Inside our Factory
A note from our founder Laura Villasenin
Author: Laura Villasenin
Mon Nov 21 2022
Back in September 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, and with a bit more time on our hands to think and do, we embarked on a very 70s adventure: starting our own clothing factory. The aim was to bring you a new design category – clothing (we’re not just a shoe brand anymore ;) ) – but in a more sustainable way. Embracing a short supply chain and the idea of collective independence.
We can say “short supply chain” because all our raw materials are now locally sourced in Spain, Italy and Portugal and crafted by our makers, a small and enthusiastic team of product specialists based in Galicia on the North coast of Spain, who work collaboratively to assemble all our pieces in small batches.
We have remained an independent company for the past 12 years. With all its challenges, through our love of craft, a willingness to laugh at ourselves and through making mistakes along the way, we are proud to have built Miista fully dedicated to what we like to call The Opposite Thing. The connection between our product design and people is what collective independence means to us.
Starting our own factory has been, to date, Miista’s riskiest project. The one that still sometimes keeps us awake at night. But it’s also given us the most joy and sense of pride. Being independent means doing things your own way and believing in what you do, while also improving day after day. We don’t know any other way.
Thank you for supporting us through this adventure.
Love,
Laura Villasenin
We took the time to ask our founder Laura Villasenin some questions on why she chose to start her own factory
Why did you decide to build a factory from scratch?
Starting to design and produce clothing felt like starting another business. When you start small it is very difficult to find factories to make for you. When you are starting up, you experience rejection all the time. We had gone through it with the shoes already. With an external manufacturer you normally have to obey their rules on how to make things but we wanted to create under our own terms; primarily, to have more control over our supply chain and to experiment with products in a freer way. To be a more sustainable business over all, even if that often means sacrificing profit.
How important is having a factory to Miista’s identity as an independent company?
Very important. We believe in transparency, and having our own factory allows us to fully show what is going on behind the scenes. To fully open the doors of our kitchen. You are invited to visit.
Why Galicia?
It's our hometown. I run Miista together with Pablo, my brother. We both grew up in Galicia. Its culture has influenced us a lot and we wanted to give back to our community. A community with a longstanding textile industry, where craft has been slowly disappearing. We are aiming to keep it alive, to make craft sexy again, to show younger generations in the region that making a corset from scratch with your hands is more beautiful than sitting behind a computer entering data. There is a negative stigma around making and labour. We want to turn that around. We have now started a project with one of the local fashion schools to show the different aspects of making that take place inside the Miista factory.
What were some of the biggest challenges?
As an independent company, financing the investment required to start a factory and then maintain sustainable production month after month. Keep it ticking along, while the majority of customers out there still think of Miista as a shoe brand. So – thank you, to those of you that have started supporting the clothing project. And, to those that haven’t yet – here we are, waiting to dress you.
