In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Tina Logar Bauchmüller, the founder of Mila.Vert, as she shares her remarkable journey from being a mother to becoming a fashion designer. Inspired by her core values of respect and sustainability, Tina’s designs embody simplicity, timelessness, and attention to detail. Mila.Vert is a testament to empowerment, passion, and kindness, with each piece crafted to be not only beautiful but also environmentally conscious and ethically made.
Can you describe your most prominent professional skill?
I’d say my most prominent professional skill is the ability to recognise talent when I see it. I knew I wanted to work with the women who now make up the Mila.Vert team as soon as I got to know them. Paired with emotional intelligence, this is what helped me build team behind the brand, and together we came to where we are now.
What motivated you to establish your own business?
Before Mila.Vert, I worked in IT. I’d studied business and economics and then worked as a business consultant in an IT company. Even though I enjoyed my job, I had always wanted to work in the creative sector, too. Fashion design has always been my passion – even in childhood I remember consulting my grandmother, who mastered the art of tailoring, and local seamstresses to help me carry out my design ideas. Though I liked my previous job and my colleagues, I was also interested in and passionate about sustainability. There was a strong wish inside me to do something to try to make a change in the world. I saw the opportunity to change my career as my mother’s leave was coming to an end. I mustered the strength and courage to leap into the unknown – and here we are.
Tell us about the latest collection of Mila Vert.
Our team is currently working on our upcoming SS24 collection and the photoshoot is coming up soon. The new collection encapsulates our brand values – ethically crafted in Slovenia, EU, the upcoming garments carry respect of people, animals, and the planet at their core. Developing elevated ethical craftsmanship in our local region, we have an exciting variety of our signature summer knits in 100% organic cotton coming up, as well as updated classics varying from elegant to laid-back styles made from organic cotton poplin, low-impact European linen and Tencel™. All varieties of pieces from the new summer collection come in Mila.Vert’s trusted neutral colour palette, making it easy to incorporate them in any wardrobe and wear them for seasons to come for a truly wholesome and sustainable approach to fashion. I’m truly excited about this collection and can’t wait to reveal it this summer.
What are three crucial aspects that people should be aware of regarding Mila.Vert?
Our three main aspects are sustainability, a local ethical production and a women-led team. Sustainability is the broadest of them as it encompasses every part of our work: our materials, both how we work with them and their origin, packaging, our design practices, but also our work environment and how I manage our small team. Our production is based locally and includes the highest level of workers’ rights, including fair payment and safe working conditions. Lastly, our team is unique and is currently made up of brilliant, highly motivated women – there is a special, inspiring and nurturing energy among us and it’s a joy working surrounded by such amazing individuals.
Do you have a specific message or idea you aim to convey through your designs?
I design our collection with women who inspire me in mind – everyday women who are determined, know what they want and won’t let anyone stop them. They are kind, caring and loving towards others and towards themselves. They are bold, strong, voice their opinions and empower people around them. They are also patient, calm, intuitive and know how to set boundaries. They don’t have just one role, but they do the best they can in all of them. They find comfort in everyday luxuries like a quiet cup of coffee before the world wakes up, the feel of a soft pullover on the skin and a hug of a loved one. All of this is reflected in our designs. We say that Mila.Vert designs for those in search of a kinder lifestyle – women who care about timeless designs of great quality, organic fabrics and about ethical local production. We know that no one is perfect, but this is what everyone can start with – being kinder.
What aspect of being involved in the fashion industry do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy design the most – but it sadly makes up a very small part of my work as I am involved with so many other aspects of the brand during the year. Every season, I look forward to creating a new collection – searching for new fabrics, envisioning new designs, testing samples and then organising a photoshoot … These are the most creative parts and that’s why I utterly enjoy them.
You possess a wide range of talents. What drives and inspires you?
At the moment, my biggest inspiration is seeing how far we’ve come already with Mila.Vert. It’s easier to overcome obstacles with a positive outlook and a great team such as ours behind you, and knowing we’ve been through so much together keeps us going further and reaching new milestones.I’m proud of what we do and the change we’re making in the world.
Like independent brands such as yours, what are the challenges that you encounter in creative projects?
From the beginning, the main struggle was finding the materials that would fit my design ideas. I had so many ideas in my head and I travelled from Slovenia to Germany to a fabric fair in Munich to find the materials for my first collection. When I got there, I realised that what I was looking for simply didn’t exist – I couldn’t find the materials that would fit my sustainability criteria to use in the designs I had envisioned. Eight years ago, the range of sustainable materials was limited, or I couldn’t afford to buy hundreds of meters of fabric directly from the producers, so I had to turn the whole process around. I first chose sustainable fabrics that I liked and were available to me, and then I let the fabric inspire me to come up with different designs. The process has not changed since then. When it comes to doing campaigns and editorials with our team, perhaps we need to be more creative with a limited budget and less people involved, but I’ve found that this only brings us closer together and inspires us to look at what we want to achieve from a different angle and find alternative solutions.