Meet Maegan Neubeck | Creative Director/owner MN Dye Studio

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maegan Neubeck and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maegan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I spent most of my career in the denim industry and would travel all over the world to develop wash concepts for brands like Denim & Supply, Polo, Banana Republic and Levis. I fell in love with being in a laundry and collaborating with other designers and wash specialists. On weekends I would research dye methods with plant dyes at my cabin in upstate NY.

I always dreamed that one day I would have my own dye studio solely using plant dyes. During the pandemic I had the time to devote all my time to researching dye techniques and started my business with vintage clothing that I would repurpose and sell on Etsy. Then I added bedding and handmade items like pillows and my bubble coat. A coat that I created a few years prior that is meant to be like a comfy blanket wrapped around you.

It wasn’t until a denim textile Mill reached out to me to develop natural dye wash concepts for them that I truly thought I could have a business on my own. It was this highlight that let me pull away from Etsy, create my own website and start MN Dye Studio.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The opportunities of being a natural dye artist is that you are always learning. Plants are all different, there is no flower or plant that is exactly the same and with that comes complexities when duplicating a wash but also exciting to be a scientist to figure out how to recreate it. My approach to dyeing is to use all the water in the dye pot, I keep my dye pots active for as long as there is water and add more dye matter, mixing colours to add layers of colour to my collection pieces.

My source of inspiration comes from the landscape around me. I love to recreate a sunset or sunrise and layer the colours in either a wall hanging or article of clothing. I recently developed a line for a milliner and had so much fun incorporating a mountain sunset from the brim up to the top.

The collaborations with other artists are very inspiring to me, I can take what I have researched on my own collection and bring that knowledge to other artists who want to dye their pieces in a more sustainable way with natural dyes and not chemicals. The importance of not harming the land around us is what drives me to be successful with my business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Upstate NY is such a magical place all year long. There are so many little towns that have so many great places and it is so beautiful. I often have people come up from the city and here are my favourite places to take them.

We would start in the town of Narrowsburg and do a yoga class at Chi Hive then have brunch at The Heron restaurant, it has a back deck overlooking the Delaware river and the food is amazing. Then we would pop into all the great shops along the main street, Mayer Wasner, Tessa, Sunnypop retail and Nest – all beautifully curated shops and Maison Bergnone, Madame Fortuna & Tinker & Nidge all have great vintage. Then we would go up to Skinner Falls and watch the river run through all these amazing rock formations and if the weather was warm, would have a dip in the river. of course.
At night we would go to Callicoon and pop into La Garconne boutique, Litt Home & books and Spruce then head over to the Wine Merchant for some of the yummiest tapas upstate.

On other days we would take a drive to Livingston Manor to shop at Homestedt, Long Weekend and Farmhouse Project then grab a cocktail at Sunshine colony. For beer lovers there are 2 amazing breweries Catskill Brewery and Upward Brewery that even has a beer trail that you can hike up and see beautiful views of the Catskills. For dinner, The Arnold House tavern has great food and there is a greenhouse with so many amazing plants then you can sit next to the campfire and take it all in. The Catskill Art Space is also a must, the James Turrell exhibit has been extended and a must.

Another day we would head to Phoenicia diner for breakfast then hike Giant Ledge in Big Indian. Head over to Woodstock after and go to Early Terrible for some dancing, great food and cocktails.

My love of upstate is so big, I could go on forever on places to go. I’ll just name a few more or this will be become a novel.
Glen Falls House in Roundtop, stay there with their pool, hiking, waterfalls and fun weekend activities and parties.
Hudson,Ny – has so many great shops and restaurants and the biggest antique market called Antique warehouse.
Catskill, NY – home of a small manufacturer MadeXHudson – where I produce my collection – the team is amazing to work with and great quality.
Accord, NY – Westwind Orchard, farm with cider house and an outside italian and pizza restaurant with games and a small store. Down the street is Arrowood farms Brewery that also hosts a lot of musicians.
Saugerties, NY – The Rug shop has a fantastic collection of moroccan rugs.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to shout out Cone Denim. We had worked for years together when I was in the denim industry and when I started developing washes in natural dyes, they reached out for me to develop a line for them. Through their friendship and support it gave me the confidence to continue growing. Plus it is an honour to work with such an iconic denim mill that has been in the US since 1891 and continues to spearhead sustainability in the denim industry.

Website: www.maeganneubeck.com

Instagram: maeganneubeck