Just One Year In, MIMCHIK is Already Making Waves

If you’re just approaching the one year anniversary of launching a brand, and have already dressed the likes of Emrata, Joey Bada$$, YG and more, odds are you’re doing something right. That’s the case for Emma Marciano and Mia Kazovsky, a duo of LA-based designers who launched their minimal but playful ready-to-wear line at then end of 2022. I caught up with the founders to hear about their shared vision for MIMCHIK and what the future may hold.

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Mia was dear friends with Emma’s older sister in middle school, but the relationship—like many childhood friendships—would remain dormant for much of the rest of their upbringing. Just a few years ago, Emma's sister recommended the two get together for a coffee. After not seeing each other for over a decade, Mia and Emma reconnected and immediately decided to become business partners. 

The instant collaboration was born out of a shared ethos for what a brand should look like. “I think that me and Mia share a similar vision, especially when it comes to creative design and the ethos of the brand, which is just to make quality things that you want to keep in your closet forever—with a twist,” Emma tells me, before adding: “So it's super present and super on the dot, but also it'll live [in your closet] for decades, you know? We just wanted people to stop taking things so seriously when it comes to fashion, just to have more fun with it.”

In October of 2022, MIMCHIK was officially born with the launch of their increasingly iconic Moto Jacket, which is still a “staple piece of the brand.”

“We wanted to create, to carve out this corner in the industry that's focusing on the individuals,” Mia adds, continuing: “We have kind of serious designer pieces, but everything has a bit of a sense of humor and lightheartedness. And we designed for that person.”

The name, which to me evoked the Yiddish term “Boychik” is actually just a personal term of endearment used by Emma and Mia. “It's a made up word, and it's something that we both identify with and share,” Emma chuckles to me as she explains the origin. Mia adds that the Yiddish influence was present: “'Chik' is the diminutive, and so it’s something that represents our little world that we invite everyone into.”

For both founders, the most exciting thing over the past year has been witnessing people becoming part of the brand’s ever-growing community. “People actually gravitating towards our pieces, and wearing them at their own will is a crazy thing to see,” Emma explains: “It’s just like, one day we'll see SZA wearing the pants, and we just hope and pray that these people like the clothes. It's such a cool feeling to know that there are so many people out there that are supporting us and actually enjoy wearing the clothes and what we design. It just makes us keep going.”

Mia echoes the sentiment: “As a designer, it's super exciting for people to feel excited to wear something you make, to feel powerful and confident in something you make.”

MIMCHIK produces all of its clothing locally in LA, Mia tells me: “We produce everything in LA; we manufacture in pretty small batches. A big part of our core offering is dead stock wool, so we source deadstock Italian gabardine wools and different qualities, beautiful qualities of suiting. We use Italian leather, but everything is developed, designed, and manufactured in Los Angeles.”

The brand has had a few IRL manifestations over the past year. “It's been kind of a crazy year. We're growing fast," Mia dives into the past 12 months, going on: “I think my favorite moments have been the pop ups.” When we spoke, they were just wrapping up their NYC pop up, and had done an LA edition in the spring. “People interacting with the brand, these things that we've been ideating and working on and delving into for so many months, seeing them in real life and seeing people interact with them in real time is so cool,” Mia smiles.

They’ve also just embraced the business relationship they have together as cofounders and co-designers: “I just love designing with Mia. I think every time we sit down and focus on the next thing that we're going to create or the next collection, it’s so fun and just gets my heart racing. It's so cool to be able to put something on a piece of paper and then somehow it just comes to life, and it's everything that you dreamt it to be. We've made this thing and now people get to touch it and wear it and feel good in it. And that's a good feeling,” Emma tells me. 

As far as the future goes, they have a lot of ambitions. They’re considering getting into custom pieces, potentially doing garments for artist tours, and expanding the brand into future categories. In Mia’s words: “I'm excited to see what else, what categories we get our hands on in the next year. It feels like the sky's the limit.”