Margaret Mecca ’99

We welcomed a visit from Margaret Mecca, Class of 1999, Senior Technical Design Manager at URBN Inc. in Philadelphia. After her graduation from Jefferson University in 2003, Mecca moved to NYC where she secured her first full-time job as Assistant Technical Designer for IZOD. She relocated back to Philly, and for the past 13 years, she has built her career with URBN and its related brands (Free People, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Nuuly).

While her original plan was to pursue a degree in law, Mecca decided to embrace her passion for art by majoring in Fashion. Today, as a Senior Technical Design Manager, Mecca is considered the “engineer” in the production process, taking a designer’s sketch and turning into a garment. In addition, she oversees a team of over 30 in the design, quality control, innovation, and launching of each new, emerging brand. She credits social media and young influencers, such as our students, for the constant changing, rebranding, and growth.

She also shared the history of URBN- one man’s dream, $3000, and the help of his college friend seeking a thesis for his entrepreneurial class at Penn. “At URBN, every opinion matters. Everyone has a voice. Whether you are a first year intern or a Director, everyone is encouraged to be creative,” explained Mecca. She takes much pride in working for a company with a sustainable design strategy, whether it be offering reusable shopping bags, eliminating all plastic packaging, gifting each employee with their own thermos, dishes, silverware, and providing dishwashers for lunch, recycling vintage clothing, repurposing and donating yarn and fabrics, and utilizing existing spaces for retail and distribution. We are so thankful to Mecca for sharing her knowledge of the fast-paced fashion industry.