Haute Talk with Mo.Na Gems | From College Dorms to Conscious Fashion

This week on The Lexy Show, Lexy sits down with Mecca McDonald, co-founder of Mo.Na. Gems, a jewelry brand creating colorful, biodegradable accessories from a potato-based biomaterial. Mecca and her co-founder, Mia Dunn, began experimenting in a college kitchen during the pandemic, using the tools and ingredients they could access when their Johns Hopkins lab spaces were closed. What started as a creative experiment became a material that looks and performs like plastic without relying on fossil fuels.

Mecca explains why potatoes were a practical starting point, from their abundance to the existing agricultural systems that could support larger applications in the future. She clears up the biggest misconceptions about biodegradable materials, including the idea that they must be fragile, moldy, or constantly falling apart. Lexy and Mecca also talk about why sustainability does not have to look beige or boring, and how bold design can make environmental conversations feel more approachable. The conversation explores the relationship between art and science, designing for a product’s end of life, and Mecca’s long-term hope of using the material for products such as beauty packaging.

Mecca also shares what it is like to build a science-driven fashion company as a young Black woman, why creative founders are often underestimated, and how she communicates her vision to different audiences without losing its integrity.

Listen now, follow The Lexy Show, and subscribe for more conversations with the people reimagining fashion, materials, and what sustainability can look like.

Guest Social Media

Instagram: @mona.gems
TikTok: @mona.gems

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe to The Lexy Show, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who's ready to make more mindful choices for themselves and the planet. For more information visit https://lexysilverstein.com/

Transcript

MonaGems_LEX

lexy: [00:00:00] So Mona Gems started in a college dorm kitchen. Can you take us back to that moment? What were you experimenting with and what made you think maybe this could actually be something? 

mecca: Um, so for context. It. I got this idea while I was at in college still, and it was also the pandemic.

So we didn't really have access to lab space because of the pandemic and you know, like I went to Johns Hopkins, so we had, you know, state of equipment and all that stuff, but we couldn't use it. So, you know, instead of focusing on the limitations of what we didn't have access to. Me and I were inspired to just use what we had and just keep going.

So you, I don't know. I think I really, when I had the idea originally, I just felt strongly that it was a good [00:01:00] idea. I was like, this just feels like a really good idea and I wanna pursue it. Um, and, and then we just made a lot of progress and we actually got a material that worked. And that was really exciting.

lexy: That's awesome. I think, I mean, I, as horrible as COVID was, um, I think I've spoken to a lot of people that, you know, we, we sat at home for so long and we had nothing to do and we really like found ways of using our resources and, and. You know, making the best out of a horrible situation. And so I think it's really interesting to, to hear of all the companies and all the adventures and just like what people have been, what people did.

I tried to. Um, get better at sewing during COVID times, but I definitely would not say that I did. Um, but that is a hobby that made me in 2026, I'm gonna try to pick up again, at least very small little sewing projects. Um, but you and your co-founder were inspired by seeing resin [00:02:00] jewelry online. Um, but instead of copying that you went in the opposite direction.

So what made sustainability the starting point rather than an afterthought? 

mecca: I mean, I just.

I think it's just how I grew up. Mm-hmm. Like I think just culturally, like my background is I'm Jamaican and just culturally, I think when you're outside of America, people are a little more sustainable in terms of their consumption habits, in terms of how they make things. Um, and so. I just felt, I don't know, it just felt normal.

Like I don't really have like a deep answer, but it just felt like the right thing to do. And I grew up around being, just being in nature all the time, you know? And I just had this connection to nature and I had this strong urge to wanna protect it and create something that, from that place of like, oh, I wanna make something that.

Is good for the earth and good for [00:03:00] the people living on the earth, and so that's where that inspiration came from for me. 

lexy: Yeah, that's amazing. I think that that is something that, again, like I've had conversations about where it's just like sustainability isn't always like these big changes that we need to make.

Sometimes it's just like. Consuming less or doing, it's like things that we don't even necessarily think about all the time. Um, I've been really into like trying to waste less and seeing what I can make out of like food scraps and random things. And so literally yesterday I had, I got these, like I have, um.

Like more sustainable, like counter multipurpose cleaner or whatever. And instead of like buying the whole new plastic bottle, I buy these little like glass bottles filled with like cleaning solution or whatever, and you pour it in and mix it with water. Mm-hmm. And then I was looking at these little glass bottles that it comes in and I was like, why would I get rid of these?

Like I could totally goose this to like. [00:04:00] Store salad dressing or something when I need to go to lunch and, or go to, into the office and need, you know, like a container for that. And I'm like, just trying to think of all these ways of like, just not throwing things out and like, again, like what you were saying, like that's not even, I think in America we think of it or like as like, oh we're making these big switches or whatever.

But like sometimes that's just how. People live and like I don't it, it doesn't need to be this big like switch to sustainability. It can just be like 

mecca: the norm. Yeah, the norm. So what my intention was with creating jewelry too, especially, it was like, you know, it doesn't need to be like, oh, I have this like sustainable.

Car or something. It could be something small, like something you can wear and interact with every day. And then also it's like a conversation starter too, because that's something people have told me, like when they wear my products, um, people are always like, oh, where'd you get them from? Those are so cute.

And then, oh my God, did you know that [00:05:00] these are made from potatoes? Or did you know that these are biodegradable? And then it's like, what, how does that work? And so I think, you know, just the act of. Having something that you can wear that communicates, oh, I really care about the earth and I wanna engage with like brands and companies that also care about the earth, I think is really cool.

And I think I also just wanted to challenge people to think more deeply about the materials that they interact with. I think, you know. We have this perspective that things are just like set in stone, right? But that's just not true. Like things are constantly changing and we have the power to change things just by putting our ideas out there.

Yeah, completely. 

lexy: So where did the, how did you discover that, you know, potatoes might actually be the solution? Um. 

mecca: I mean, there's layers to that answer, but I think the simplest answer is, I just wanted to [00:06:00] try potatoes. Like, I was like, why not basically? Um, but like a more.

You know, whatever like nerdy answer is, you know, my long-term goal is to like, I would love for this material to have multiple applications and more applications than just jewelry. Like it's my dream to, you know, work with a makeup brand and make their packaging from this material. And so, you know, the intention behind picking.

Potatoes that it's an abundant material and millions of tons of potatoes are wasted and thrown away. And so in terms of like building infrastructure around this material, it already, the input ingredient already exists on a large industrial scale. So. It wouldn't be too much of a challenge to industrialize the process and make a plastic alternative for a makeup brand, [00:07:00] for example.

'cause a lot of biomaterials, like they're trying to use feedstock that doesn't have infrastructure, so that makes it more expensive and. Part of the problem with getting rid of plastic is that it's heavily subsidized by the government. So it's very cheap. And so companies don't want to switch, right?

Because if they switch to a new material that's little more expensive, that eats into their profits, it eats into their bottom line. And potatoes are abundant and millions of potatoes are thrown away every single year just because they're too ugly for consumption. Um, so that's also why I thought potato.

lexy: I That is so cool. And I didn't know any of this, and you, this is so cool. I think that that's really interesting. And I think so like when you tell people like, Hey, this is made out of potato. Like what's, what's usually their reaction? Like, do they think that that's sick or, 

mecca: yeah, [00:08:00] they're like, what? Like those, like how does that work?

Like I think it invokes like. Curiosity. Like, they have a lot of questions. They're amused. Like, they're like, what? Like how did you come up with this? Like, and you know, they're like, what? It actually looks just like plastic. Like I just wanna show you that. Hold on. I like made this fish. I just have to go get it.

Yes. Okay. Like, look at this. Like, it literally like. You can like see the texture on it. Yeah. That straight up looks like plastic. Cool. No, yeah. So people always like, they just get really excited, you know? And it makes me happy 'cause obviously I'm excited about it, is what I'm spending my time doing. And yeah, they just get really excited and they're really like, they just have so many questions and I think it's really cool and yeah, I don't know.

lexy: That's so cool. I think that that's like half of the, the sustainable journey is like not half half quite the exaggeration. But like, I love when people are like, oh, like I like your blah, blah, blah. And [00:09:00] then I'm like, thanks. It's made out of like 10 recycled water bottles, or it's made outta potatoes, or I thrifted it.

Mm-hmm. And then people are like, really? That's so cool. 

Speaker 3: Mm-hmm. 

lexy: And it's like changing. The narrative around, bless you, um, around sustain what sustainability is, because I feel like still a lot of people have this like, connotation with sustainability that's ugly. 

mecca: That's also why I started this brand is 'cause I was like, sustainability is just absolutely so ugly. Like I'm a visual artist, right. And obviously I, I like when things are pretty and I was like, why are, why is sustainability branded in this one specific way?

You know what I mean? It's like gray. Beige neutrals like grounds, which obviously makes sense, you know, like when you think about the earth and like earth tones in nature. But I was like, if we want this to be the come the norm, if we want this to be something that people are actually excited about, it also has to be pretty right.

Like it also has to fit into people's everyday lives. And that was [00:10:00] also something we thought about when we were designing the materials. Like it can't look sustainable, if that makes sense, right? Like, yeah. 

lexy: Yeah, I think that that is like a misconception that I'll talk about a lot where it's like sustainability is ugly and I'm just like literally.

Shut your mouth. Sustainability is hot. Shut your mouth. Like sustainability can be cool. You mean it can be like quirky, like it can be fun and expressive. Yeah. I think that's just like, oh my God. I was getting my hair cut the other day and I was talking to the person about. Like what I do and sustainability or whatever.

And they cut my hair and they were like, yeah, this is like super granola. And I was like, what the hell? Like not no disc to granola, like, but like, I was like, no, like I think that that's where again, that like, it's like connected to, you know, you're, [00:11:00] yes, you can always be, but like you're like. Hiking and you're, you know, like vegan and you're whatever, and I'm like, I'm vegetarian.

I love to hike, but like I also am a fashion girly and I. Like, it's, it, it doesn't have to be one or the other. Like you can, you can intertwine the, the fashion and the sustainability. And I think the more that we can get that across by doing those things where it's like, Hey, I like your necklace. And you're like, Hey, it's made from potatoes.

Like that really starts the conversation. And I think having those like natural conversations is so important. 

mecca: No, literally it just like people, like I, like, I just, my intention is like, I want it to look like. Classic, like obviously like I want to just look like what we already have so that people are excited about it, ex and excited about integrating it into their lives.

Because as humans, fundamentally, like I also studied psychology, but like we just are attracted to things that are beautiful and things that we perceive as beautiful. So that's also when I was designing this material was, you know, just considering. [00:12:00] If I'm just like a regular, everyday person and I don't care about sustainability, how can I make someone care?

Right? Mm-hmm. That's through intentional design and also science, but yeah. 

lexy: Yeah, completely. Um, well, so where'd the inspiration for the name come from? 

mecca: So obviously like I'm passionate about science, right? Like I went to Johns Hopkins and I created a biomaterial, so, so a lot of people don't really like, obviously they don't really see it at first, like it's like obvious to me, but, It's modeled after the periodic table, right? So when you look at the periodic table of elements, you can see like everything is abbreviated like this.

So the name Mona is Mother Nature, but abbreviated like the periodic table. 

lexy: Oh my gosh. Wait, I'm [00:13:00] obsessed with that. 

mecca: Yeah. 

lexy: Wow. Wow, wow. I love that. That's so fun. How did, did you just, were like looking at the periodic table one day and you're like, this is, this is it? 

mecca: I don't know really how I came up with it.

I think I was just like, what should I name this, which I name this, and I think for me, like I went to Johns Hopkins, right? And like. I'm also an artist, but I think a lot of us perceive art and science as separate as like, you know, like, oh, like science over there are over there. But I see them, I think they go hand in hand and I think they should be bridged more often.

So I was like, how do I combine creativity with science? Mm-hmm. And so that was my intention. 

lexy: I love that. I think that that is so cool. And I think that there are. Probably, and so many people that I've spoken to on my podcast or just in day to day where they're again interested in the science aspect of it all.

But that's [00:14:00] another thing that I'm like, science can be cool. Science can be sexy. Like we, I think that it's so cool that we live in 2026, and this is something I'll talk about a lot where it's like a lot of things that we. Do for sustainability are going back to the way we used to do things. But it's also awesome that we live in, you know, an age that we're able to.

Make these cool things and have these access to these different like technologies and sciences, um, in order to make sustainability so interesting and hopefully more accessible. Um, and so I think that that is really cool. And, um, I'm, I feel like probably a lot of people can relate to, you know. Being, being fashionable and being whatever, but also having that like nerdy side to them.

And so I think that this is, I I just love that name. I think it's very smart. Yeah. Um, so you get probably classic questions like, will it fall apart? Will it melt, will it grow mold? Like what's, what's some of the like biggest misconceptions [00:15:00] people have about biodegradable materials? 

mecca: Yeah. So obviously.

Education in America is not the best. Um, so people hear that something is biodegradable. They're like, oh. So it's like worthless, like it's not durable, it's fragile. It's like. Basic. They're like, it's a piece of shit. And I'm like, you know, like wood for example is biodegradable. You know what I mean? Like mm-hmm.

Um, 'cause it comes from trees, right? It's just been dried and cured in a specific way. The human body is biodegradable, but we're not walking around falling apart. Grown mold. Right? There's like a specific Good point. Good point, right? And so I always use the analogy of like, okay, I think of the human body, we're biodegradable, but you're not gonna start decomposing until you're in a specific condition that allows for the decomposition, right?

That's in the soil moisture. Tiny microorganisms that eat organic matter. So the material operates the same way. You know, when it's out and about in the world, [00:16:00] it's chilling. It's not growing mold, it's been plasticized, um, you know, using natural materials. So it acts just like plastic. But when you throw it away, when you put it in the soil, when Mother Nature does its job, it disappears.

So. Yeah, but I think people's imaginations are like really limited for like what's possible and like what can exist in the world. So they're like, oh, so it'll break down into microplastics? No, because it's not actually made from, it's not made from fossil fuels. It's not made from actual plastic. Um, so I think there's a lot of miseducation around natural materials and what they can do.

And that's also part of the reason why I started the series on my. Instagram page? Well, in the bio just to educate people because they don't understand like they have so many questions, which is fine. Right? And so yeah, that's, that's, there's a lot of misconceptions around the performance of the material.

If it's durable. Um, if it'll just start falling apart. Like, I have stuff that I've made in 2020 that I [00:17:00] still have, and it's fine. You know what I mean? Like, and it's in condition, but. When it's when I'm like, okay, I'm gonna put this in a dirt now I'll buy like, you know, so, 

lexy: yeah. Yeah, yeah. No, I think that, and that's, I think that that's something that we as consumers and we as.

Brands and, you know, everyone needs to be thinking kind of like this end of life, um, for our pieces and like, what are we gonna do when we no longer want this thing? Um, because I think that if we think of that ahead of time, like, I don't know, I think that with the rise of like fast fashion and micro trends and all these things, it's just like, let's buy something and then let's throw it out.

And it's. That's a large part of the problem. And so I think that when we think of something and we're like, okay, well how many times am I gonna use this? And how many times am I gonna wear it? And then when I wear it, what can I do when I, or like, can I extend the end of life? Can I, you know? Repair the holes that are in this piece or can I turn it into a rag or [00:18:00] whatever.

And then with that, what am I gonna do from there? Like before ever throwing anything out, like how am I gonna think about the end of life? And so if you're a brand and you're thinking about this, I think that that is like so helpful. 'cause I think we're seeing a lot of brands that are doing kind of like this.

If you have something. That, you know, an old pair of, I, I think Lululemon is like a brand that's doing it where they're like, if you have an old pair of Lululemon leggings or something, you can bring it back to Lululemon and then you get like a discount or something on your next purchase. That all that to say Lululemon is like not a, a very sustainable company, but a good program that they're doing.

And I think that. Like if more of these brands thought of this end of life or thought of ways of extending this, like, it, it again just brings up the topic of sustainability. Um, yeah. I think it's, what's really 

mecca: unfortunate about the older generation is that they were just so caught up on making money.

Like, they're like, yeah, they're, they're imagination stopped [00:19:00] at. The sale. You know what I mean? They're like, yeah, yes. We make the product, we sell it. Boom, move on. It's like, no, like I think as people who are in positions of power or whatever, you have a responsibility to also think about the impact that you're having on the environment.

Especially if you work at a multinational corporation, like you have the most impact. And like it's really frustrating. 'cause I think especially as young, ambitious people we're conditioned to just. Oh, I gotta figure out how to make the most money. You know what I mean? Like you go to a school like Johns Hopkins, you go to school like Harvard, Columbia, you're literally conditioned to just be like, oh, let me figure out what I can do to make the most money.

But I think people should be conditioned to think about how they can make the world a better place. Like, you know, like there's enough money in the world, there's enough resources in the world for us to be fine. Like we don't need to be making money anymore. You know what I mean? We need to be. Evolving as a society, as a culture, and having a positive impact on the world around us.

lexy: Yeah, [00:20:00] completely. And I think that it's so important for like companies like yours where like you're, you're going into it with that mindset. Um, and I mean, I obviously encourage any brand that's like not already sustainable to. Look into ways that they can be more sustainable. But I think that that is like a big difference that I'm seeing where a lot of consumers now are pushing for sustainability and transparency.

And so a lot of these brands that are not transparent and not sustainable are just like, kind of like scrambling for ways that they can become sustainable and oftentimes greenwash. Um, which again. I totally encourage any brand to like, do research and become more sustainable, but don't just, you know, like release like a green line, like do the research and see what you can really do.

Um, but so like having companies that go into it being like, this is sustainable. This is, you know, biodegradable is so great. 'cause the more that we can make that, the more that we get that out there, [00:21:00] the more accessible it becomes. The more that like my, in an ideal perfect world like. We have the legislation that forces all brands to be sustainable, ethical, and transparent.

Um, thus every single brand out there is transparent, sustainable, and ethical. Thus, consumers have no choice other than to shop from brands that are sustainable, ethical, and transparent, because that's all that's out there. So. We will very, we will get to that point, hopefully, but maybe not in my lifetime.

But the more, all the work that, you know, we can do now is so important. So that's why brands like yours are so, so important. Mm-hmm. Um, but you started this while you were in college. What do you, what do people often underestimate about young founders In the sustainable fashion industry or just in the fashion industry in general?

mecca: Um, I think there's a lot of misogyny like in the fashion industry, which is so funny because like if you look at it, a lot of the leadership in fashion, in executive level [00:22:00] positions, they're all men, right? Mm-hmm. They're like making decisions about what people should wear, whatever. And then it's like the people who are conceptualizing, the people who are starting trends, the people who are actually impacting culture.

Women, right? So it's like, why aren't women in positions of power? I don't know. But I think especially being a young woman in sustainability and fashion, like people are like, oh, that's cute. You know what I mean? They're like, that's cute. Like they don't think like this could actually like, have a long-term impact and like Yeah, like if you, if I've literally tested it where like I've branded like what I'm doing in like a more masculine way and.

I get like way more positive feedback from like people in positions of power obviously. And then it's like branding it in like a cute girly, pop, whimsical way. Like, you know, that's what's resonating with like consumers and like everyday people and it's just, I'm like, it's so interesting. I'm like, I don't know, obviously like it's like a cultural thing in [00:23:00] America, but I think, you know.

It is easy to be underestimated when you're a young woman and you're trying to do something that's a little more creative but still can have a positive impact, right? Like still like has potential. 'cause I always think, I'm always like, bro, like if I was like a white guy, like if I was just like a white man, like I just wonder like how much progress I would make with this idea.

'cause I'm like, this is a really good idea. You know what I mean? Like, and that's just like a question that always permeates in my mind. Like if I wasn't a woman, like if I wasn't black, like, and maybe if I wasn't marketing it, like for fashion, like what, where would I go? You know? 

lexy: Yeah. And how do you think that you've kind of.

You know, overcome this. And how, how, like what, how can others maybe be encouraged to when they see this happening? You know, not, not succumb to it. 

mecca: I think it's just like using creativity. Like if you have an idea, and I was just like, awareness, right? Like if you have an idea. You know, maybe it doesn't fit the mold of like what typically gets funding from like larger [00:24:00] institutions or whatever.

Just thinking about like, okay, I have this idea. I really like this idea and I want to stay true to this idea. How can I keep the essence of my idea, but communicate it in a way that will get support from a larger institution? Right? Like just, and not taking it personally, you know what I mean? Because it's like, this is like.

Hundreds year old systems that we're dealing with. So it's like, not really about you per se, but like if you're able to stay true to the essence of your idea and maintain, you know, the integrity of it, the existence of your idea and the success of your idea is what will allow for things to change, right?

Like you have to decide, like you want to be a part of doing the hard work of. Promoting that change and showing that the change is possible and you know, figuring out how you can communicate to different audiences. You don't just have to view as like, oh, like this audience likes is looking for this type of information.

This audience is looking for this type of information, but you can still maintain the integrity of what you're building. So I think it just requires like humility, creativity, and [00:25:00] passion. 

lexy: Yes, completely. I love that. Um. So I always like to end my podcasts on asking what are your top tips for someone who's starting their journey to a more sustainable lifestyle?

mecca: More sustainable lifestyle? I mean, honestly, the most sustainable thing to do is just like consume less, honestly. Mm-hmm. Like stop buying things. But I think if you're going, if you're like, you know, most Americans, we like to spend money, I think. Just thinking about what you're buying, where it's coming from, and thinking intentionally about how it's sourced, like how is it made, who's making it, and building the awareness around how something is getting to you is really important.

'cause you know, we often forget, like someone is making this, like, there's a real person behind this thing that I made and it just magically appears. No. Like, just spend some time thinking about that, doing [00:26:00] research, finding brands that align with your values and you know, putting that out into the world 

lexy: completely.

I love that. I think that that's super important. Like you said. Like passion and, and I think that passion like really keeps us going in this, in this industry especially. 'cause like the environment sometimes can really daunting and really scary and there's a lot of stats out there that kind of keep me up at night.

But I think that when we have a passion for this and a passion for fashion, um, you know, it, it, it keeps us motivated and, and. You know, surrounding yourself with people that are also passionate about it. Um, well, thank you so much. Where can people find you on social media? 

mecca: People can find us on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and honestly YouTube at MONA dot gems, MONA, period, GEMS, and join our engaging community.

I always share like very interesting creative [00:27:00] content around, you know, sustainability. I don't know. Yeah. 

lexy: Amazing. -