Julia Cumming x Miista
"Don't Judge Me Until You've Walked a Mile in My Shoes."
Miista
Wed Mar 26 2025
Miista has always been the well dressed weird one. The odd person at school who grew up and got an attitude. You looked her up on Instagram years later and she’s just doing something different from the rest. She’s ‘Not the Typical Woman’ and people are listening to her.
Because we feel the proudest when we collaborate with people who transform norms into their opposite: we invited Julia Cumming to verbalise her journey to becoming the magnetic front woman she is today of the Brooklyn-based band Sunflower Bean.
Julia Cumming, known for her work as a musician, activist, model, and performer, has never let labels define her path. From her early days with Supercute!, an art project that defied age and gender expectations, to leading Sunflower Bean, she has continuously pushed boundaries.
"Rock ‘n’ roll, DIY, and activism are about opening doors for others—especially for young girls. That’s the real gift."
In 2011, she launched Pure Imagination, a radio program encouraging young people to engage in art and political activism. Over a decade later, the fight for self-expression remains just as vital. Julia shares advice for those challenging norms and striving to preserve their rights.
Balancing multiple careers, she reflects on the challenges of being judged for not fitting traditional molds and recalls moments of resistance she has faced. She also takes us back to Bushwick, Brooklyn, painting a picture of the DIY scene that shaped her artistry.
Through the years, Julia has collaborated on remarkable projects, including Madonna’s Her-Story in 2017, a tribute to women fighting for freedom.
An ode to “not THE typical woman”.
When our Creative Director & Founder Laura met her in Paris in the middle of Fashion Week, our first question was, “Why are you here and not at a fashion show?”. Her response summed it up in one sentence; “ to capture all the chaos that is modern beauty, life, work, and womanhood.“
But what does it really feel like to walk miles in Julia Cummings’ shoes?
Laura: Julia, just a super quick question. Why are we here and not at a fashion show today? Why, why, why?
Julia: We are shooting the new campaign "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"—or "Don’t Judge Me Until You’ve Walked a Mile in My Shoes." We’re here to capture all the chaos that is modern beauty, life, work, and womanhood. And we’re not leaving anything out.
L: Your first band, Supercute!, you previously described it as an art project about not letting your age or being a girl stop you from trying anything. How old were you then?
J: I was 13 years old when we started that project.
L: When did you first experience that being a girl could have stopped you from reaching your dreams or goals?
J: Well, there’s something about rock music, especially, where every single woman that has come before has paved the way. There were still a lot of moments where I faced challenges. Even today, girls come up to me and say, "You were the first woman I saw playing bass on stage," which is really surprising. It reminds me that change happens person by person.
When I was younger, I just wanted to be close to music and didn’t think much about the challenges. But as time passed, I realised how hard I was trying and how much sexism we were really experiencing. Still, I believe kids can make art. Kids are more tapped in than we give them credit for.
L: Do you feel kids are—or were you at that moment—more ready to take risks?
J: I think so. Being young means having less fear, maybe because we don’t yet understand mortality. In Supercute, we wrote about what mattered to us—food, pets, friendship, and the artists we loved. We even had a rule: no writing about boys. Then we wrote a song about not writing about boys. So, we had rules, but we also broke them.
L: Were the rules meant to be broken, or did you really stick to them?
J: Well, we broke the "no writing about boys" rule by writing about boys. But we mostly wrote about rock stars like Elliott Smith and Syd Barrett—not the usual ones. I did like Nick Jonas, though. Who didn’t?
L: In 2011, you started Pure Imagination, a radio program aimed at encouraging teens to get involved in the arts and political activism. The world has changed a lot since then. Any recommendations for what the community of non-typical women can do to help preserve our rights and continue being who we are?
J: Right now, it's crucial to take care of ourselves in every way. So much of what’s happening is meant to scare women and push us into old expectations. We need to protect our mental health so we have the strength and creativity to fight. Resistance requires creativity and resilience. Activism is a lifelong journey, and burnout is a real risk. The worst thing would be to stop caring because it becomes too painful.
L: Do you feel that as things get more commercial, women are more afraid to speak up?
J:: I think it makes sense to be afraid. Violence against women is rampant, and we all do what we need to do to protect ourselves. But womanhood is a multi-dimensional experience that cannot be silenced. We have to trust that and not judge ourselves. What we’re doing today—embracing imperfections and being different—is a form of rebellion.
L: Have you ever experienced judgment or violence on stage? How do you deal with it?
J: When I was 14, performing in Seattle, a group of men threw condoms at us on stage. I’ve been stalked, I’ve received threatening messages with people holding guns. But what can you do? That’s part of being in the world. You can’t let what others think define your life. If you listened to every critic, you wouldn’t build anything meaningful.
L: That takes amazing mental strength. How does it feel walking miles in Julia’s shoes—juggling multiple careers as a musician, activist, model, and performer?
J: It’s a gift. Many people never get the chance to think on these terms due to circumstances beyond their control. I’ve been lucky—my family never judged me, and I have my bandmates and my manager, Crista, who make this journey full of love and friendship. There’s no reason to limit our experiences. I just hope that, in the end, I create something meaningful.
L: Any rituals to cope with it all?
J: Meditation and writing. I love writing—I've been doing it more for fun, whether it's poems or stories—as a way to interpret life and time. Sometimes, forgetting can feel like a way to stay safe, you know? It's easier to push things down. But at this stage in my life, I'm trying to remember more—to hold onto both the good and the bad. That helps me find more peace with it.
L: What was your worst moment of being judged for being a non-typical woman?
J: Judgment from family can be the hardest. My immediate family is supportive, but extended family can be tougher. In New York, it’s easy to be a "freak," but outside the city, it’s different. Sometimes just a look can feel like judgment. Playing a show for five people can be scarier than playing for 10,000 because it’s more personal. But I choose to focus on the gift of not being confined to a box.
L: Take us back to Brooklyn’s DIY scene. What makes it so special?
J: New York blends European influence with American ambition, creating a unique music history. DIY is the foundation of my career—there’s no college course for this. You just keep lifting amps until one day you don’t have to do it alone. DIY gives young people the chance to make rock ‘n’ roll, and that’s invaluable.
L: Favourite DIY bands from New York that inspired you?
J: So many. Total Slacker, DIIV—who came out of 285 Kent. That whole Williamsburg block had venues like Ran Tea House, Death by Audio. It was a magical time.
"I’m just a regular girl from New York who’s very tall and has had big dreams"
L: You’ve collaborated on amazing projects—like Madonna’s Her-Story in 2017. What’s next?
J: Lots of new music with Sunflower Bean and beyond. I’m also working with Mutua, a group in New York, to take activism into the digital space. Tech is evolving so fast, and I want to find ways to connect and support people in new ways.
If there’s one takeaway, it’s that none of this should be gatekept. I’m just a regular girl from New York who’s very tall and has had big dreams. If I can get this far, so can someone else. Rock ‘n’ roll, DIY, and activism are about opening doors for others—especially for young girls. That’s the real gift.
L: Amazing. Thank you so much, Julia.
J: Thank you!
“Don’t Judge Me Until You’ve Walked a Mile in My Shoes.”
Paris March 2025.
@juliacumming
Agency: Premier Models @premiermodels
Videographer: Gregoire Leon-Dufour @gregoireleondufour
Lighting Assistant: Matteo Sabouraud @matteosabouraud
Photographer: Francesc Planes @francescplanes
Make-up: Faye Bluff @fayebluff
Hair: Gordon Chappels @gordon.chapples.hair
