Marie Oliver is an independent women’s fashion brand offering versatile, quality pieces that are both exciting and effortless to wear. Our seasonal collections are rooted in artisanal prints, silhouettes that define, and color palettes that explore complementary plays. Whether the wearer is confidently tackling a work project in a well-cut skirt set, celebrating a long-awaited event in a vibrant patterned dress, or chasing kiddos down the beach in a color-washed swimsuit, we provide the pieces that elevate everyday, and elicit joy in getting dressed.
Marie Oliver was founded in 2015 by Creative Director Sarah Doggett Evenson, who first pursued a successful career in finance before her creativity and entrepreneurial spirit won out. Combining her middle name, “Marie,” with her husband Peter’s middle name, “Oliver,” the eponymous product offering quickly grew from several signature core styles to a wide range of versatile pieces that fill a wardrobe year-round.
Aptly for a company operated by a wife and husband, it’s the energizing tension of opposites that fuels the fashion perspective of Marie Oliver. Grounded in the exceptional outcomes of contradiction and compromise, our pieces reflect plays of soft paired with hard, voluminous shapes finished with tailored details, neutrals punctuated by pops of neon, and laid back southern ease with aspirational edge. The result? Seasonal collections crafted for everyday born from the vivid imagining of what can be out of the ordinary.
We remain independently owned and operated, and are proudly based in North Carolina. Sarah lives in Greensboro with her husband, son, and rescue dog.
Marie Oliver is available for purchase at our online flagship, in over 300 independent retail shops throughout the United States, as well as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Rent the Runway.
Q&A WITH SARAH
How did Marie Oliver come about?
After coming up empty handed when I had a specific dress in mind for an event, I kept thinking of my dad’s frequent reminder: “Find what you love and learn to be successful doing it.” Marie Oliver is just that. Being creative is food for my soul, and in the nearly ten years since we launched, I still learn something new everyday.
What inspires the brand?
Everything at Marie Oliver starts with our customer: Where she is going, what she is wearing, and how she wants to feel. Prints and color are a huge part of that equation, and we find inspiration everywhere: a book we read, a trip we took, a photo that we saw, you name it. We take that inspiration and channel it into our collections to help Marie Oliver customers find that same spark of joy in their personal style.
You left finance for fashion. That’s quite a jump! What made you take the leap? How does your finance background play into what you do as a Founder and business owner day-to-day?
At my core, I am a creative person, and after a few years in the finance world, that itch just won out. And this has never been a hobby for me, it has been a business since the first caftan design, so in that sense I’m applying my background every day. While a lot of my work is creative, finance still comes into play, and I’m always exercising both sides of my brain. A business background has been crucial to the success of the brand.
How many people actually work at Marie Oliver?
In this building and our warehouse, we have 19 employees (and 1 dog), but it feels like we’re growing every day. We also have amazing partners around the country, who help bring our product to market each season. But for me, it’s really exciting to be building a brand here in North Carolina.
Why North Carolina?
My husband Peter and I grew up here. It’s home, and we want to support the community by keeping our business here. North Carolina also has a rich textile and design heritage, and the lifestyle here is so charming and full of color. It’s easy yet sophisticated.
What’s your biggest challenge as a small business owner?
I like to use the analogy that when you’re running a small business, you are building the bus as you are driving it and picking up passengers. Everything is happening at once. That’s exciting and challenging, but it means no two days are the same, and we are never bored!
Why are small businesses important?
Small businesses are important because they bring unique solutions to the marketplace, and really allow people to be creative. They support their communities and bring a fresh point of view to the world around them. I always say bigger is not better, better is better.
What advice do you have for someone starting a business?
Honestly, find your grit. It not only takes hard work—a lot of people can work hard—but it really takes grit and determination to put your feet on the floor every day, whether the day before was a good day or a bad day. Obstacles are constantly coming, so you must wholeheartedly believe in the ‘why’ and the reason you started in the first place.
What keeps you motivated?
Really it’s our team and our customers. As we continue to grow, they motivate me every day to be a better leader and to keep going season after season after season. Marie Oliver wouldn’t be here without them.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the product that we create: the collections that we bring to market every season and the way we take prints and bring them to life. We continue to inspire women every time we launch a new collection, and to me, that’s a great success story.
