Amalya Meira is a fashion designer, costume designer, textile designer, and curator based in Brooklyn, NY; growing up in a creative household (her mom was graphic designer who later became a jewelry designer), she developed a passion for creating and artistic expression at a young age, and quickly came to see fashion as the most accessible form of art—she was guided to see the world through texture and color, and always encouraged to experiment with her personal style and with modifying her own clothes; at age 10, after taking sewing lessons from a neighbor, Amalya started to make simple wrap skirts and shell tanks in vibrant textiles, and went on to explore upcycling (a ruffled skirt today would become an off-the-shoulder top for next week’s roller rink birthday party); determined to make a career out of and build a life around this passion, Amalya proceeded to pursue a degree at London’s Central Saint Martins, and then a dual degree New York’s the New School (Parsons School of Design and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts); it was while finishing up said dual degree in 2013 that Amalya began formally selling her one-of-a-kind garments at the venerable SoHo boutique Paracelso; still operating out of her Williamsburg apartment, it was around this time that Amalya Meira label was born; she quickly gained an appreciative following, thanks to her singular, formidable aesthetic of marrying instinctive elegance with passionate nonchalance, the unabashedly romantic with the unapologetically grungy and gritty; this is a formula that she is deeply steeped in, and it never erodes—and in fact only grows more and more indelible—from one collection to the next, and it’s what makes her pieces standout wherever she showcases them (the label has shown at Paris Fashion Week, New York Fashion Week, Art Basel in Miami Beach, and Fashion Week Brooklyn); fans and contemporaries also admire her for her masterful technique and approach—she professes that “process is paramount,” and refers to her creations as “wearable sculptures,” and, as only a consummate couturier can, works hard to ensure that every piece she makes is one-of-a-kind “from the textile down to the seam finishing” by deploying unconventional methods of fabric manipulation and curiously intense experimentations; but the Amalya Meira allure goes beyond standout aesthetic and the designer’s seemingly inexhaustible supply of technique at her disposal—since founding her label Amalya has staunchly adhered to a zero waste credo, predating the nascent sustainable fashion movement by a few years; she works predominantly with natural fibers and natural dyes, utilizes deadstock fabrics and findings whenever she can (she recently collaborated with FABSCRAP, a textile recycling nonprofit, on a capsule collection), and incorporates upcycled elements into limited-edition pieces; the newest feathers in her cap are as curator and shop owner, having just built out and opened (alongside likeminded designer Logan Blagg) Lagoon New York, a “dream space” that is equal parts store, studio, gallery, and event space that carries not just her (and Blagg’s) creations, but those of other independent fashion designers, jewelry designers, graphic artists, and artisans, as well; Amalya also accepts bridal commissions; visit her Website amalya.com (or drop by Lagoon New York at 293 Nostrand Brooklyn, NY) to shop her collections; follow @amalyameira on Instagram for updates on upcoming shows, collections and limited edition pieces (you can also follow @lagoon.ny on Instagram for updates on special events at their store)

Lucia Yip for the Amalya Meira summer 2022 capsule lookbook; photographed by Angelo Kangleon in Brooklyn, NY, on May 22, 2022 (with social distancing precautions in place); styled by Amalya Meira; some of these photos were taken using 35mm film (Fujicolor 200)