I've known Merin since she was 15 and I was 16 and we moved into dorm rooms down the hall from each other at boarding school. Even though our collective style at the time was a combination of preppy and pajamas, Merin knew more about fashion than anyone I'd ever met. She could explain why Dior's New Look was important and find the most well-made garment in the entire Old Navy. Plus, she was smart and fun and opinionated and well-read, and I liked her immediately.
In 2015, Merin started a clothing company dedicated to serving a demographic she knows well: busy women. Merin designs clothes that tell her customers "we think you’re awesome. We would just like to make clothes that are as awesome as you are." She does that by offering customizable designs that are made to measure for each customer- and you can even text her if you want to make a change. She told us how she draws from her time in non-profits to stay customer-focused, and how she tackled the many steps to build Kit from incorporating to manufacturing - right in Houston, with seamstresses who are former refugees- with the help of her family and the many women in her life (including Ming Thompson, who did her branding and logo design).
Merin Guthrie grew up sketching dresses in the margins of her notebooks whenever she got bored in class, but never considered a career in design. After years in the non-profit world, where organizations are driven by how best to serve a community, she realized that women were not being well-served by the fashion industry. Her company, Kit, dresses busy women by making clothes "just as awesome as they are."
