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What’s a luxury product in 2021?
In 2021, we believe it’s important to interrogate what a luxury item actually is. We have a slightly different idea of what a luxury product should be. For us, a luxury fashion item needs to have three things: Use craft methods over technology, be made of the highest quality fabric and take time to make.
Historically, the garment making industry in A Coruna was founded by women. Because of this, we feel it’s important to employ a large majority of women in the production process. You can find out all about our supply chain here.
Here’s what we feel a product needs to be in order to achieve ‘luxury’ status.
IT CAN BE MENDED
We don’t feel you can call a product a luxury item if it cannot be mended. Any piece you buy from us can be mended by our team. We believe in an artisan hand-made approach, and in investing in people over machines. By having our own factory in Spain, we are able to ensure that every stage of the garment making process is made according to handmade methods.
IT TAKES TIME
We take our time with each and every one of our products. We spend as much time as is needed to make every single one of our items by hand. Using mass production tools would save a lot of time, but by using artisans and taking time to discuss every part of the process, each piece is made with patience, consideration and experimentation.
THE HIGHEST QUALITY MATERIALS, WITHOUT THE CARBON FOOTPRINT
We believe that our garments, shoes and accessories must be made from premium material. Our production process takes seven months, longer than industry standards. We source our materials in the EU only and specifically in Italy, Portugal and Spain, significantly cutting down flight time in shipment.
Miista’s Ready-To-Wear Factory in Spain
Our founder Laura Villasenin and her brother (and now business partner) Pablo Villasenin grew up in Galicia, Spain. If you aren’t familiar with this part of the North of Spain, it is historically a location with a storied and political history in clothing manufacturing. Why political? In the 19th Century the garment industry in this region boomed, largely crafts people were hand making ready-to-wear linens for low income people. The arrival of industrialisation depleted the industry. Many factories were also running small farms and they simply didn’t want to be part of a capitalist system of clothing manufacturing and were happy to keep their businesses small in the face of industrialisation. The background of this rich and conflicted industry, thrown on the rocks by the inability to keep up with capitalist technology, has always been in the background of our brand’s vision. If you’ve read our founder’s yearly letters<<ADDLINK, you’ll known that the value of quality over quantity has always been important to Miista.
DESIGNED IN LONDON
‘’London is a big part of who we are as a brand. Ever since I moved to the city in 2001 to study, my experiences in the city have inspired Miista’s collections. In 2020, we properly committed to the area of London we love the most, Bethnal Green. In April 2020 we turned an old leather tannery in Bethnal Green, East London, into a community design studio and showroom, which we can’t wait to welcome you into. Whilst we are proudly made in Spain, we are a London brand and constantly inspired by the city. Always playing with opposites, we enjoy a double identity between Spain and London.‘’ Laura Villasenin
Our Footwear Story
Since our brand was founded in 2010 we have always been sure to support the community of shoemakers in Portugal and Spain, where for hundreds of years, the trade of shoemaking has employed hundreds of people. Our ongoing relationships with these communities of shoemakers has allowed us to experiment with the unusual materials, unconventional silhouettes and radical designs that have become the identity of our brand.
From the bespoke handmade shoe moulds we use to make each piece of footwear, to our trial-and-error approach to designing, working so closely with the women and men in our partner factories is one of the great pleasures of creating Miista. It also allows us to have ownership of our footwear supply chain, and allow the artisans in each factory to take their time and experiment.