Exquisitely British - The British Entrepreneur Club for Luxury Brands 

 

Tell us about yourself, Kate

 

Meyli Miyaru founder and designer - I love travelling, scuba diving and peanut butter & jam sandwiches.

 

 

Where did the idea for Meyli Miyaru come from?

 

Six meters underwater emerging from a Maldivian reef. I was on a diving holiday in the Maldives and bored of diving in a black wetsuit or a plain rash vest.  The turquoise ocean, beautiful coral reefs, shoals of Bluestripe snappers were all so inspiring I wanted my swimwear to reflect the designs so I could be part of the underwater scene.

 

 

Where do you get your inspiration for your designs? 

 

The ocean! The undersea world of tropical reefs is so beautiful and mesmerising. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to a few exotic places and dive in some of the best locations in the world. One of my favourite places is the Maldives. The reefs are shallow and the water is a crystal clear turquoise. You can see all of all the colours and variety of the reef life just by snorkelling in a meter depth of water. The corals and ferns offer patterns and scenes against the bold colour palette and statement lines of the reef fish.

 

 

Who is your ideal customer?

 

Meyli Miyaru is designed for spontaneous, fashion forward, adventurous women. They love to travel, walk barefoot on the sand and watch the sun melt in to the ocean. They are in tune with the waves and respectful of the natural world. 

 

 

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

 

Getting everything together in time for our launch, it took two years to develop the range, design prints, develop samples, build the brand and website, photoshoots, production, it was challenging and an incredible learning experience, but I loved every minute of it. 

 

 

What has been the most rewarding experience so far?

 

Clicking “Go live” to launch the e-commerce website and the debut collection - I was excited and nervous all at the same time. I didn’t know what people would make of the concept, but the consumer reaction has been amazing. 

 

 

Do you have any advice for other entrepreneurs?

 

I’ve just come back from Disneyland and I think Mr Walt Disney has some great advice … “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”.

 

 

What does your “typical” day look like?

 

Its never 9-5! Every day is different. One day might be focused on designing new prints, the next we could be flying abroad to shoot the current collection lookbook. I love the variety, its always very exciting. 

 

 

Do you have any favourite British brands?

Victoria Beckham. She has created an incredible brand - her dresses are so beautiful.  

 

 

How do you manage the work/life balance?

 

There isn’t a lot of free time for a start up. Its taken a lot of hard work to get Meyli Miyaru to where we are today, we have faced so many challenges but its all part of the fun.  

 

What are your plans for the future?

 

We will be launching our beachwear collection soon featuring current and new prints in silk beachwear including cover-ups, Kimonos, racer back dresses and scarves. We are also focusing on building the brand identity and creating new prints for upcoming seasons.

 

 

Take a look at the full collection at www.meylimiyaru.com