Fashion label Maggie Marilyn will become a brand partner of Mercedes-Benz New Zealand, in an alignment centred on the two organisations’ shared commitment to championing sustainable environmental change.

Throughout the partnership, Maggie Marilyn founder Maggie Hewitt will drive vehicles from the Mercedes EQ range including the all-electric EQC SUV and A 250 e plug-in hybrid.  

Mercedes-Benz New Zealand and Maggie Marilyn will also work together to create events and content designed to build community and foster connection through the brands’ shared dedication towards mindful and sustainable business practices. 

The partnership celebrates the unique parallels between the luxury automotive and fashion industries, both driven by innovation and technology but also embarking on a concerted effort to leave behind a better planet for future generations. 

Maggie Hewitt established the Maggie Marilyn label with a desire to create a “transparent, circular, regenerative and inclusive” fashion for consumers who are increasingly influenced by the impact their consumption habits have on the health of the planet. 

Similarly Mercedes-Benz, via its Ambition 2039 program, strives for a holistic approach to sustainability. This includes investing in the creation of a ‘circular economy‘, via closed material cycles, more efficient processes and an increased share of recycled materials across the entire product portfolio. 

It aims to create a fully networked and completely CO2-neutral vehicle fleet by 2039, and for plug-in hybrids or all-electric vehicles to make up more than 50% of its sales by 2030. 

Mercedes-Benz New Zealand general manager, Lance Bennett, said Maggie Marilyn represents values and ideals to which Mercedes-Benz also subscribes.  

“As a producer of vehicles that are innovative, technologically driven and beautiful to use, we always want to work with brands who share our values, and are honoured to announce our partnership with Maggie Marilyn,” he said.  

Bennett cited the example of the all-electric EQC, 2020 New Zealand Car of the Year, which enables locally emission-free driving and includes almost 100 components to have been produced from renewable sources such as hemp, kenaf, wool, cotton, paper and natural rubber. 

“As more consumers become aware of their own impact on the environment and shift their mindset, this leaves a space  in the market for brands with a conscience whose products are seen as an investment.” 

Hewitt said designers and manufacturers need to choose to be better than those before us and innovate their processes now. 

“We are at a truly pivotal moment in history. This isn’t just about fashion. Here and now is where we  decide what the world will look like for future generations,” she said. 

Maggie Marilyn recently made the decision to move away from a wholesale model and operate entirely direct-to-consumer in order to be closer to the real people they ultimately design for. 

“It is no longer enough to just sustain our planet, instead it is time to heal. Maggie Marilyn believes that we must  redesign, redistribute and regenerate, giving back more than we take,” said Hewitt.