Henry Tuppen
Hailing from the bustling streets of Beirut, designer Mira Maktabi is making her mark on the global fashion scene, with London serving as her dynamic stage. Specializing in womenswear and eveningwear, Maktabi embarked on her creative journey at an early age, honing her craft at the prestigious London College of Fashion and captivating audiences with her mesmerizing collection at the MAFCSM London Fashion Week show.
Driven by a passion for fabrication, detail, and construction, Maktabi, particularly in this recent collection, draws inspiration from the intersectionality of Arab female experiences.
For Maktabi, success lies in creating a wardrobe true to her identity as a designer and a woman. Her pieces strike a balance between elegance and relaxation, blurring the lines between ready-to-wear and eveningwear with versatility and comfort at the forefront.
Her latest collection is a personal exploration, blending delicate satin with heavy outerwear, subverting traditional silhouettes to birth something new and powerful. Made from wool, silk, and cotton, each piece tells a story of contrast and conversation.
Navigating the fashion industry hasn't been without challenges. Overcoming imposter syndrome and trusting her instincts amidst a cacophony of opinions has been a significant hurdle. Yet, Maktabi finds liberation in letting her work speak for itself, echoing her ethos of quiet confidence.
NW: To start could you tell us a bit about yourself, your background and how you found your way into the fashion world?
My name is Mira Maktabi I am a Beirut born womenswear and eveningwear designer based in London. I completed my bachelor’s degree at London College of Fashion and I recently showed my CSM graduate collection for womenswear at London Fashion Week.
NW: Who/what would you cite as the main inspirations that pushed you to pursue fashion?
I’ve been talking about being a designer since I was about 10 years old, and I just obsessed over it, I was always drawn to fabrication, detail, construction.
NW: Is there any particular subject matter that is currently inspiring your work?
My Autumn/Winter 2024 collection is an exploration of identity and the intersectionality of Arab female experiences. The wearer is a core inspiration, throughout my work, I explore female agency and identity through theories of the gaze, representation, and intersectionality to examine the socio-religious constraints placed on the female body. I am deeply inspired by the black and cream hues of Man Ray’s solarised photographs of Lee Miller, as well as the timeless works of Peter Lindberg and the way in which he represented women.
NW: The fashion world is notoriously hard to break into, what would you say the most significant challenges you’ve had to overcome to reach the stage you’re at now/What do you find most challenging about working in the fashion world?
I think one of the most significant challenge I’ve experienced was overcoming imposter syndrome and also really learning to trust my gut in a space where you have so many different opinions and tastes. I think it’s so freeing when you learn how to enjoy it and remind yourself why you love this craft, it can be really daunting when you have so many loud voices, but I think when the work speaks for itself you don’t need to scream.
NW: On the other side of things, what would you say is the most exciting thing you have been able to do/accomplish in your career so far?
My most exciting accomplishment is creating a wardrobe of pieces that are really really integral and truthful to me as a designer, and as a woman.
NW: Could you touch on what you feel sets you work apart from other brands?
I think what sets me apart is striking that balance between elegant, chic, sexy and relaxed. It’s also a balance between ready-to-wear and eveningwear. My goal was to create versatile, eveningwear pieces that are still so comfortable.
NW: We really loved the pieces showcased at LFW, could you touch on the story behind this collection of work?
This collection of work was an exploration of my own identity in a lot of ways. The attitude I want my work to convey is strong, intentional, chic, and elegant. Some of my favourite aspects of the collection are completely hidden, a detail that only the wearer will see or feel, I find it personal and sensual.
For example, the ivory poplin shirt has a silk satin under collar that only a detail-oriented eye can spot. Or that the leather jacket is lined with a very luxurious wool flannel that feels so soft to the touch, something usually used for luxury suiting. Even the black t-shirt from look 1 is lined with silk.
The delicate satin pieces are contrasted with more tailored pieces inspired by 80s Giorgio Armani menswear as well as my personal collection of vintage garments.
My design approach subverts polished ladylike silhouettes by introducing heavy outerwear, semi-sheer black tailoring, and a vintage men’s brogues to birth something new and powerful.
The entire collection is made of wool, silk, and cotton. The shine and fluidity of the silk satin pieces are so contrasting with the heavy cotton twill coat, and brown cowhide jacket, I really wanted to communicate the conversation between something so delicate and beautiful and something so present and tough, reminiscent of the women I’m designing for.
NW: Many people would suggest being able to create and showcase such amazing pieces at LFW as unbelievable success, what does success mean to you?
For me success is simply the privilege to continue exploring my practice and creating something that woman truly want to wear and that are in line with the women I want to represent.
NW: It’s probably hard to narrow it down to just one, but if there was one thing you would like to see change in the fashion industry what would it be?
There are too many to choose from, but if I had to choose, I would say, age, beauty and body standards placed on women.
NW: To finish the interview, is there anything exciting coming in the future you could let us know about? And what are your plans for the near future?
Too early to share!