Mignonne’s story is one of those that truly inspire. From having to parlay her dreams of working in fashion because of her parents wishes to working endless hours on couture collections as her first job, walking home one night – like any other night in NYC – was what changed everything.
Come along as I dive into Mignonne Gavigan, the brand and the woman. By the end, I promise you’ll be forgetting your Bumble app and just throwing on a pair of Mignonne Gavigan jewelry. Because what’s a better conversation starter than some ravishing baubles?
EC: Did you leave your job to do Mignonne Gavigan full time?
MG: No, it took awhile. It was 2007 when I started making pieces here and there for people, but I didn’t officially launch Mignonne Gavigan until 2014. For those 7 years, I worked on other brands, gaining more knowledge of the industry. When I finally left the couture world, the first job I took was as a freelance handbag designer for Rachel Roy. I was like please god, I need a corporate job and health insurance. I really loved learning from Rachel – I love her style, her use of color patterns and material. I also got my first opportunity to travel overseas for an inspirational shopping trip!
EC: Were you with Rachel the whole 7 years?
MG: No. After Rachel Roy, I worked for Loeffler Randall as a footwear designer for their launch. It helped me learn exactly what I needed to build a collection – what’s going to be sellable, what’s going to be editorial. It was picking up these pieces along the way which shaped what Mignonne Gavigan is today.
EC: You talked about inspirational shopping trips. Where do you find your inspiration for Mignonne Gavigan?
MG: Usually it’s pretty random. If it’s not a trip I have taken, for example to Mexico, it will be something I just see walking. I was coming from a haircut in the Lower East Side the other day and came across a store with all these Eastern European items. That’s what spawned my Fall Collection – blending the Marrakech Matryoshka dolls and embroidery, and looking at the parts of culture and tradition in Eastern Europe and interpreting it into the Mignonne Gavigan way.
EC: Do you ever feel like you hit a roadblock and cannot think of what to do for a collection?
MG: That is a definite no! There is always something for sure. I finds inspiration in textiles and fabric, and new ways to interpret them, whether its adding beads, machine stitching or something else. It’s all just an exercise of looking at anything, and figuring out how can you translate it into something interesting.
EC: Every piece is literally a piece of wearable art – they should be in museums! How do you get this type of quality and attention to detail?
MG: Each piece is individually handmade in India. People try to copy my designs, but it’s impossible because each piece is handcrafted, and they can’t copy that technique.
EC: You are so multi-talented having worked in apparel, footwear, handbags and jewelry. Would you ever do clothing?
MG: No, I will never do clothing again! My main focus is always the jewelry collection, but I will throw in some kind of fun accessory that is not jewelry, like a headband, for that season.
