We had the good fortune of connecting with Reagan Marelle Begley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Reagan Marelle, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am from Salt Lake City, Utah, but studied Fashion Design at The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise in Los Angeles where I graduated with my AA in Fashion Design and my Advanced Degree specifically in the Business of Denim. My studies while getting my AA is what lead me towards denim and starting Hargan Denim.

Being the broke college student everyone is at some point in their lives, I didn’t have money to buy new fabric for a final fitting sample in my patterning class. Knowing that denim is a 1×1 fabric and holds sturdy if it’s 100% cotton I cut up some old jeans to make sheets of fabric to use for my pant pattern. They ended up being really cool pants I wore and got amazing feedback on. One thing lead to another and I decided to make some pairs for people who would ask. I fell in love with denim, and the whole experience lead me to applying for the Business of Denim program at FIDM after finishing my AA. After getting accept along with only 5 others, I knew it was what I was meant to be doing.

During the duration of the program is where I learned about the environmental impact of denim and why sustainability and changing the way we have made denim in the past is so important for the future. I knew I wanted to design denim, but I didn’t want to bring any harm while doing that. I looked at every angle and tried finding the best solution and most efficient way I could make denim without creating a negative impact. Which lead me to the repurposing of old, unwanted denim.

Hargan Denim doesn’t just sell repurposed old denim. I also hope the brand begins to help educate people on the environmental impact from fashion, and pushes them to make more sustainable options when it comes to purchasing clothing and deposing of old clothing.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Hargan Denim represents 3 key components: Sustainability, Customizability/Durability, and Travel.

One of the biggest things that stuck with me, is sustainability. Denim in the past has had such a bad impact on the world. From how the fabric is dyed, to the chemicals put on the fabric, to the way you finish that garment, package and deliver it. But, if you take a step back, and look at every little bad impact that make up the big issue, it is possible to change. It just takes the right people, who have the heart and are willing to put in the time and effort because it’s more than just making a quick buck to put in their pocket.

Fast fashion brands and department stores are running the quality and careful creation process of denim to compromise quality for the sake of the current trend, and raise the cost of sale to make a better buck. They don’t care about the environmental impact it is making and they don’t care about what you are doing when wearing your jeans. But sustainability is just one third of the fraction of what I want Hargan Denim to represent.

“We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.”
-Chuck Palahniuk

When I hear the word denim, I think of tradition. Classic, authentic, intimate and personal. Denim tells a story. Whether it is the first pair of jeans you bought, a vintage pair that reminds you of a memory, or a pair that makes you feel like the best looking human in the world, denim continues to play an active role in your life.

With the knowledge and experience of pattern making, I personally take time into fitting every size of jean, to every sized human because we don’t all fit the same. A size 0 will not fit a size 12 on a standard growth grading. The curve that comes along with a size 12 is not the same as the curve with a size 0, it is just the way the human body is built. You can’t do one fit standard to grade every size and wonder why it doesn’t fit all.

I build my denim knowing that you are going to be creating another memory in this pair of jeans. Taking the time to make that extra stitch for long term durability, smoothing out that ⅛” curve for comfortability, putting in that little extra detailed stitch for uniqutivity. In hopes that this pair of jeans, with the amazing stories you have created wearing them, gets passed down from generation to generation, bringing back that tradition, classic, authentic, intimate and personal feel that brought denim about.

“We travel because distance and difference are the secret tonic of creativity. When we get home, home is still the same thing. But something inside our minds has changed, and that changes everything.” -Jonah Lehrer

Why do people travel? To experience new cultures, learn new languages, eat new cuisines, and to meet new people. There are certain things you can only find by traveling to these small corners of the world. First, to immerse yourself in the lifestyles of the different cultures, to understand the different needs for fit and comfort in clothing for the day to day lifestyle with the consideration of what people do for a living or the environment surrounding them of where they live. And second, to be inspired by the people and art you find, because I guarantee you, there are millions of things that you’ve never seen. Some of the most amazing forms of art that I have been inspired by are from those little stores that I would have never found without traveling there. It is very difficult to be able to share your art with everyone that you wish to because of not having a big enough platform or the resources needed to do so.

Fashion is art. Just like music to a musician, or a painting to a painter, it is a way to articulate your feelings and emotions or what you are going through in life at that very moment. At the end of the day, this brand still represents me, from the name Hargan, to my designs, it represents my life story, and my core values. Traveling the world in my denim brings that to life, with every collection that comes out. Each collection is designed from the things I saw, felt, or learned in that city. I hope I can help share, those certain feels, or small pieces that represent those places to people who may not have the resources to do that themselves.

It’s never easy, but you know what they say about life, “Nothing worth having comes easy.” I take it day by day with a short end goal always in mind. There will always be a bump in the road that you don’t plan for, and you have to be able to solve one issue at a time.

Everything I have had to overcome, has come with the best life lesson. And no matter how shitty it is to have to go through, as long as you learn a lesson you come out better on the other side. Staying in that mindset and never giving up is how I have been able to get myself where I am and it is how I will get myself where I want to be.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Day 1- Breakfast: AVENUES PROPER
Take a hike up to Ensign Peak, which offers an incredible view of this Utah City.
Lunch: TULIE BAKERY
Shopping at City Creek
Dinner: The Melting Pot

Day 2-
Breakfast: LA BARBA COFFEE & BREAKFAST TACOS
Natural History Museum of Utah
Lunch: TROLLEY COTTAGE CAFE
Salt Lake Trolley Tours
Red Butte Garden
Dinner: Fisher Brewing Company

Day 3-
Breakfast: PAGO ON MAIN
Park City Day
Lunch: Utah Olympic Park
Dinner: TAKEOUT: BOMBAY HOUSE
Redwood Drive-In Movie Theatre
DARLA’S DONUTS

Day 4-
Breakfast: PIG & A JELLY JAR
Float the Provo River
Lunch: Packed Lunch
Dinner: EVA

Day 5-
Breakfast: SWEET LAKE BISCUITS AND LIMEADE
Thanksgiving Point
Lunch: Thanksgiving Point
Dinner: EAST LIBERTY TAP HOUSE

Day 6-
Breakfast: OASIS CAFE
Roadtrip down to St. George- Stop at Mona Rope Swing
Dinner: Cliffside Restaurant

Day 7-
Breakfast: Tifiny’s Creperie
Sand Dunes
Lunch: Packed Lunch
Drive Home
Dinner: TACOS: LA CASA DEL TAMAL

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
HUGE thank you for the continuous support, advice, and mentorship from Adam Taubenfligel. Adam never lets me give up and always is there to encourage me to keep going.

Website: https://www.hargandenim.com

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reaganmarellebegley/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hargandenim

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hargandenim?lang=en

Image Credits
I take the majority of my content, credits: Reagan Marelle Begley

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