HORSING AROUND: With three high-profile French showjumping athletes already by her side, Mia Lei, founder of Hong Kong-based equestrian label Miasuki, is continuing her European push with a fashion capsule due to launch in the spring.
The brand held a dinner at Paris restaurant Loulou to present its first so-called style book, featuring its ambassadors Flore Giraud, Iman Perez and Mathilde Pinault – the latter two daughters of French actor Vincent Perez and Kering chief François-Henri Pinault, respectively.
Lei said she is in talks with “a few luxury e-commerce giants” to carry the line that will launch “somewhere in Europe” with an as-yet-undisclosed new ambassador rider.
Launched in Paris in 2015, the Miasuki label specializes in technical equestrian-inspired gear billed as being equally suited to competition riding events, a party or the office. Staples include cotton and stretch jersey shirts, knits in technical cashmere with antibacterial properties, more formal dressage-inspired silhouettes and equestrian pants.
Lei, who refers to the brand’s direction as “exquisite performance wear,” said she personally road tests all of the items.
“I ride and go traveling in all of my prototypes. I want to make sure I’m completely convinced with my own things before I put them on the market, and I think that’s an attitude that is really needed in the fashion market right now. A lot of brands are just pushing out fashion for its sake and things are not very sustainable,” she said.
Lei has just opened her first flagship in Milan and is distributed in around 10 stores internationally including Harrods and high-end Paris equestrian specialist Guibert.