Meet Emerging Designer & Creative Director Sami Miró
As the creative director of her own eponymous brand, Sami Miró knows a thing or two about style.
Fashion designer Sami Miró is going all out.
Since launching her brand Sami Miro Vintage in 2016, the 34-year-old's star has steadily risen within the fashion industry leading her to share her creative ingenuity with Heron Preston and Yeezy. Last year, Miró was one of five emerging designers recognized by the CFDA and Fashion Trust US with a grant to forward her work.
The designer's talent, combined with her mood board-worthy dressing habits, makes her the poster girl for 2022 fashion. Fortunately, Miró is uncapping the secret to her effortless style by sharing a taste of which beauty and style items she'll be using to glam up for a Valentine's Day with friends (although she eschews the term "Galentine's Day"). In addition, the young creative director also speaks to L'OFFICIEL on why sustainability is such an important tenet of her brand and what exciting endeavors she has on the horizon.
Sami Miró's Beauty Picks:
L’OFFICIEL: When you're in the studio creating for your brand Sami Miro Vintage, what inspires you?
Sami Miró: I don't have the traditional fashion background in terms of schooling and experience. I'm very much self-taught, so I get inspiration from so many obscure moments and things that I find in the world around me. Whether it's a dapper old man walking across the street with his three-piece suit, or a texture or a color that I see on a menu, or anything else that catches my eye.
I'm very much embedded in vintage in terms of my personal style. I was raised by my dad and I had an older brother, so all of my hand-me-downs were men's clothing. From a really young age, I would have to figure out how to make these oversized pieces work for my figure—[I would] cut things up and pin things in a way that they weren't supposed to be, so I think I find a lot of inspiration in wearing things the wrong way.
I'm also always thinking about how to accentuate the parts of our figure that we want to, and how to minimize typical problem areas. You'll find in a lot of my designs that there's a curvature—whether it's in the seams or in the cuts of the fabrics—that really is very flattering to the human figure. The goal is to make people feel very confident and beautiful.
L’O: Your brand is rooted in this tenant of sustainability and eco-responsibility. Why was that so important for you?
SM: Being from San Francisco, I think caring about the planet was just embedded in me. It was the way things were. It wasn't something that you had to think about; it was just the way that we lived our lives. Coming from that background, loving vintage so much, and starting my brand really by upcycling and reworking vintage, I just knew that was the only way for me to design.
When I started Sami Miro Vintage in 2016, upcycling was a very, very, very new concept. Very few people were doing it. When I started to design collections beyond one-of-one pieces, I knew that I also had to really get into the supply chain, from the materials to the ethics of the company in terms of how we treat and pay our sewing partners and making sure that we're not working with sweatshops. Now, our supply chain is within a 15-mile radius of our office in Los Angeles.
It started off as a smaller impact because we were creating a lot of one-of-ones. Then, the ethos of sustainability and eco-consciousness became a really big part of the brand. As we grow, staying eco-conscious is the most important thing for us.
Sami Miró's Valentine's Day Fashion Picks:
L’O: Has running your own brand changed your relationship with or your feelings towards fashion?
SM: I think that it's really incredible to see much larger brands than mine who are able to remain sustainable. As sustainability becomes a bigger topic in fashion—and really in every industry—I think it's important for companies to not jump on the bandwagon for the sake of it. If they are focusing on changing their business model, it's really important for them to make sure that they aren't greenwashing, and that they're aware of their long-term goals, that it's not a marketing ploy, and that they really do believe in it because being a sustainable brand is much harder.
It's a lot more expensive to go the sustainable route. If you have two fabrics in front of you, the sustainable one might be five times the price as the non-sustainable one. I know that it's going to be more expensive and I'll choose that time and time again. Like I keep saying, there's no other way for me.
L'O: You were recently recognized by the CFDA and Fashion Trust US. What was that moment like for you?
SM: It was extremely emotional. It came out of nowhere—I never applied for anything with the CFDA and didn't even know that I was on their radar. As a smaller brand, it was so exciting to receive that grant from them, and I was able to expedite some more long-term goals. When I was finally inducted into the CFDA this year, it was just mind-blowing. I definitely shed a tear; I still pinch myself every single day.
L'O: Where do you see Sami Miro Vintage going from here? What's on the horizon?
SM: The last two years have been really transitional and really monumental for the brand. We've been experiencing so much growth. In 2020, it was just me and one other person running every single part of the business. Last year, my team grew a lot and it was great to have such amazing people around me who believe in what we stand for. Every big thing that happens is because of them as well, equally, no matter if they're an intern or a manager.
This year, I see Sami Miro Vintage growing even more, putting out more collections, and being able to focus on the overall strategy and creative direction. Since I now have a team handling the production, it frees up some of my time to think: What is Sami Miro Vintage? Where do we see ourselves? What do we want to grow into? We also have a lot of really exciting collaborations coming out this year. I can't share now, but it's another pinch-me moment. So, I'm really excited for all of that, but, overall, being able to grow and teach people and give back that love and gratitude to all of our supporters.
