Design sensation Mimi Plange of emerging label Boudoir D’huitres based in New York launched her line in 2007. Starting with a capsule collection of detailed outerwear, she went on to design her first full Spring collection, which consists of beautifully structured dresses, outerwear, pants, and even my beloved jumpsuits! Mimi sat down with us recently to discuss her collection, Alexander McQueen, architecture and Gareth Pugh.
“You can’t just make clothes for the sake of it, it has to express some kind of story.”
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I was born in Ghana and I came to the US when I was 5 when I moved to Southern California. I went to UC Berkley and majored in architecture. Initially I was going to be an architect but I had always wanted to do fashion. I decided that if I graduated I was going to go to fashion school and I was going to New York. And I did! I’ve been living here for the past 8 years. I always wanted my own brand but I wanted to do it when the time was right, even though we are in a recession right now. If you plant the seeds right now perhaps it can grow into something because whenever something is down it comes back up again and so its a cycle. I know that the time for fashion is coming up again, I feel it. We went through a rut where everyone was wanting to be the same but I feel like there is a drive in people, they want talent, they want something new, they want something different again, they want to stand out. I feel like its the best time and that’s what brought me here.
What was it that made you want to begin designing?
My mom was really into fashion when she was in Africa. She used to do a little bit of modeling and her pictures really used to inspire me. I remember Alexander McQueen had a show, where the models walked on water. I just remember when I saw that show, I said I want to do something that is so inspiring. I’ve always wanted to be apart of it, ever since I was 11. It was like a fantasy for me, I would get lost in magazines and I just wanted to do it.
Where do you believe the fashion capital of the world to be?
That’s kind of a tough question because I think that fashion is everywhere and its hard to say it only comes from one place. But I would have to say Paris. Because that is where you can get syndicated to do couture, that’s where it all comes from, and that’s where its really been established; everything from Marie Antoinette to the early days when they were wearing the big feathers on their hats.
What is the concept of Boudoir D’Huitres?
I think its my architecture backround, I have this part of me that loves this over the top, exaggerated beauty and then I love the simplicity as well. I tried to combine the two looks together and I came up with Boudoir D’huitres, which means oyster boudoir. The reason we picked that name is because we started with the outerwear and I thought about how an oyster wraps around a beautiful pearl. And all the outerwear we were thinking of would enwrap the body and the person wearing the clothing as a pearl.
What are your Inspirations for the Current Collection?
I always wanted to come up with a collection that is futuristic and fun. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized my style has changed and I’ve learned that women want to wear something that they feel comfortable in. I’ve always been inspired by 17th and 18th century, corseted styling, but that’s not always so comfortable. So I wanted to find a way that I can bring it into modern terms because I also like very clean lines.
Were there specific fabrics or techniques used when designing the collection?
Structure-wise all the dresses have built in bustiers, which is very important to me. I like it to look like its unstructured but on the inside there’s a lot of structure going on. I tend to use a lot of silks and natural fibers but in the future I am going to working with wools, knitted fabrics, viscose and more technical fabrics.
What is your current creative stimulation?
When I go to a museum and they juxtapose a new designer with old looks from the past. Also the book called “Techno Fabrications”, which shows how you can use solar powered energy to make the clothes change colors. I want to do the 17th and 18th century look and push it in a futuristic way, so that really inspires me. Even research on new fabrications for the future and keep looks that look classic.
Speaking about futuristic designs, today we have designers that are really pushing the envelope like Gareth Pugh on design aesthetic.
I like his clothes. They aren’t always very wearable for the average person but what I do like is he definitely has a story to tell and that’s what everyone needs to have. You can’t just make clothes for the sake of it, it has to express some kind of story.
Do you believe that your architectural background plays a part in constructing your designs?
It definitely helps, it helped me when I was in fashion school. When I was in architecture school, it was about how do you create what you want within these parameters. It was never like you could be free to design whatever you wanted. It has to have a purpose. When I’m designing, it keeps me grounded. And with the construction, I want it there but I don’t want anyone to know its there. It gives me clarity in my design.
What is your philosophy to live by?
Its not that profound but it means more to me now, you really have to believe in yourself. Its just that simple. It brings everything to light because I believe that everyone has the tools to do whatever they want but maybe because of the experiences we’ve had, we may a little bit of fear and feel like we can’t do that or we can’t do what that person is doing. Yet, that person doesn’t have more than you have. You just have to believe in yourself and everything falls into place.