“Unoriginal,” she says, “but it's called Maggie Marilyn May 2020. We listen to music in the office a lot, so we mix up our playlists often. It’s a team effort! Even when we are in isolation!

“I think the isolation has made me (and lots of people) nostalgic. Music has been a lifeline, taking me back to happy memories.”  

She tells us she’s going through a “huge Kate Bush phase for the thousandth time” and of course, there’s a little bit of Dolly Parton on there. “She’ll always be on my playlists.”

“That’s what comforts me right now: the memories I hold onto of being with people I love."

In the week that should have been MBFWA, we caught up with Marilyn to learn more about this new world we’ve all found ourselves in.   

Tell us a little about your #iso situation? 
“Here in New Zealand we have been able to return to work in some capacity over the past week. However prior to this I was isolating with my family at our home in the Bay of Islands. It was a peaceful escape from the devastating turmoil that spans the globe right now. I have three sisters, so it was a full household! We are really close as a family, but this was a new kind of close. I also hadn’t spent more than two weeks in my hometown since I was 17, come to mention it, I haven't been in one place for longer than a month in maybe three years. I have come to know airports and hotels like the back of my hand. So staying in one place for a while was definitely an adjustment.”

What have you been thinking about lately?
“The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions. 

“I have tried to predict so much since starting MM, always trying to be ahead of the curve, but I never could have predicted this. But I know at MM we are building a business that will be here in 100 years' time, a business that will surpass my own life, so we were always going to have to weather a few storms. I have always been purpose-led, so I tell myself every night before I go to sleep, ‘now is the time to lead with courage, to be brave! To trust in the light guided by our northern star’, which is and always has been to be a part of building an industry that is circular, transparent, accountable, and empowering.”

What do you miss most about pre-iso life? 
“I miss our community events. At the start of this year we launched fortnightly community events where people can come for free to connect offline with likeminded people. These have included everything from yoga and mindfulness to poetry and making your own beeswax wraps. In a world where we are more digitally connected than ever and yet can often feel so disconnected, we wanted to create a space where people could come to learn, laugh and connect. To see our community coming together, friends being made and peers being supported, has brought me so much joy.”

And what are you most looking forward to when this is all over? 
“I am looking forward to seeing how as global citizens, communities, businesses and economies we can move forward in a way that reflects a deeper understanding of our interconnectedness to each other and to our environment. I am looking forward to seeing how we can be different. Now is the time to be brave, to change personal behaviours, business models and, dare I say, economic frameworks.”