Meet the Founders of Maison de Papillon
Photos courtesy of Maison de Papillon
By: Kendall Becker
Entrepreneurial with ethics is top-of-mind for the founders of Maison de Papillon. Danielle Salinas and Shriya Bisht Misra met during their times at Parsons and eventually developed Maison de Papillon, but they didn’t stop there. Even amidst COVID-19, the duo has launched their most recent venture Project Gaia NYC, a curation of 50+ global brands who are working to make the world a better (and more beautiful) place to be. Ahead, get to know Danielle and Shriya through their career journey and must-hear advice.
We adore Maison de Papillon for your effortlessly chic pieces and sustainable mentality – for those who aren’t as familiar, can you share more about the brand?
Danielle Salinas: Maison de Papillon has evolved significantly since our launch in 2013 to the ready to wear brand that it is today. The whole idea of it is that we have created a brand that effortlessly takes you from day to night. It’s a garment that basically transitions with you. In French, Maison de Papillon means house of butterflies. And like a butterfly, the garment evolves. So, we have built a collection of garments that really take you throughout your day. The brand itself has evolved, but the idea is that the garment evolves with your every day, whether you’re out with the girls for brunch or you’re just relaxing at home. It’s kind of just a nice garment that’s extremely comfortable, luxurious, and it’s made ethically and sustainably of natural fibers.
Shriya Bisht Misra: We encourage our customers to buy less and buy better . Maison de Papillon is known for its reversible garments which are designed with focus on quality and longevity of the garment giving the garment an element of circularity.
What sparked the idea for Maison de Papillon? And how did you know it was the right time to launch?
SBM: Both of us went to Parson’s school of fashion. That’s where we met. We had a couple of classes together. We shared similar interests, we love to travel. We had a similar background because both of us were not fresh out of college. We had work experience, we had entrepreneurial experiences in our past lives. We just hit it off. We became friends first and each one of us wanted to create our own brand. Danielle wanted to do something related to lounge wear, I wanted to do something with travel wear. That’s when we thought, why don’t we just do it together? I mean, we eventually have similar aesthetics, similar visions. That’s when we decided to give it a try. At first, we even traveled together, we worked on projects together, and then we decided to just co-found the brand. That’s when Maison de Papillon came into existence.
DS: My whole idea was, there’s something in the market that’s lacking and I need to make it. I need to bring this to fruition, I need to bring it to the market. And that’s when we decided to launch in 2013.
SBM: We participated in our first fashion show during the New York Fashion Week, all this we did while we were still going to school. So, we were kind of hustling. We were in the middle of our projects, in the middle of our finals. At the same time we had to meet the deadlines for the market and for the New York Fashion Week.
Sustainability is a pillar of your values – we love that! Can you share with us how your sustainability journey has evolved over the years?
Sustainability has always been at the forefront of our design process and business model since we launched in 2013. We know how our raw materials are sourced, what dyes are used and the materials used in our compostable mailers. We’ve calculated our carbon footprint to learn what we’re doing and how we can be better which allows us to make calculated improvements that balance economics with environmental impact.
Due to COVID-19, we were determined to give back and find ways in which we could evolve and incorporate sustainability into our practices. As we brainstormed ways in which we could further help others on a global scale, our sustainably made Spring/Summer 21 collection and Project Gaia NYC came to fruition. With strong manufacturing ties in India, we chose to directly collaborate with rural artisans to create our Spring / Summer 21 collection. By doing so, MdP was able to help alleviate the impact COVID-19 had had on these artisans’ local businesses by keeping them employed and preserving their specialized craftsmanship that had been passed down from generations. From this, the MdP x AMRIT collection was created featuring hand-marbled, hand-woven pieces that are unique, sustainably-focused, and showcase Indian craftsmanship. Through this partnership, we used fabrics like organic cotton and our packaging is not plastic, rather it is made from recycled materials.
With Project Gaia NYC, we created a community to insure the sustainability of fashion in a post-Covid universe. Through our careful and intentional curation process, each of the 50+ sustainably made global, luxury brands that are featured in Project Gaia NYC we have ensured that they have a sustainable aspect to them. From swimsuits made from econyl fabric to handbags that protect the garment workers making the designs as well as plant based shoes and cleaners, each of our featured global, luxury brands take an innovative approach in order to stay committed to sustainability. Project Gaia NYC also embraces recycling by collaborating with designers to sell and use what they have in stock. We also frequently rework last season’s fabrics into this season’s new designs and give old stock a fresh new approach.
For someone who’s just getting acquainted with the brand, what would you recommend as the perfect starter piece?
One of the beauties behind our mission with Maison de Papillon is that we focus on creating foundation pieces in our staple silks and cashmeres that capture the perfect balance of sophistication and simplicity. We also design reversible garments with innovative versatility as well as pieces that can be effortlessly layered and styled however you please. A perfect starter piece that embodies each of these qualities would be our Reversible Soleil Silk Slip Dress. Made with silk, this classic slip epitomizes elegance and can be worn casually during the day or for a glamorous night out. With its interchangeable color way, (one side being Topaz, the other being Deep Blue) our Reversible Soleil Silk Slip dress offers endless looks and styling possibilities.
Your latest initiative Project Gaia NYC is bringing a new approach to retail to the city; tell us more about that!
During the pandemic, we saw brick and mortar shops shutting down, brands losing their houses, artisans out of work, and wanted to reimagine what retail post-Covid-19 could look like. From this desire, Project Gaia NYC came to fruition. The multi-brand concept store features independent brands, artists, and products with a compelling story that share MdP’s passion and ethos of being socially responsible to our planet and people to build a better tomorrow.
Simply put, Project Gaia NYC is a place where art meets sustainable living and innovation blooms. While many businesses were going under during the pandemic, we geared our focus toward helping and building up others and their brands.
In our ever-changing retail landscape, what values are you ensuring to incorporate in your business?
SBM: We’re using Project Gaia NYC as our flagship store but we’ve converted it into a platform to discover the new and the next talent as well as other talents that deserve recognition for their sustainability efforts, creativeness, philanthropic elements. This is our home and we wanted to convert our home to the home of many other designers that share our ethos. During COVID, we tried to mentor smaller brands or independent designers that didn’t know what steps to take to support themselves financially. Whether it was sharing the fact that they could get workman’s comp, unemployment benefits, or PPP loans. After the initial shock of COVID, a lot of brands were homeless, losing their stores or place in a big brand store. New York City is the hardest city to tap into as a designer, so we decided to create a platform for designers that had really incredible stories to come to without charging them a fee to put their clothes up for sale. It was completely risk free. Our only ask was that they had a good story that we could share. Project Gaia NYC is a purpose-driven venture.
DS: I think about it and the only thing I want to do is make sure that we preserve the planet enough for our children’s children. Maybe it’s something that you think about when you’re a little bit older or as you’re hoping to have children and grandchildren. But for me, I think that that’s extremely important. I’m very proud to tell our story and our production story. Because I feel that we have a very solid carbon footprint. I know our weaknesses in our carbon footprint and we know what we need to do to make it better. Every day it's practice. So every day we’re just trying to get better. So I think that that in itself, not necessarily monetarily, I think monetarily we’re doing solid, but I think that is definitely what I perceive as one of our greatest successes.
We have a lot of readers who are just starting out in the fashion industry, what advice would you give someone in their shoes?
SBM: Plan until the end. It’s very important to thoroughly research and plan well. Being spontaneous is good but a good business plan is something that you can always fall back on and it keeps you on track with your goals. Stay true to your vision and identity. You cannot please everyone.
We’re all about mitigating ‘Imposter Syndrome’; what’s a “pinch me” moment you’ve had in your career that you’re unapologetically proud of?
SBM: When you are constantly working towards a bigger goal you tend to ignore certain milestones which once you dreamt about. The pinch me moment is yet to come but opening a sustainability driven store in the Flatiron District of Manhattan during the Pandemic was definitely something to be proud of. When all the stores were shutting down and things were still indefinite, for us to pivot into a new direction and take a plunge was considered brave by many. We were determined not to fail!
Do you remember what you wore to your first interview?
DS: I wore our Silk Mitch Pajama top with our Skinny leather leggings to my first interview.
What qualities do you think are important for forming a successful and fulfilling career in the fashion industry?
DS: I believe resilience is one of the most important qualities for forming a successful and fulfilling career in the fashion industry.
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