Sami Miro Vintage Will Make Your Angsty Teen Dreams Come True
Sami Miro has always had killer vintage-inspired style, which is why so many of her fans lust after her effortless, borrowed-from-the-boys, but still somehow sexy looks. Now, you can actually get her look without spending all weekend ransacking vintage shops.
Sami Miro Vintage, her line that includes one of a kind items and re-purposed vintage fabrics, recently launched its latest collection. The collection was inspired by American muscle and includes some awesome logos from badass brands like Harley Davidson, Miller Lite, and Nascar.
We caught up with Sami during NYFW at her collection launch to talk how she fell in love with vintage, where you can buy her amazing pieces, and her work with mega babes like Selena Gomez and Keke Palmer.
Can you tell us why you started Sami Miro Vintage?
I’ve been collecting vintage ever since I was like, 13 years old. It’s always been a big,very important part of my life and style and my outlook on how I view clothing, so I knew that if and when the day I started my own line it would have to be using vintage in order to remain authentic to myself.
So I launched my brand about four and a half months ago and I have three sides to it. I have my staple pieces which are the pieces that you can get more of which are the bodysuits, the patchwork bomber jackets, chokers, and hats and those are all made with vintage denim so even though you can get several bodysuits they’re all cut from Levi’s jeans in different areas in a different wash or some of it might have a stain or something like that that makes it unique.
And then I have what I’m launching today which is my one-of-one SMV. [It’s] inspired by American muscle and what I focused on is a lot of Nascar stuff, beer brand jackets, and a lot of Harley sweatshirts and jackets and t-shirts. And the point of showcasing this one-of-one side of things is to show retailers that I can make customizable one of one curated collections that are specific to their customer and to show stylists and media something different that is still different. Because I put a little spin on it and incorporated my vintage denim signature like patch or like putting some vintage denim somewhere on it or cutting it and fraying the pieces and stuff like that.
How can somebody purchase something from your collection?
All of my staple pieces like the bodysuits and bomber jackets are all on samimirovintage.com, and the one-of-one collection… I’m actually not 100% sure yet. How I’ve been selling the collection is I’ve been having stylists or influencers come to my studio and purchase it there. Or I have someone who is looking for something specific and I have it on hand or I find it for them or make it for them. But the one of one side is a little bit tricky because it’s just one of a kind pieces, so I’m not sure yet how I’m going to sell it.
Where do you find the vintage fabrics and pieces and stuff?
I find them from all over the world. I have a lot of stuff from Tokyo, I have pieces from Vietnam, from South America, Guatemala, all over the US. Obviously a lot from LA because I live there so I know all of the good warehouses, all over Europe, all over the world.
Do you find places or do people recommend to you place?
A lot of them I have found on my own and now that people know that I’m so deeply rooted in vintage they tell me their secrets which is awesome.
Where did you first start vintage shopping when you were 13 or 14?
There was this place that’s closed now, my first vintage store that I went to was on some dingy street in San Francisco, that’s where I’m from. It was a few blocks from my house so I stumbled upon it, I don’t even remember the name.
Is everything used in the collection “true vintage,” which would mean made before the 90s?
It’s hard to say exactly when each piece was made, so I can’t quote it for sure. It is most likely true vintage, but I guess since there’s no date you never really know. But at the same time, once you have so much experience with vintage you know the wear and tear that takes two decades to get to that point, so I feel confident in that.
So you designed some of Selena Gomez and her background dancers outfits for tour, can you tell us about that?
Yeah, that was like a really incredible experience. She called me and asked me on a whim I could fly out to Asia and redesign her tour. I literally had 24 hours, she’s like, “I just want to wear your vintage pieces, bring everything that you have.” She said she wants to use this time as like a place of exploration and try looks that she’s never done before. So I flew out there, she was like, “please just bring every single thing that you have.” So I brought not everything, but about 400 pieces and I was out there for four weeks and went to four countries with her and it was just so awesome because we really just tried some new, fun, crazy stuff that was so perfect for Asia.
What’s your favorite decade for fashion?
Jut like how my taste changes so does my decade preference, so I guess right now 90s.
Yeah the 90s are definitely having a big moment right now, and even 2000s…
Yeah it’s so crazy that we’re at that point where 2000s is a thing, like, that’s so crazy.
What’s your favorite trend from the 2000s? Or least favorite?
I honestly don’t ever think of anything as least favorite because style is so cyclical because no matter how hideous you think something is at one point you’re going to end up wearing it. I guess the baggy shit, that’s just, I’ve always dressed in men’s clothing ever since I was little ‘cuz I would wear hand-me-downs from my dad and brother so it just works for how I dress anyway.
Who are some other celebs you’d like to dress?
All the cool ones? All the ones who like to collaborate and push the envelope.
Can you walk us through the process of designing one piece? Like how much time it takes, etc?
Well for me I’m very much on a whim, and when I get an idea– this works with anything in my life – if there’s something that I want or that I’m after I figure out how to do it immediately. For like, the bodysuit, I had an idea, I sketched it out, used denim that I already had, went downtown found someone who could help me construct this bodysuit ‘cuz I’m not a master sewer and I want my sewing to be on point. I will do that within one or two days. If I have an idea and I don’t do it it’s going to eat me alive. So that’ll be a prototype and then we go from there.
Did you study fashion at all?
I have a bachelors in marketing and a masters in global entrepreneurship.
Can you give our reader any vintage shopping tips?
A lot of people feel like vintage is overwhelming because it’s usually displayed in some crazy place with like a billion pieces smashed into a small area. I would say go there with a goal of finding one thing. So if you want vintage denim, start in the denim section, if you find stuff and you’re okay then move on to something else. But go there with something in mind to buy.
Do you feel like you have to be in the right mood to look for vintage pieces?
I mean not me, I’m like, always down.
When you’re shopping do you have certain designers that you really like?
For denim, yeah. Levi’s is top quality, Guess makes great quality stuff, Wrangler. In terms of everything else, no not at all. I’m not like, a brand whore at all. It’s all about that piece and if it speaks to me I don’t care about the brand.
Photos by Amber Asaly
