Ghanaian-born designer Mimi Plange is a creative force to be reckoned with. She embraces a modern point of view steeped deep in African tradition. With her undeniable curiosity regarding the origins and history of design, she was meant to create. Do not call her a great black designer, though; she knows exactly who she is and does not fancy that. She is a great designer, period! Her sense of style is avant-garde and she proudly owns it.

Plange, based in New York City, received her BA in Architecture from UC Berkeley, and graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising of San Francisco. She received the Designer of the Year award at Mercedes-Benz Africa Fashion Week in South Africa in 2011 and also won Mayor Bloomberg’s Design Entrepreneurs Award in New York City in 2012. She has many impressive accomplishments yet remains humble.

With a style and voice that is all her own, Plange has no interest in conforming – and she doesn’t have to. She is not at all interested in a seat at the table. You know why? Because she’s built her own.

If someone was to ask who is Mimi Plange? How would you describe yourself as a designer?

As a designer first and foremost, I’m a creative. I’m very curious about design and specifically about the “Why?” Why are things proportioned the way they are? Why are certain elements of design unequivocal? Inspiration is a key part of how I design. I like to refer to the past, remix it, and create a very modern aesthetic. Even though I was born in Ghana, I’ve been in the United States since I was five years old. I look at myself like a mixing pot, growing up around different cultures and surrounded by an accumulation of everything to activate my senses. I try to mix all of that up in the way that I create as my focus is on American design and on American fashion – a little bit more sporty, minimalist and functional.. I consider myself as someone who refers to design as a way to answer questions and find solutions to problems.

You coined the word “unfashion”- may you define that?

Unfashion is a movement- and it’s where I’ve arrived as a designer. It didn’t happen overnight.  It’s something that’s been developing over years of trying to find my voice and where I stand and what I stand for. I always felt as though I was on the outskirts of fashion – and the people I was speaking to were very independent, individual, and not interested in being part of the status quo.  My customer already knows what looks good on them. I don’t have to dictate that. I’m speaking to an individual who is confident in their own sense of style and who’s interested in reflecting who they are. Unfashion is the outsider that finds her own way…not looking for acceptance, not looking for anything, just her own individual. 

Your collaborations with Roche Bobois and Manolo Blahnik are unmatched. How did you secure those opportunities?

When my husband and I first started our brand, we made the decision to not be limited by anything! The Manolo Blahnik opportunity came through me meeting André Leon Talley. We invited him to view our collection in the showroom in 2010. I had a show that year and had a fit model available trying on different looks. At the time, I had a shoe company that offered to donate shoes for my show. So, André suggests: “How about curating your collection with Manolo Blahnik? It must be Mahnolo Blahnik!”  I obliged André and he put us in touch with George Malkemus, but at this juncture we had only borrowed shoes for the show. It was not a collaboration yet. After we borrowed the shoes, we took photos for our lookbook, reached out to George to thank him properly with chocolates and a thank-you note, but also included our lookbook , so he could see the collection with his shoes. He really liked it and thought it was very elegant, and offered us the opportunity to collaborate. Of course, we accepted! We developed four shoe collabs with Manolo Blahnik over the course of three years. It was such an amazing experience! We love to work with people giving 200 percent. For us it’s about the long term- not just one season.

Roche Bobois happened because of a trunk show I had in Atlanta hosted by Bentley. We were very fortunate to meet a representative of Roche Bobois through one of Bentley’s reps. We had no idea that Roche Bobois was known for doing projects with artists. So the Atlanta rep that we had met reached out to me. She loved the collection and selected me to do the next artist collaboration. We met several times, created textiles for them customized specifically by me as well as some from Bukina Faso for the Mah Jong sofa, one of their signature pieces. From that, we created wallpaper and skateboard decks as collectible wall art. We auctioned off everything at a huge charity event in Atlanta, sold out of everything, and gave a portion of the proceeds to Horizons Atlanta, w a non- profit organization that offers a six-week summer learning experience for students K-12 in underserved communities. I continued with Roche Bobois a while after that to create custom textiles.

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You were invited to The White House by former First Lady, Michelle Obama, for the “Celebration of Design” event. How did that experience impact you?

Omg! That was one of the best highlights of our careers! Amazing! We received the invitation via email, and I thought it was fake. I kept examining it. Like, there is no way you just get an email from the White House! I didn’t tell anyone- not even my mom- and we kept it quiet. The next day, we discovered an article about the event, and the excitement took over as we started to count down the days. It was a huge honor. I felt what Michelle Obama did was so groundbreaking. She took such a chance on emerging designers and designers that would have never had a voice, period. She was so democratic in how she gave opportunities to many different people all around the world. There had to be 150-200 designers in the room, and I’ll never forget how she took the time to meet each one personally and shake their hand. You knew if you were there, you were supposed to be there. It was magical! 

“Dear Fashion Industry, Your Fashion Calendar sucks. Love, Mimi Plange” was a very powerful statement you made. Expound on this a bit if you will.

This all has to do with coming to the place of “Unfashion” and as we got into to fashion, we began to learn the politics. At that time as an emerging designer, I didn’t think it was necessary to be on this cycle of showing your collections on the calendar with all the other established designers. It’s something that can end up overshadowing your work. The first years are really where you’re developing your voice and developing look and style. You can do that on your own. There’s not a race to get to the top- and I felt the Fashion Calendar was set up not for the success on an emerging designer, it’s set up for the marketing of a designer who’s already established. Designers are now understanding that they don’t have to show during Fashion Week or be a part of the fashion calendar and still have a brand. So many brands start, then they fall apart to try and keep up with a way that they can’t. I don’t think it’s realistic. To group everyone emerging and established need to be done in a different way. This was our way of saying: you can disrupt and still make it.

Within your design work, you use West African scarification, what is your fascination with the modification?

A lot of this started as my mom has a scar on her cheek and when she told me the story of its history, I began to take notice that there were so many African stories that were not being told and so many African traditions that were not being spoken to. You would primarily read about the beading and embroidering of African culture, but not the scarification process. What most thought was barbaric or gross, I found beautiful. Societal norms have contributed to that ideal. I was really interested in what African bodies looked like before they were in contact with the European world. Where does African fashion stem from before the Victorian period? That intrigued me. The whole idea was to celebrate the adornment of the body before any colonization took place. I wanted to talk about beauty amongst the African tribes and its individuality and complexity before the Europeans came into the mix.

What is your favorite medium of choice? Fashion or Interior Design?

I love item design now- and in our collection, it’s not just pieces you put on your body. We’ve created skateboard decks, bicycles, and collectables. It all translates as fashion to me but, personally for our brand, I don’t feel the consumer needs as much product. In the beginning, I made a lot of evening wear and clothes to go out in, but now the consumers have changed, and lifestyles are a lot more modern and casual. In design, you should always reflect what’s going on in society. That’s what keeps you current and forward with the times. People want things that are meaningful and that doesn’t necessarily mean a clothing item.

What is the Mimi Plange declaration?

Let’s democratize luxury!!! Calling something luxury is not luxury because you came from a prestigious framework. All people from any background can create something beautiful to look at. Do what you believe in!

IG:@mimiplange

www.mimiplange.com