Hi! If we haven’t met before, we’re From, Mila - a small family-owned business from California selling hand block-printed apparel, accessories, and home decor designed with intention, artistry, and exclusivity in mind.
Our original ethos revolved around creating pieces that bring ease, joy, and beauty into our everyday lives. While we still believe in these aspects of our business and they are still very much a priority behind each piece, when taking a step back and thinking about why we started From, Mila to begin with, it really came down to being intentional with our wardrobe, bringing art back into design (and the world), and creating pieces that truly felt like it was made just for you.
Intention
We are firm believers in quality versus quantity. A carefully curated wardrobe that radiates who you are and your morals will always be more valuable and have far greater impact than an overflowing closet of items that you’ve only worn once. With this in mind, we work meticulously with the artists at the workshop to source the best fabrics that can withstand the construction of the silhouette, go through rounds of dye mixing to truly perfect the desired hue, and continue to optimize the size and fit of the clothing and home decor to truly meet consumer needs. We want to make sure that no matter what we put out into the world, it will become a prized possession because of the skill and care that went into creating it.
Artistry
In a world of sustainable brands being sold out to mass production corporations, we fully believe art can still exist within the fashion industry. Block printing itself is an art form, from the hand-drawn designs to the hand-carved wooden blocks, to the laborious placement of those blocks onto the fabric. No two pieces will ever be alike because of the human factor; there will always be slight variations from piece to piece, and that, in our minds, is true art. While we can not produce or sell at the rate of mass manufacturers, we are at peace with that knowing the skill, care, and artistry that goes into each piece.
Exclusivity
One of the reasons we even started From, Mila was that we were tired of seeing the same exact clothes at every shop in the mall, all year long. We wanted more colorful clothes that felt unique, that stood out, that felt like rare gems we found in a seaside shop in Italy. We wanted to create a brand that sold items that felt like an heirloom you could reminisce about and tell your friends about when they ask, “omg, where did you get that?” Thus, all collections are printed in small batches, usually 100-150 pieces at a time. On very rare occasions, we will bring a design back, but because of the human nature of block printing, and the fact that everything is dried in natural sunlight, hues will always slightly differ, blocks wear out affecting the sharpness of a design, fabrics run out and we have to switch to a similar alternative - so no two batches can ever truly be alike, which truly makes each piece feel even that more rare, exclusive and special to you.
If all of this aligns with your morals and you're eager to support, follow us, check out our current collections, and take a look behind the scenes at the mesmerizing block-printing process.
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