Designer Spotlight : The Benefits of Fringe Are Apparent in Maia’s Hippie-Gypsy Designs
Twenty-three-year-old Maia of Laguna Beach designs clothes that reflect her California beach upbringing: colorful, comfortable and casual (so casual that she sees no need to bother with surnames).
But this redhead is no Malibu Barbie. A graduate of the advertising and entrepreneur program at USC, Maia is as in tune with her career goals as she is in her passion for fashion. “One thing going for me is that I’m my target customer,” she says. “I know what I want. So it’s not tough for me to visualize my customer’s attitude or what they like.”
Early last year, Maia sewed fringe onto a pair of shorts then advertised in International Surf magazine. Business has since spread from her original three accounts in Santa Barbara to other warm-weather climes: Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Nevada, Arizona and throughout California.
She loves swimming in the ocean, running on the beach and hiking the local mountains, and her activities influence her free-spirit, hippie-gypsy designs.
Her no-fuss silhouettes and fabric choices translate into clothes that are functional, feminine and ready for action. For her 20-piece fall collection, Maia uses silky rayons in floral and abstract prints that recall lingerie and ribbed bangaline in rich, gem-colored solids. She also is introducing a long-sleeved version of her flowered georgette blouse, a sheer silky top tied for navel exposure.
The designer lavishly applies tassel and twist fringe to ankle-length, hip-hugging, A-line skirts and elastic-waisted shorts. Both have become signature pieces in just two seasons. The shorts have been reordered for fall with buyers selling them with tights, she adds.
“I’m on a fringe trip right now,” she says, referring to a detail in the collection that was inspired by her grandma’s smoking jacket with extra, extra long trim. “It’s so hot, so sexy. Something about walking with a skirt with fringe on the bottom swishing against your ankles. It’s movement--not stagnant.”
She says her ribbed velour “Birthday Suit” is wearable wet. “If it’s late at night and you feel like swimming and you don’t have a bathing suit you should be able to do it and not worry about ruining the clothes.”
Her collection retails from $24 to $70 and is available at Tres Leigh in Corona del Mar, Diamond Lane in Huntington Beach, Decades in Laguna Beach, Eclipse in Manhattan Beach and Gunfire Co. on Melrose Avenue.
Her artist dad assists in creating the image for her ads and her mom, an investment banker, advises on financial matters. Maia’s sister, three years her junior, does all the photography for her poster and magazine ads. “I never thought I’d work with my family, but it’s been kind of neat,” she says.
Her marketing background has given her an edge over other fledgling designers who focus their energy on design first and worry about connecting with potential customers after the fact.
“When I made the decision to start a company, I put together a business plan and sought out financial backers, but I admit I didn’t know much about clothing manufacturing,” she says.
Some industry outsiders “flat out laughed at me for starting during a recession. . . . Even though it’s a little hard now, I’m small enough where I can sneak in. So I try to learn my lessons real quick and make mistakes only once.”
