Meet Julia of inclusive activewear brand, Miakoda!
How special is a sister-owned brand!? How did Miakoda come to be? What's the story behind the name?
I feel so grateful and honored that my sister believed in me enough to help me put together funds to start Miakoda. Although she's not involved in the day-to-day of the company, I don't know that I would have started Miakoda without her support.
After graduating from Parsons with a degree in fashion design, I realized that the morals and values of the industry totally didn't align with mine. The urgency, disposability, and general culture of the industry didn't feel good to me. So, I decided to start a brand that felt true to me.
My sister actually found the name Miakoda—it means power of the moon and it just resonated with us from the moment we discovered it while googling things such as, "cool names."
Sustainability and inclusivity are clearly important values of the brand.
Can you elaborate on why that was so important to you?
Sustainability was one of the main factors that led to the creation of Miakoda. I hated the disposability of the fashion industry. I wanted to create something more intentional where each garment has value and is valued.
In 2011, I went vegan and began practicing yoga. I found myself learning more about sustainability and being more environmentally conscious. Miakoda was born with sustainability at its core. Inclusivity came later.
I started Miakoda only selling S, M, L. I then expanded to XS and XL, and I kept getting ask when we would expand our size range. As someone who's always struggled with body image and body dysmorphia, I realized how abiding by the detrimental beauty standards of society for our photoshoots wasn't only affecting me, it was perpetuating something that I don't believe in.
I started photographing Miakoda on a range of different size humans—and with that I began including different genders, sexualities, ethnicities—a range of beautiful humans!
We expanded our size range to include 4XL during the pandemic and it was so well received that my only regret was that I didn't do it sooner. Dismantling toxic beauty standards has allowed me to see myself differently, and it allows other Miakoda community members to feel seen and valued, based on feedback I've received about having more inclusive models :)
Purchasing or selling “pre-loved” is something we hope to see more brands expand into, so I love that you're ahead of the curve! Do you find that people participate in that program or prefer to purchase new?
Pre-loved is a new initiative that we just launched this year! I'm so excited to have an offering to make us a more circular brand. Shopping secondhand is arguably the most sustainable way to shop, and it allows garments to have another life and to be loved after you're done wearing it.
I haven't found that people go to the pre-loved site first to shop, but it's been most popular for getting older styles that aren't available on our website anymore, or getting something that's already sold out on our website.
My hope is that more and more people start using the pre-loved site. Since it's new, it's just catching on. But I'm so excited to have this offering.
What do you see for the future of Miakoda?
Miakoda is my literal dream come true. What would make it even more of a dream is to have a small team of employees with a fun workspace.
Right now I do everything behind the scenes from coordinating production, to social media, to customer service, to packing orders, to sorting inventory, etc. I love doing it all, but I'm dreaming of a collaborative workspace where I can run Miakoda with a small team of employees.
What's your favorite item you design/wear?!
Hmmm, oh this is hard! I would have to say the classic, high-waisted jogger has really become a favorite lately. I'm bringing it back for Winter 2022.
I've also been obsessed with the active tank crop top. And if I didn't say our zero waste scrunchies, I'd be lying, cause I always have one around my wrist or in my hair.
