Meet Melissa Magsaysay and Andrea Racey | Co-Founders of Duster

We had the good fortune of connecting with Melissa Magsaysay and Andrea Racey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Melissa & Andrea, how does your business help the community?
Duster’s mission is to empower women by highlighting their value in all aspects of work and promoting economic equality. However we think it’s really important for our customers to understand exactly why we chose this particular mission and giveback, that being the relationship between unpaid care work and women’s economic equality. There are a few things we know for sure when it comes to gender pay parity. Per the UN Women, we know that the number one thing standing in the way of full gender economic equality is the disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic labor that falls onto the shoulders of women.
We also know there is an economic formula (actually, many formulas) to compute the monetary value of this work – the first being The Theory of Household Production created by economist Margaret Reid in 1918. And we know that this vital economic sector does not get included in GDP calculations, even though it is measurable and studies show would contribute TRILLIONS to both the domestic and global GDP’s.
So when we talk about a “modern house dress” in relation to our giveback, and making women feel seen and valued in all of the work that they do, what we’re talking about is re-examining exactly what we define as work today. Because make no mistake – care and domestic labor is work – it’s just not compensated. However it absolutely should be and that’s the conversation we want to stir up to invoke change. A demand for compensation or subsidies and a recognition of the economic value being contributed by women and caregivers all over the country.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Duster is a brand that makes women feel visible and valued in all of the ways that they work. Beginning with a line of reimagined house dresses called Dusters, the design has been elevated and modernized to suit the multi-faceted ways women work and move throughout their day, today. The result is chic, crisp and tailored dresses that maintain a loose-fitting comfort. Bonus: every Duster has pockets. After the life-altering pandemic, the way we work and dress for work has changed. Women specifically, need new sartorial options that reflect the reality of their days. Redefining work also means acknowledging the essential roles of caretaking and domestic labor, often overlooked for too long. Now, work entails everything from business meetings to planning playdates, heating up chicken nuggets while balancing a spreadsheet. Women need garments that offer comfort and ease for their personal responsibilities while remaining suitable for their professional lives.
Co-founder Melissa Magsaysay found inspiration in her Filipino heritage, where a house dress is traditionally called a “Duster.” Wanting a comfortable and practical outfit for her diverse work settings, she reached out to her friend and co-founder Andrea Racey, the talented designer behind Helena Quinn. Together, they combined the concept of the traditional Duster with Andrea’s design expertise and commitment to women’s economic empowerment. This proved the perfect combination for creating a brand that sparked a conversation as well as a sartorial solution around women and all of their forms of work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Can’t come to LA without a hike. We would hit Fryman Canyon and if we were feeling brave with traffic, we would head to Topanga or Malibu for a hike with ocean views. Griffith Park is an often overlooked yet enormous and special part of LA. It has everything from amazing trails, to restaurants, the Griffith Observatory and amazing golf.
For food, there are SO many amazing places. Current and older faves include: Pace, AOC, Sushi Park, Matsuhisa, Anjak Thai, Night + Market, Bavel, Parks BBQ, and Kuya Lord.
Downtown LA is bustling with great stores, galleries and restaurants and worth the drive over. The Row is a great place to check out and have lunch.
If you’re here at the right time we love the Rose Bowl Flea Market. Its such a great place to spend the day with the amazing food and shopping.
In a similar vein we love Melrose Trading Post and think its a go to whenever we have friends in town!
The best museum in our opinion is The Broad. It’s a favorite of ours and we love the range of collections within the museum.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Duster draws from several places in terms of the concept. First and foremost it’s our lives as women and the women who surround us. From our dear friends to siblings and mothers, we have watched these women, who contain multitudes and are multi-tasking, achieving, living with ambition, also being responsible for all if not most of the invisible labor on a daily basis. A shoutout most definitely goes out to the women and caregivers who are doing the bulk of unpaid and invisible labor as well as Reshma Saujani and Mom’s First and their entire community who are doing the real work day in and day out in order to create fundamental change to support moms and caregivers on a federal level.

Website: https://shopduster.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopduster/

Image Credits
Courtesy of Duster