Q&A with Maxwell Haydon of Mauxvelli
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of entrepreneurs and small business owners in Rochester! Check out this Q&A with Maxwell Haydon, who runs a clothing store out of local creative studio and shop, Treedome, as well as his own fashion line!
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Q: In what year did you launch your business?
A: In 2018 (4 years old in October!)
Q: What brought you to Rochester?
A: I am a lifelong resident here! Although I have definitely thought about venturing out somewhere else, I saw so much potential in the Rochester area after I was done with school that I naturally gravitated back to the city. It’s a great place to make home!
Q: How has your business grown or changed since first opening?
A: Our first pop-up shop was October 6th, 2018. My roommate and I literally moved all of our furniture out of the living room of the Winona house we were living in at the time, set up clothing racks and opened up shop! We didn’t have any of our own designs at our first pop-up, it was just some streetwear and vintage pieces that we had collected over time. Soon after that, we started the official Mauxvelli line and introduced those collections to our pop-up. Going from setting up shop in our living room to having a (somewhat) official storefront has been such a crazy, fun experience!
Photo by Corrie Strommen
3. What are some challenges you faced while starting your business?
A: I would say the biggest challenge with developing what we wanted as a clothing brand was the whole research and development process. I didn’t want to be just another brand printing a bunch of logos on Gildan tees. We spent the better part of 2018 into 2019 trying to find a blank garment distributor that reflected the quality and materials we were seeing from brands based in LA and New York. Because why not bring that appeal to more of a midwestern environment?
Photo by Corrie Strommen
Q: What initially drew you to fashion and the idea of starting your own business?
A: Growing up with two business owners as parents, I knew I wanted to start my own at some point. I was always drawn to the intersection of fashion and skateboarding, with the big poppy graphic tees and unique styling. I thought it was amazing that so many clothing brands were tying their brand image with the experience and culture of skateboarding, and that kind of led me into what I wear and do today! When I started learning more about vintage fashion in college, it went hand in hand with what I liked to wear already, so it just made sense to me, both in curating vintage wear as well as designing our own collections
Photo contributed by Maxwell Haydon
Q: Why vintage? How is your business affected by considering the environment and sustainability?
A: Vintage to me is such an important element to fashion today in a few different aspects. For one, everyone wants to have that unique style, that one T-Shirt or hoodie that nobody else has, and sourcing vintage helps a lot with that. On the other hand, sourcing vintage fashion has made me grow an appreciation to the way things were made “back then”, because they are durable enough to have a second and third life to them! The whole concept of garment recycling is so cool to me, because that 70’s Carhartt jacket that you’re wearing might’ve served its purpose on a cattle farm, in a manufacturing facility, and as a fashion statement before it landed in your wardrobe. It’s interesting to see a garment get so many different types of wear out of it without getting anywhere near a landfill where a lot of modern fast fashion ends up.
Q: Where do you get the clothing for the store?
A: My sourcing for the shop has really grown since we’ve been open. Where I used to spend a lot of my time in thrift shops digging through clothing racks, I have enjoyed finding different sources for cool vintage things. I love going to antique shops like Old River Valley Antique Mall in Stewartville because you just never know what you are going to find on a given day, and a lot of those shops keep a nice selection for clothes. We also run Buy/Sell/Trade in the shop, so a lot of our inventory comes from another’s collection. That’s probably the coolest part of sourcing, because you see that garment lifecycle in action, leaving one owner’s collection and ending up in another.
Q: Any big plans for the future?
A: In the next year or so, I would love to start focusing on “upcycling” for our Mauxvelli collections. I definitely need to get better on the sewing machine, but I really want to start trying to create unique, 1/1 pieces using vintage textiles that sometimes get overlooked, like blankets and military surplus duffle bags. This will help continue that progression of sustainability into our main brand offering.
Q: What do you like to do outside of work and running your business?
A: In my free time, I love to fly fish and camp and just do anything outside. Being out in the elements really helps me hone in on what I want to produce as a clothing brand, and it helps me focus on the utility of what we wear. I want our clothing to look nice when people are wearing it, but I also want it to be able to stand the test of time and activity. Ideally, a Mauxvelli hoodie should look elegant in a city atmosphere, but should be built well enough to be the perfect camping hoodie as well. It’s awesome being able to tie what I love to do in my free time with what I’m actively doing for my business.
Photo contributed by Maxwell Haydon
A special thank you to our storytelling sponsor, Fredrikson & Byron, for their support! Their Midwest-based law firm is known as the firm “where law and business meet.” Their attorneys provide practical legal advice and advocacy that help people achieve their business goals. Just as Collider amplifies the voices or Rochester’s business community, Fredrikson & Byron helps new and growing businesses with a full range of services, combining a common-sense approach with decades of experience. to get things done for clients.
