RAVING AND REPAIRING: Miista in Los Angeles
Our recent trip to Los Angeles left us inspired by the people, conversations, and creativity we encountered there. As we prepare to open our permanent store in the city this summer, we wanted to share Raving and Repairing - a special project and short film that reflects what matters most to us: craft, community, and joyful connection.
This project documents raving and repairing in motion - a moment we hope to hold onto forever.
It starts with a warm glow that builds to a euphoric high, as the bass vibrates through our bodies and we dance until our legs hurt. We look around the dark industrial space and see a sea of smiles, the looks of pure, unbridled joy as our LA Miista crowd danced on stairs, on cutting tables, between sewing machines, where a team of makers repaired their clothes.
They were dressed in an intentionally chaotic mix of textures and layers, styled and adapted across many bodies: in furry wool flourishes and handcrafted wrinkles, wide pocketed leather belts and single socks, sculptural heeled boots and shoes with buckles, straps and corsetry- inspired laces.
Raving is about the music and the people we’ve come with, but also that feeling we’re part of something bigger, an energetic connection with the hot, heaving mass of different humans who have all decided to be in this place, at this moment.
Raving repairs the soul, it brings us together.
On a spring evening in the LA Arts District we hosted a party with purpose that took a hedonistic attitude and added values.
We wanted to recreate that euphoria which comes when you just let go. We think there’s something so magical about the way it makes space for joyful connection. The event was held at a garment factory that’s woman-founded and values-led just like us, in a space that made our craft and labour visible and placed them alongside music and culture.
Craft is central to everything we do, the way we design, communicate and connect with our crowd. So, we asked guests to bring clothing to be repaired or altered over the evening by craftspeople, whilst they raved in the same space to live sets from @dj_dave____ @alima_lee, @banoffeemusic and @olivekimoto. This was a rebellious blurring of the lines between the joy of raving and the art of repairing.
We documented what happen. Taking freeze frames of the action, of raving and repairing in progress. As people danced on the factory floor immersed in an uplifting and joyful present, our team mended their clothes. And with music, craft and connection the evening built to a climax, to that moment when all we wanted was for the night, like our favourite Miista clothes, to last forever. So, we froze that moment in real-time while we were filming on the night.
A massive thank you to everyone that made Raving and Repairing possible.
Photographer: Maya Fuhr @mayafuhr Stylist: Kat Typaldos @kattypaldos
Talent:
Fivel Stewart @fivel_stew
Courtney Trop @alwaysjudging
Hyd @hyd.earth
Clare Gillies @inouicg
Devyn Adair @devynadair
Mya Wilhelmena @myawilhelmena
Kito @kito
Tei Shi @teishi
Manna Mcleod @mcleodmanna
Georgina Trevino @georginatrevino
Miya Folick @miyafolick
Alex Moreno @alexhere.ok
Qur’an Shasheed @quranshaheed
Claire Rousay @clairerousay
Gayathri Krishnan @gayathriikrishnan
Tim Nguyen @t_nguyen_t
Jak McGrath @jakmcgrath
Judson Harman @judsonharman
Movement Director: Charissa Kroeger @charissakroeger
DJs: Olive Kimoto @olivekimoto Banoffee @banoffeemusic Alima Lee @alima_lee DJ_Dave @dj_dave____
Make up: Holly Silius @hollysilius Hair: Jamie Diaz @jaime.creates
Video:
DOP: Chije Kang @chijekang
Camera A Op: Anna Tse @tse_cheese
Camera B Op: Diana Dahllund @diana_dahllund Steadicam: Ryan Wilson @ryyster
Video Editor: Andrea Wod @andreawod Soundtrack by Cõvco @_covco
Location: @TEG The Evans Group (@teg_made)
