Profession / role:

Owner/Designer ----- Executive Director

Company / organisation:

Lara Miller Ltd ----- The Chicago Fashion Incubator

Website (if you have one):

www.laramiller.net

My primary role in relation to fashion is:

Designer, Manufacturer, Consultant

I am looking to discover or buy

sustaonable fabric and trims, relationship building

About me / About business or organisation:

Lara’s earth friendly pieces have been called “sultry, sophisticated, and as endlessly variable as the woman who wears them” by elle.com.

Manufactured in Chicago, Lara Miller’s work is strongly influenced by the city’s architectural and cultural landscape.

Fashioned from eco-friendly fibers such as organic cotton, hand-loomed bamboo, hemp and vegan silk, Lara's modular designs are created with a playful geometry that connects to the personalities of the women who wear them. Most garments can be wrapped, reversed, and most distinguishably flipped to reveal an entirely different look.

Acknowledging the impact that we all have on our environment, Lara aspires to preserve and respect our earth in every way possible. " I see my company as a way to support my community - not only by using organic materials while adhering to a “green” lifestyle and workspace - but also by manufacturing locally and working to sustain the sewn products industry in Chicago."

Career history / Company history:

Since exhibiting her student work as a “Featured Artist” at the Chicago boutique p.45 in the fall of 2002, Lara has made repeat appearances in GenArt’s Fresh Faces as well as the Macy’s on State Chicago Designer Shop. She has been named “Top 40 Under 40” by Crain’s Chicago Business as well as “Indie Designer of the Year” by Chicago Magazine.

An Eco Domani semi-finalist, Lara’s work has been featured on Elle.com, DailyCandy.com, The Today Show, the CBS Evening News, and in publications such as Italian Vogue, Cookie, Lucky Magazine, Vanity Fair, W, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, WWD, and Newsweek, among many others.

As a Lexus Hybrid Living Sustainable Partner, Lara participates in a number of events showcasing her garments while promoting environmental awareness. The most recent event was hosted by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to support the Waterkeepers Alliance. Lara also appeared on the Sundance Channel’s “Big Ideas for a Small Planet” as a spokesperson for the Lexus Hybrid Living program. Her work has been gifted to a number of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Maggie Gyllenhaall, Marion Cotillard, and Angelina Jolie.

In addition to designing her eponymous label, Lara serves as the Executive Director of the Chicago Fashion Incubator (CFI) at Macy’s on State Street. CFI provides six emerging Chicago-based designers with the resources, including workspace, business training, and mentoring, to launch their careers.

Lara sits on The Mayor’s Fashion Council where as the resources committee chair she has helped support and promote fashion designers living and working in Chicago through events, seminars, and city programs.

Her line is carried in over 50 stores throughout the world including the UK, Australia, and Japan.

Lara Miller is represented by The Four Hundred, New York’s first sales and press showroom exclusively dedicated to contemporary sustainable design.