Mimi drew inspiration from her college days to create this season’s collection, she was always fascinated by colour and sculpture yet struggled to find a way to present these through her artwork. The AW16 collection is very much the result of Mimi’s love of painting presented through her eveningwear designs.
Tran was also influenced by the energy from New York which kept her inspired to create her strongest collection so far.This season welcomes the introduction of silk, leather and Swarovski crystals, making for a much more wearable collection yet still maintaining the elegance from previous seasons. The production of the collection is a culmination of worldwide efforts with the beading, fabric selection and final touches each being done in separate continents. Stand out designs include the gold 3D custom made pieces of which each design has 150 Swarovski crystals hand beaded on to it. Future collections will see Mimi experiment further with Swarovski crystals and the way in which they work with colour and light, as previous collections have seen much heavier beading therefore limiting design options.
“The Mimi Tran woman is fearless, strong and radiant – a woman to be respected, someone to impress, someone who strides with passion – her excellence pouring over any who behold her” – Mimi Tran
Having most recently shown at London Fashion Week, Mimi has decided to return to New York to present her AW16 collection in front of what Mimi believes to be the most fascinating and diverse audience in the world.
Born in Vietnam and raised in Paris, it was evident at a young age that Tran was gifted in the arts. Surrounded by fashion, culture and design, Tran had already developed a critical eye for colour and texture when, at 14 years old, her family moved yet again, this time to the United States. Here, Tran excelled in the arts as well as sciences. She eventually earned a degree in electrical engineering and began a career at Cisco. Always ready for a new venture, Tran then went on to earn an MBA in International Business Management, but throughout her artistic impulses yearned for an outlet for creative expression. It wasn’t until she suffered a great personal loss, however, that Tran decided to completely dedicate her time in full to her lifelong love: design.
Today, Tran’s brand philosophy is simple, even if her clothing is anything but: Mimi Tran empowers the modern woman. “When you look good, you feel your best,” Tran says.