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Sami Miró's Live Upcycling at NYFW Stirs Conversation Around Sustainability

by Oana-Maria Moldovan

Sami Miró's remarkable journey from the tech world to the fashion runway culminated in her debut at New York Fashion Week this season.

Initially immersed in the tech industry, Sami Miró made a significant shift as a trailblazing force in the world of sustainable and vintage fashion. 


Miró's passion for upcycled vintage clothing became the motivating factor behind her career pivot, as she embarked on a mission to revolutionise the fashion industry.


In fact, upcycling is something she grew up with, stating in an interview with FASHIONISTA, “I would get my dad's and older brother's hand-me-downs — I was a very late bloomer — and instead of just wearing them, I'd think, 'How can I make it work for my petite body?’.”


This commitment to sustainability and creativity has allowed her to not only carve out a niche for herself but also to make a meaningful impact by promoting eco-conscious choices in the world of high fashion.



The collection unveiled at New York Fashion Week not only captivated the fashion enthusiasts, leaving them awe-inspired, but it also served as a poignant embodiment of Sami Miró's life and her distinctive perspective on the fashion industry.


While sustainability is becoming a key topic in the fashion industry, Sami Miró’s engagement with the issue went far beyond the conventional runway experience. 


Amidst the NYFW spotlight, she orchestrated a captivating performance - stepping onto the stage to provide the audience with a live demonstration of her meticulous process of recycling vintage garments and fabrics.


She “engineers” her own clothes, again and again, constantly using the same items to fit different moods and seasons. 


Miró also makes sure to work with vintage fabrics, giving them more lives than most clothing items have. During the show we see Miró grab a pair of scissors and turn a pair of jeans into shorts with sweeping tails. 


But, what do others think of this performance and Miró's brand?


“Over the years, both our Gen Z and Millennial customers continue to gravitate toward Sami Miro Vintage as they look for elevated, luxury staples with sustainability in mind. We cannot wait for our customers to be able to shop this exclusive capsule, including one look that will be featured during her runway show,” stated Fwrd chief brand officer Raissa Gerona.


However, the collection presented at NYFW did not escape negative comments on the internet. 


The show was seen by many as more of a waste of “good fabric” or “a way to ruin already good clothes” than what the runway was actually supposed to represent.


Sami Miró had a very complex idea about this event, a hidden metaphor of her own life and the way she relates to fashion. And although some were less receptive to her way of realizing the idea of upcycling, she still accomplished her greater goal: she got people talking about a subject they don't always like to talk about.


Fashion can sometimes be demonstrative, after all it is also an art form. And fashion can sometimes be misunderstood. Good art, art that has real meaning is not understood by most.


A hundred years ago Elsa Schiaparelli was criticized for her “radical” way of creating art, fashion. Today the Schiaparelli brand is the paragon of surrealist fashion.


If we go by this model, we can expect great things from Sami Miró; things that may not be understood by all fashion enthusiasts, but things that matter, that make us talk about how we could change the industry.


Once again, how it happens, from time to time, in the fashion world, a radical view and interpretation can change the way people feel and make this form of art.

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