Mia wins Fashion Week Award

Take a note of the name Mia. The fledgling fashion label, created by Glasgow School of Art graduate Mia Nisbet, has just won the prestigious Make Your Mark in Fashion Award for ethical fashion design, during London Fashion Week.

Mia fuses recycled fabrics and traditional Malawian textiles to produce a collection that combines the richness of African textiles with western styling. The design concept is ethical fashion that not only unites two cultures, but one that is sustainable and designed to be wearable.

Inspiration for this collection came from Mia’s time spent in Malawi. On her blog, she writes: ‘In the street markets locals are selling copious amounts of second-hand clothing, which are donated and imported from the western world. The sheer volume of clothes was astounding. It became apparent these clothes markets would be a great place to source clothes for recycling.’

Mia adds: ‘Following the launch of the ‘Mia’ collection at fashion week I will be traveling to Malawi to begin the proceedings of setting up the production house. The aim is to train and use local talent, which in turn will have a lasting and beneficial effect on the local communities.

‘I will be utilising all the resources found in Malawi, which will strengthen their economy. By creating the collection in Malawi I will fuse pieces of clothing selected from the markets with traditional Malawian Textiles to create a new exciting fashion concept.

‘Inspiration came from observing how Malawi citizens mixed these pieces of clothing with their traditional costumes, their prints and their fabrics making an eye catching fusion between tradition and modernity, between the North and the South; a combination of different cultures.

‘The aim of the collection is not only to report waste, to promote recycling or to create awareness on the environment and ethical behaviors; but also to denounce the saturation of the fashion market that launches new collections every few months.’

Mia is being mentored by the fabulous Junky Styling, so we can definitely look forward to some unique and special pieces. Congratulations Mia. We’ll start making space in our wardrobes straight away. And well done to Adili for sponsoring the award.

Find out more about Mia
Make Your Mark in Fashion Awards