Meet Kayla McGregor of Remnants, the Matakana-based designer who creates jackets as sweet as Jelly Beans

Kayla McGregor is a Matakana-based designer with a penchant for nostalgia. She speaks to Madeleine Crutchley about how her candy-like, romantic brand aims to inspire hope through environmentalism and colour.

The latest collection from Matakana-based brand Remnants is reminiscent of the sweet colors of an after-school dairy trip.

Tight-fitting checked jackets, manufactured
of woolen blankets, mimics the clownish and neon packaging of Poppa Jacks and Nerds, while another is reminiscent of the summery swirl of a Paddlepop. The snack-like influence is reinforced by the collection’s self-confident photography.

Kayla McGregor, the brand’s founder and designer, has been selling these unique Jelly Jackets since 2020. The distinctive design, which transforms second-hand New Zealand-made wool blankets into sturdy and cozy jackets, has become a household name. beloved piece from Remnants. The jacket is handmade and the design originated as a birthday gift for Kayla’s eco-minded partner.

“I had never met anyone in my life who didn’t care about material things. He studied geology and I studied fashion; the way we came together was we had so much love and care for the environment. I wanted to make him a piece of clothing that would have meaning and that he could find value in.”

Kayla found a wool blanket at a local store and made a quarter zip from the thick fabric. Her partner loved it. It was the perfect meeting of the sustainable practices they both valued, with a distinct touch of Kayla’s design aesthetic.

“I was trying to change or manipulate someone’s idea of ​​what power comes with clothes and behind clothes. For me, that meant finding a connection with nature through clothing.”

After sharing a photo on social media, Kayla received a wave of positive feedback. She made another one, in a purple and orange color scheme, which was quickly taken away. Then the question refused to waver. Kayla continued to expand the collection, increase the volume of her digital offering and visit local fashion pop-ups.

“I still can’t keep up,” Kayla says. “It’s hard to have a unique item and build it into something bigger. It limits how we can grow, but also what is so special about it.”

Earlier this year, after years of pop-ups and semi-permanent stores in Auckland, Kayla Remnants moved to a space in Matakana, sharing the store with Hemy Pottery and Bahatta Hats.

With this big move and her continued expansion of the label (which, at five years old, is almost old enough to take trips to the dairy on its own), Kayla is returning to the core concepts of keeping Remnants on track.

“I always bring it back to three pillars: sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity. That is the core of what is important to me.”

How would you describe your style?

Recently I managed to get this very succinct: I’d say colorful, coastal cowgirl.

If you say that, it can completely change. That would be my basic style, and then one day you get a colorful hippie and the next day a Y2K angel. I’m eclectic. I’m a Pilates princess, but I also run this fashion brand and I’m also a surfer. It’s a weird mixture of those things.

What is your favorite piece of clothing?

The second would be a dress my mother made. She wore this little T-shirt dress when she was pregnant with me. It’s this horrible polyester fabric, but it has a beautiful green floral print. I love it. It’s nostalgic for me. I love having pieces that you can share with your family, especially since she is such a big part of my design influence.

The Jelly Jumper is also there. I still have the original, the classic.

Do you think those pieces from the family offer a unique connection?

My mother knits. She made all the knitwear I have for me. Everything else travels on and eventually leaves my wardrobe – I’ve never really found anything more special than what she made for me.

Can you talk about some of your influences and the role that nostalgia and memory play in your designs?

One of my inspirations was Brandon Sielder’s film photographs, which were developed and immersed in polluted water. When they came out, they had the most beautiful patterns, but they were made in wreckage.

I delved further into that, understanding fashion and sustainability and moving on to understand geology and ecology. I’m very privileged to have people who are experts in those areas of my life, teaching me about them.

I also use a story to explore the idea of ​​Remnants – because I think it’s hard to look at this huge sustainability problem – to be more hopeful. I like to tell my parents’ love story. They’ve been together since they were 18. I have the most fantastic photos of them from the sixties and seventies. My dad had the classic 70’s mustache.

I draw on this romanticism and imagine my parents’ hopes in the 1970s, and their existence in a pristine environment. By telling a story about them during that time, I feel like I’m trying to bring you back and encourage the pursuit of a better environmental world. All the processes used to create the fashion have this element of sustainability, to say that it is possible.

And now Remnants tells even more stories about grief and healing, and healing through connection with nature.

For example, how do you get the materials for the Jelly Jumpers?

I have a cool whānau who has been following me for a long time. I have people I’ve never met and friends who message me when they find wool blankets in a store!

Early on, a lady came up to me and said, “My grandma is moving and she has wool blankets.” There was about $300 to $400 worth. I ended up with this huge box of 10 blankets. To this day, the blankets were in the best condition I have ever seen.

So a lot of OP stores, Trade Me and a few stories like that – when I see them I drop everything.

Can you tell me who some of your favorite designers and makers are?

There is an Australian brand, Katharina Lou. That’s really a similar vibe to Remnants. There is also a surf brand: Climax Surf Wax.

Georgia Alice would be one, even though she is no longer open. She had a different aesthetic, but the cut and the lines… I loved her stuff. I stood in line down the street for every sample sale.

I also love Itchy Knits and Monday Journal – I also like that they provide the knitting kits. And then, good lids. We had one of our original stores next door. It’s a cool group of people.

What was the last item of clothing you bought and why?

This is getting really boring, but because I’m a Pilates instructor, I wear a lot of workout clothes. I find it difficult to find sustainable sportswear brands of good quality. I buy a lot of colored T-shirts in all kinds of stores; it’s an easy way for me to find stuff for myself. I have baby pink, yellow, blue and green.

What has Fashion and Remnants taught you about yourself?

Over the past month I’ve learned that I really love what I do. I’ve found that even when things get hard and I need to make time, I retreat so strongly.

Remnants has taught me that some feelings cannot be ignored. It taught me what I love: sustainability and fashion and expression and inclusivity. I feel grateful for that.

True style comes from within, as these stylish souls prove.