In your own time

AN EVENING WITH MIISTA AND SLOWBURN AT BLACKHORSE LANE ATELIERS

On Thursday, we gathered with friends for an evening of craft, conversation and seasonal vegetables at SlowBurn – a restaurant who serve dinner after-hours from the factory of London’s only independent craft jeans maker, Blackhorse Lane Ateliers in East London – and believe the world is a happier place when we appreciate great flavours at a slower pace.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL DRESSES FROM OUR NEW AW26 COLLECTION HUNG ACROSS THE LONG TABLE, MASQUERADING AS TABLECLOTHS

with glasses of wine, knives, forks and shared plates of new-season beetroots, summer beans and roasted fennel placed upon them.

The dresses continue our experimentation with clothing, shoes and accessories that can be worn more than one way and were a starting point for discussion, inviting guests to consider how they adapt what they wear to express the layers in their own identities.

BEGINNING HER PERFORMANCE WITH A LOUD HEARTFELT SCREAM, JUST AFTER THE STARTER,

artist Daria Blum introduced three distinct characters — each with their own physical language.

The first was young and immature, slumped and seeking attention; the second was uncanny and almost deranged; while the third was more grounded, carrying the weight of managing the other two. Daria moved between these identities climbing onto tables, whilst dressing in a series of different multi-positional Miista pieces to emphasise each character.

PULLING, TWISTING AND SHIFTING THE GARMENTS AROUND HER BODY, SHE ALLOWED THE CLOTHES TO TRANSFORM WITH HER

— exploring how we inhabit and express all the distinct yet interconnected facets of ourselves and the tensions between all the roles we play day-to-day.

AS MAKERS WE LIKE TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE BOUNDARIES OF MATERIAL AND FORM.

Part of our process is giving ideas room to breathe — to grow, ferment and find themselves. For us, craft lies not in creating things that aspire to perfection, but in reflecting the sensual, imperfect and multi-layered nature of human experience through artisanal production, design and form.

The evening was a celebration of the values that have defined Miista for the past fifteen years: a short and transparent supply chain, a commitment to craft and experimentation, and the freedom that comes with remaining proudly independent.

A SHORT AND TRANSPARENT SUPPLY CHAIN, A COMMITMENT TO CRAFT AND EXPERIMENTATION, AND THE FREEDOM THAT COMES WITH REMAINING PROUDLY INDEPENDENT