Taylor Johnston

Founder, Gamine Workwear

Boston

After being photographed by Bill Cunningham while installing the infamous Nasturtium vines at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, horticulturist Taylor Johnston found herself on the hunt for stylish yet functional workwear for women. After exhausting all options, and without a formal design background, Taylor decided to tackle the problem herself. After two years of R&D, she set up a sustainable domestic production chain sourcing unique natural and vintage textiles. Connecting a former pattern maker at a world-renowned denim brand, the oldest workwear manufacturer in the U.S. (L.C. King Manufacturing), the historic Cone denim mill in N.C., and a team of cottage industry seamstresses across New England, Taylor and her team launched Gamine in June of 2014. Within a few weeks of launching, Gamine sold out of its inaugural offering— the slim slouch dungaree— and from there grew a wait list of 500+ eager women from around the world. Building a smart community of women from features including the Boston Globe, Modern Farmer Magazine, and The Cut, Gamine has one eye on history and the other gazing toward the future.