The Brazilian-inspired menswear designer brand based in South East London, that combines contemporary textiles with the codes of streetwear, to redefine a new contemporary British wardrobe.
The brand goes by the name M.P. by Mimi Poliana. M.P. is a menswear brand that’s channelling two cultures, it was founded by Mimi a graduate who specialises in casual sportswear. “Mimi Poliana is my first two names that reflect my multicultural background. My mum is Brazilian and my dad is English/Swiss French so I wanted to keep the brand name and aesthetic personal to me.”, says the young designer. For the last five years, Mimi studied at the Fashion Retail Academy and Ravensbourne specialising in fashion design.
The brand is a product of her great sense style. She capitalises on her love for psychedelia and explores the way psychedelics alter and effect your mind using embroidery and various fabrics. “All my pieces are handmade. I embroider the fabric by hand and use the machine to create the exact affect I want. The process was long especially for my first two premium pieces, as embroidery takes a lot of time and effort to create something effective”, Mimi reveals. She went on to say that the inspirations for her first collection were not only “very personal” but also very “important” to her. She takes “pride” in her mixed heritage. She has used her roots, Brazilian culture alongside the muse of her “father’s artistic travels” as inspiration behind her choice of embroidery and fabrics. “A Brazilian essence of vibrant colours”, she says to put a phrase to her artistic style. Mimi also revealed that she found that “colours, shapes and perspectives” were another focus of her designs and “the best way to translate” her embroidery. We can see this quite clearly when looking at the layering of her custom fits and the various colours and undertones she uses in one outfit.
Mimi manages to demonstrate her spectacular talent for the arts whilst creating something that is truly special and given time will go onto play a huge part in British fashion and youth culture. In acknowledging the part her heritage played throughout her childhood Mimi said, “it helped me to find out who I am as a designer”. She is bridging the gap between two cultures and changing norms and perceptions of traditional garments, whilst keeping it dope, fresh and real. Mimi spoke about always wanting to combine elements of her childhood/heritage with British youth culture.
“I want my brand to redefine streetwear as a premium attire for growing generations. Those who don’t wish to conform to outgrowing youthfulness of streetwear culture. Instead, I want my brand to add range, for the youth to feel rich whilst wearing the essence of streetwear.”
She intends to redefine “the contemporary British wardrobe” one fabric at a time, creating a brand that’s popular amongst the younger demographic but maintains a sense of quality and diversity. Mimi says that over the years she has been inspired by fashion labels such as “Supreme, Coogi, Trapstar, Bape, Adidas and Nike” for several different reasons. The large place these brands have in youth culture cannot be denied, with Supreme being presented as a “bonafide art form”, a brand whose presence is marked globally and can be pinpointed across the world. Likewise, Trapstar, the popular British streetwear brand founded by Mikey Trapstar, has managed to gain the attention and approval of A-List celebrities such as Rihanna, Beyoncé among others.
Like all young designers, entrepreneurs, workers or creatives starting out we’ve all had to overcome obstacles.
“At the beginning, I had a lot of issues with the way I created my embroidery. A lot of people or teachers would tell me that it will not work against other fabrics, because the embroidery is too heavy etc. But, I believed in my idea so much, I tried everything to make it work” said the young creative.
Mimi then shared a couple of words of wisdom for young aspiring designers who are questioning whether they should venture into the industry or not. She said, “my advice to others would be don’t give up on an idea you have created only because others said so, believe in your idea and it will work trust me. Everything works out in the end if you try hard enough.” So, when is it being released? When can people start to purchase your stuff? When asked this she said “I’m releasing a new line in October. I’m not releasing the exact date yet, but I will release it via my Instagram soon.” When the time comes you will be able to purchase items from Mimi’s graduate collection from the website and her Instagram.
So, what’s next for this awesome upcoming streetwear brand?
Mimi wants M.P. by Mimi Poliana to “continue to play with the core elements of casual sportswear fused with the codes of streetwear”. She has her sights set on “pushing the boundaries of British streetwear even further and redefining a new contemporary British wardrobe”.
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