

Your Verona silk capris have become such a recognisable part of the brand. At what point did you realise they’d really connected with people?

It’s been a journey. I first released them around August 2024. I’d always loved going into op shops and looking through the vintage sleepwear, but none of it ever felt wearable. I wanted to reimagine that feeling.

I made about twenty pairs, spent every cent in my bank account flying from Australia to Paris to do this big photoshoot, and I sold about five pairs. I was heartbroken because I loved them so much. I remember calling my boyfriend crying, and he said something that really stuck with me. He said, “You know they’re special. Your job is to show people why. You need to teach them this.”

The way I’d presented them was with this silk puffy sleeve blouse; it was very Victorian, very whimsical. I liked it because it felt editorial, but people couldn’t picture themselves wearing them. I didn’t even have e-commerce shots styled normally, but once we started styling them with a white tank top and a pair of Tabi ballet flats, the vibe completely changed. 

It took probably a year of constantly repositioning them before people got it. That process taught me to trust myself. I’m sure there’ll be other things I design that people won’t take to initially, and that’s okay. Sometimes it’s your job to show people.

What song, artist or podcast do you always have playing when you’re working?

I’m the biggest Beabadoobee fan in the world. She’s like a UK icon. I’m obsessed with her. My partner literally texted me the other day saying he’d just walked past her in Hackney and told her about my brand. I was like, “Am I dreaming right now?” That would be the dream. I listen to her all the time because she’s the perfect embodiment of the brand. She’s so cute and adorable, but she has that hard edge. I love that intersection in her aesthetic.

What’s your weirdest or wildest fashion obsession right now?

I’m loving stripper shoes. We’ve been using these massive platform heels in our recent shoots, and I just love them. They’re so exaggerated, but ours were navy with white polka dots, so they still had this cute element to them. I’m also loving neon. I swore I’d never wear it, but I’m obsessed with seeing elements of that 2016 resurgence coming back.

What fictional character do you think would love your label?

Betty Boop, 100%. We actually did a photoshoot with one of my friends wearing this ladybird-print dress, and she had dark hair and a pixie cut. She literally looked like Betty Boop. It was the cutest thing ever. I was obsessed.

Finally, what advice would you give to an emerging designer?

Just start. The biggest thing I’ve had on my side is time. I started when I was about twenty. I had no money, no family connections, no training.

People put it off thinking, “when I have this” or “when I have that”. I had about £500 in my bank account from working in a café. I made one top, a mood board on Instagram, and I just posted photos of it. A few sold, so then I made another garment, and it just kept going.

It doesn’t have to be this huge thing at the start. People make it into something so big that they think, I’ll just wait. I always say: “Good enough, often enough.” Just start with whatever situation you’re in at the moment, because you’ll be so grateful you gave yourself as much time as possible.

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The post Maem Disko is bringing its fabric-first femininity to London appeared first on BRICKS Magazine.