When veteran designer Mireia Lopez joined the Haute Hijab team, we were blown away by the scope and depth of her commitment to sustainable fashion and innovations in the creation of products. Now our director of design and innovation, Mireia is helping the HH brand not just talk about sustainability from conception to production, she is helping find better ways to make your hijabs in an eco-friendly fashion.

Mireia has been in the fashion industry for 25 years and brings loads of innovative thinking to the design team. She has a personal fashion project in India in which she is working to transform bio waste materials into beautiful clothing while benefiting the local artisans who make them. Also, you NEED to read her motto for life! Basically Mireia is one of the coolest people we know! Get to know Mireia as she answers 15 fun (and a few deep) questions in our ongoing summer (now fall) team-focused series – "15 Things You May Not Know About ... "

I am always working and living at the same time, and I love it. I love to create, to get inspired, to learn. I love doing a lot of research, lately about sustainability and sustainable innovations, dyeing process and so on. So, I am constantly learning new techniques, new methods, new ways of working.

I’ve been in the fashion Industry for 25 years, but the research and learning has not stopped yet. It is my favorite thing to do. I guess I am old school! When I started in the fashion industry (with the brand Mango), designers would go to the library to get visual creative references to create a mood board. Now, a Google search is enough.

When I feel the most 100 percent disconnected from it all is when I am spending family time with close friends, or when I am exercising

My hobbies are my work too – innovative fashion designing! I also love daydreaming and travel.

I try to avoid things I don’t like before it happens! Mmm, Also, reading endless excel sheets full of data is up there on the list!

My mom’s paella. She comes from the mountains of Castellón in Spain, where there is a tradition to compete for the tastiest paella, cooking it on a campfire.

I need to be surrounded by nature, breathe fresh air, be at the beach or in the mountains. Discovering cultures and places feeds my soul and mind too. Being around my loving friends and family anywhere in the world makes me so happy.

Also, dancing to old disco music in a caftan … I love dancing!

I look up to unapologetic kind and courageous people, to those fighting for equality and dignity for all.

As a child, my grandmother was a big influence, She lived during hard war times. She was so elegant and humble, and she had the most twisted sense of humor. When I was a child my family always said to me with a laugh, You are as crazy as your grandmother! So, she became my ally during my teenage years. I've loved her for that. She is very special to me.

 

Mireia in her last travels to India posing with Vishrami Devi, a master weaver at Tinola, The Barefoot College. This is a community where everybody is a learner and a teacher with no hierarchies, caste or gender discriminations.

Oh, nothing at all! Only I would say to myself not to worry too much and have fun.

Not to worry too much.

I have always been a little scared of flying pigeons around me. If they could only stay on the floor eating! And that I am learning to take care of plants. I am not so great at it.

I would love to open as many minds as possible about the symbiotic relationship between the health of our environment and human rights. I want to raise awareness about water scarcity affecting disadvantaged communities the most, especially those in our fashion supply chain.

I am working towards achieving those dreams everyday at Haute Hijab, and also through a dear personal project I started in India last winter: the Blinded By Color Project. One caftan sold supports the installation of water filters to one Indian household. The caftans are made using bio food waste materials dyed with botanical plants.

The thing I like the most is the rewarding feeling of seeing everyone being themselves and empowered, not only within the team but also the HH community out there. What’s one thing I’ve learned? I can’t answer that ... yet. I’ve only been here for six months. Catch up with me later.

Most likely working late or being a couch potato.

The Caga Tío is a tradition from my hometown, Barcelona, with young kids. It’s a lot of fun. During Christmas, we hide chocolates and sweets under a piece of wood dressed up in a typical barretina (a red hat worn by peasants) and sing songs about poop until the wood ”pooped” the sweets out!

Always cats. I had three in the two decades, and although is very tempting to adopt a fourth, I am taking a break now.

Everything you want is on the other side of fear.