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Meet the husband-and-wife team behind Canada's latest size-free denim brand, Morii

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If you’re anything like us, walking into a store and finding the perfect pair of jeans is but a dream. No matter how many brands come out with the new “It” pair, finding the right fit and style sans-tailoring seems next to impossible. Enter Morii Jeans, a Canadian size-free denim brand that makes your denim your way.

Alberta-born Morii Jeans, the lovechild of married couple Erin and Stan Rector, fills a void in the fashion world by allowing you to build your perfect pair of jeans that fit just right, right out of the box. Everything down to the style, wash, pocket design and hardware is up to you. And the best part is that not one pair comes with an assigned size number.

“I hope by the time my daughters reach that age, sizes will be a thing of the past, and they’ll be able to dress themselves confidently without identifying themselves as [an arbitrary] number that brands assign to us,” Stan said.

But beyond saving their customers the time and frustration of endlessly searching for the perfect denim, the Rectors hope to inspire the rest of the fashion world to catch up when it comes to size-free fashion and sustainability.

Here, Stan and Erin talk the importance of sustainable fashion, what it’s like working as a team and the future world of fashis, on they hope to inspire.

Size-Free Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)
Size-Free Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)

SHOP IT: Morii Jeans, $275

So, what’s it really like working together as a married-couple team?

Erin: The reason it works so well between the two of us is that our personalities and strengths compliment each other. Stan is brilliant when it comes to ideas and vision. He has drive that I have never seen in anyone else I've met. Business is his passion, and over the years he has focused on finding solutions. I consider myself a detail-oriented person. I love to take on the administrative and customer-service types of roles.

I think we bring our cooperation in our marriage to our workplace. It's always a give and take, and we allow each other to take on responsibilities that we feel comfortable with, regardless of traditional roles. And a little teasing brings some light-hearted fun throughout the workday as well. You can't take everything too seriously when you spend all day together!

What first inspired you to develop "size-free" jeans?

E: Originally we were looking into making made-to-measure suits. After getting started on the idea, Stan realized that he wasn't enjoying the shopping process of suits, mainly because he just wanted to put on jeans. He loves jeans, but has always had issues with finding jeans that fit him right. So why make suits when he could make the best, most comfortable jeans that fit perfectly every time? When he told me about it, I was excited! I'm pretty fit, so a lot of people would think that I can buy off the rack easily, but it's not that easy! Especially after I had babies, my hips were bigger than they were before and my legs were sticks, so it felt like when I bought jeans, the waist was always squeezing me!

Sizes are another story all together. One size in one brand, another size in another brand. There's no consistency. There’s also a huge issue with mass produced fast fashion. How much stuff gets tossed in the landfills because those pieces did not sell? How many people have bought jeans that they thought would work and only wore them once because they never fit "just right.” When I have a great item in my wardrobe, I wear it for years. Literally years! I absolutely love the idea of getting something that fits me, and not having a size attached to it.

Stan and Erin Rector (Photo via Morii Jeans)
Stan and Erin Rector (Photo via Morii Jeans)

What was the process like creating Morii from the ground up, and where does the name come from?

E: Morii is the desire to capture a fleeting moment from the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. It talks about how you try and capture these moments in time with the click of a shutter, just to feel more comfortable in a world that is stuck on play. The start of size-free jeans is a moment in time that is going to last and create a better future. It's a product with purposeful meaning. The definition of Morii is beautiful because it can have so many meanings and be interpreted in so many ways. For some it will mean that they will not have to walk into a store again just to be told they don't carry their size. For some, it will be the extra boost of confidence that they need to get through their first day of school. For others, it will be their part in "un-participating" in the world's environmental crisis by standing up and saying "no" to mass producing.

Stan and his team took the reins on developing the brand. There are some pretty amazing minds behind Morii Jeans. The biggest challenge was to find a quality manufacturer that shared our values. Our hearts rested on one in Thailand. Both Stan and I have travelled there and the Thai people have our hearts.

Were you both interested in fashion before creating Morii?

E: I really love fashion. My favourite is to find unique pieces and wear them over and over again. I'm not the kind of girl that buys a new dress for every wedding or event that I go to because the outfits I already have in my wardrobe I already love and can't wait to wear again! My wardrobe is kind of funny though. You will mostly either find super dressy outfits or athletic wear. I wore jeans before but not often because I found it hard to sit at my desk in jeans, until Morii.

Stan: I have always loved fashion as well, and have wanted to be part of building a clothing brand since I can remember.

What is the production process like for each pair of jeans?

E: Morii Jeans is made-to-measure, made-to-order, and designed by you. First, you start with the design of your jeans. Select your denim fabric, then pocket style, stitching colour, personalized initials, button colour, fly type (zipper or button), wash, and what style of leather you would like. Then you select your desired “fit” — or how closely your jeans hug your leg. Once you have chosen all your customized details, then it is time to take your measurements. Follow our step-by-step video detailing how to take each of the 10 measurements needed to finish the process. After this, you place your order. Once we receive the order, we review with our master tailor to make sure there are no issues with the measurements. When we have approved measurements, we go into production. Every pair of Morii Jeans is hand-crafted, cut, and sewn by a tailor in Thailand. Three to four weeks later, your custom-made jeans arrive at your doorstep. You’ll receive jeans that fit you perfectly out of the package, and will last you for many years to come.

S: We’re very proud to have found such a quality manufacturing partnership with our tailors. Erin and I are extremely picky when it comes to quality and sustainability. Not only did we want to make sure that Morii Jeans would be someone’s go-to pair of jeans in their closet, we also wanted to make sure that every pair would be sustainably produced. We’ve heard horror stories about sweatshops and could not imagine building an inclusive brand that profited off of the labor of artisans. It turned out finding a tailored jean manufacturer, especially one with sustainable and quality manufacturing processes, is extremely difficult. We spent several months calling, emailing, and vetting every manufacturer in Thailand before we finally found one that was not only willing to make tailored jeans, but also prioritized sustainability in their manufacture and ethical living wages for their artisans.

Men's Skinny Fit Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)
Men's Skinny Fit Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)

SHOP IT: Morii Jeans, $275

How do you hope Morii Jeans make your customers feel about their denim collection and their bodies?

E: Our hope is that size shaming is a thing of the past. A good pair of jeans that fit right reduces returns, landfill, and tears. Everyone is shaped so differently. People need to know that there is nothing wrong with their bodies. Everyone should have the right to put on something they feel good in. Confidence in our clothing and comfort with fit shows up in the way we physically carry ourselves, and it translates into how we are perceived in life.

S: That’s why we are committed to the concept of Size Free fashion, not just for ourselves and our customers, but for our future. I just got an email from a mother saying that she is so happy to discover Morii because her teenage daughter can’t find jeans that fit her well and has broken down more than once in tears in the dressing room about it. I hope by the time my daughters reach that age, sizes will be a thing of the past, and they will be able to dress themselves confidently without identifying themselves as a 0, a 6, a 12, or any other random number that brands assign to us.

Women's Skinny Fit Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)
Women's Skinny Fit Morii Jeans (Photo via Gilles Thibault)

SHOP IT: Morii Jeans, $275

How do you hope Morii inspires other brands in the fashion world?

E: There are many like-minded people emerging in the fashion industry that believe in conscious consumerism and sustainability, not just as a checklist item but as a lifestyle and business ethos. The more companies that start accepting sustainable practices, the more we help our planet.

What hopes do you hope to see within the size-inclusive fashion world?

E: I was absolutely stoked to see a wide variety in shapes and sizes of models in Paris fashion week last year. I feel like we’re already on the right path as a society. I hope we continue the celebration of all shapes and sizes. Bodies are beautiful, strong and resilient. Changing completely is not easy though. We don't want to cut down or judge brands that have not adopted this yet. I can definitely see how challenging it is for brands to accommodate different sizes as well as shapes because they pretty much have to guess who is going to buy their clothes. Our hope is to see improvement and attempts, new technology even. As long as we keep trying and evolving, eventually we will get it right.

S: Exactly. Body positivity and size inclusivity are not just a passing fad. Inclusivity should be the standard. Most “industry standard” brands make clothes with antiquated sizes and cuts that properly fit less than 40 per cent of the population. The quicker all brands get on board with body positivity and inclusivity, the better.

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