Sami Miró on Finding Herself Through Her Zeal for Eco-Conscious Design

With rising debate on fashion’s carbon footprint, the era of eco-conscious design is certainly here, but before it became mainstream to shop vintage, San Francisco-born and raised designer Sami Miró had been upcycling second-hand pieces since she was a teen. When attending an elite high school as a scholarship kid, all of Miró’s peers had the latest designer pieces, so she tapped into her natural gift of thrifting and began reworking hand-me-downs and vintage items into one-of-a-kind looks. After working at a tech startup for four years, the designer/model eventually started her eponymous brand, Sami Miró Vintage (SMV), in 2016. Sustainability is at the core of Miró’s brand ethos, ensuring each material she uses is eco-fabric and that her company’s entire supply chain is within a 20-mile radius of her office to reduce her carbon footprint. Since 2016, the Sami Miró brand has been worn by the likes of Bella Hadid, Duckie Thot, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, Rosalía, and more. Models.com spoke to the recently inducted CFDA member about her inspirations, her latest upcycled Levis collaboration, and her goals for SMV.

How did you gain an interest in upcycling/ thrifting clothes?
Reworking vintage clothes has always been a passion of mine which started as a hobby when I was super young. Between reworking my father and older brother’s hand-me-downs and attending a high school where everyone was privileged and wearing trendy expensive clothing, I learned quickly that I was my own person and gained confidence from deterring from trends. When I began to thrift and shop vintage, I quickly realized my raggedy garments were the only ones of their kind, unlike the new-with-tag-look everyone appreciated at the time. That uniqueness, although not very appreciated by my peers, allowed me the room to find my lane and, thusly, myself.

What first pushed you to start designing and starting your brand, Sami Miró Vintage ?
The gap in sustainable fashion, mixed with my love of the planet and unorthodox way of designing, catalyzed me to move into the fashion sector. I began my career at a tech start-up and traveled weekly for them, where I met different creatives who saw value in what I was creating. Once I was able to be part of these conversations, it motivated me to pursue my own brand. It was a new frontier for me, both as an entrepreneur and at the beginning of my transformation into a creative director and designer.

In 2016, Selena Gomez asked you to join and design her looks for an upcoming leg of her Revival tour in Asia. How was that experience as a small business owner at the time?
I had really just launched the brand two months prior and got a call from Selena and her team to come out and bring everything, so I packed up hundreds of pieces and flew out 48 hours later. I think since I had so much previous experience in a start-up, I have that “just get it done; mentality” and was able to get everything off the ground.

Sustainability has been a significant part of SMV’s ethos. Why was it important to you to keep your entire production process local?
Being from San Francisco, I was always taught to care about the planet growing up; it was a way of life. I always had a love for vintage, which by nature is sustainable, and starting my brand really by upcycling and reworking vintage, I just knew that was the only way for me to design and have for me a winning business strategy. Our entire supply chain is within a 20-mile radius of our office, and I want to give people within my community an opportunity. My main production sewer is someone I worked with when the brand launched. He now has over 20 employees at a more extensive facility that we now go to and make sure his new guidelines are within the same parameters of how we would function as a business. I also want my brand to limit the amount of excess waste that the fashion industry is contributing to the environment and not become a product of greenwashing.

What major lessons have you learned since your brand has scaled up?
Never sacrifice the morals you started the brand on. Always go the sustainable route versus the non-sustainable route.
Create a team that believes in what you stand for, even though it may be the harder route. Be very aware of how you’re spending money because this can be a highly expensive field; eco fabric is almost 10x the price of non-eco fabric.

What inspires your creations?
I get much inspiration from moments in the world around me. I always want to make my customers feel beautiful and confident, so when I design, I think about how to accentuate part of the figure that we want to and minimize specific problem areas in my designs. You’ll find that in many of my designs, there’s a curvature flattering to the human figure.

In 2021, you were awarded a grant by the CFDA and Fashion Trust US. How did it feel to be recognized by this prestigious grant?
It was extremely emotional; as a smaller brand, I didn’t even know I was on their radar as I see the CFDA as recognizing the top designers in America. It was super exciting to receive and gave me a boost of confidence that the brand and I are going along the right path; it also allowed me to push ahead with some of my more long-term goals.

What challenges have you faced as a young emerging designer, and how did you overcome them?
Bringing black representation to fashion, specifically, the sustainability sector, has been a struggle since fashion is a very old industry without much change overall. Being a Black woman, being a Black person, affects your experience in every single thing that you do in every day of your life.

What was the process of collaborating with Samsung for its first-ever sustainable watch product? As this was the first watch you’ve ever designed, did you feel pushed out of your comfort zone?
I love being pushed out of my comfort zone and pushing my creativity into a new sphere. I designed my Galaxy Watch4 collection with every person, occasion, and lifestyle in mind, as well as the ethos of Sami Miró Vintage. I also thought of my wellness when designing, I am always on the go, and this watch helps me stay in tune with my body while still being connected with work. The beauty of our planet inspired my designs, and I want the collection to serve as a reminder to stay mindful and connected to the Earth. We were also able to source sustainable materials for the entire collection.

You first collaborated with Levis in 2015 for a campaign. How did it feel to have a full circle moment collaborating with the brand again for your latest collection?
Levi’s is one of the first brands I ever modeled for, my first ever designers for Sami Miró Vintage were made from vintage Levi’s, and those materials continue to be a staple fabric of the brand. I felt the time would come for the right time to collaborate. It happened very organically, and I think we created something beautiful from the unique designs made by upcycling excess and overstock levis jeans and jackets to the artistic short film I wrote and directed. This collection with Levi’s is unisex and features six unique upcycled, sustainable denim designs. The six pieces include two new versions of the popular Porterhouse Jeans, the ultra-cropped Circle Trucker Jacket, a strappy Circle Top, and the fashion-forward, statement Circle Trench Coat. In the future, I want to continue to collaborate with even more brands, design a lot more elevated collections and continue to create couture looks as well (like the look I created for Duckie Thot for the amfAR Gala)

What plans for expansions do you have for SMV?
We’ve been experiencing so much growth. In just two years, our team has grown exponentially from just me and one other person originally. I see Sami Miró Vintage growing even more, putting out more collaborations and collections, and dressing more celebrities for fashion events. This next year we will hone in on our customer and creative direction and find even more gaps in the market we can fill and tap into.

What advice would you give to up-and-coming designers looking to expand their businesses?
1. Be authentic and stay true to what you truly believe in and what you envision your brand to be.
2. Figure out what makes you different as a brand and your ethos, and what might make you stand out from the rest of your competitors.
3. Reach out to people you see as mentors in your industry to ask for advice.
4. Don’t feel pressure to conform to trends.