Our cover star this month has been one of those long-time-coming, IT people to have on our cover. She is without a doubt someone the industry listens to, she is fierce in whatever she does and she slays EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. She is Leah Misika.
The intellectual black little woman who believes that living her dreams is the only way she will live a fore filled life. Leah is the kind of woman that will travel the world before she buys a car, watch a movie before she reads a book, write in her note book from back to front, write about love and never share it. She hates cold food, could live in a bikini and build an empire whilst at it. She prefers lazy days and loathes chaos. Loves cheese, rarely eats chocolate and enjoys all the pretty little things around her including the ones she makes. There is so much more but that would need a whole book.
Leah Misika, talks to us about beauty, blogging and perfecting her craft.
Happy read!
Leah on when it all started
The then 9 year-old Leah Misika, had just got DSTV installed and got hooked on pop culture and fashion instead of cartoons instantly. She was obsessed with watching music videos and loved to see what the artist would wear and then discovered Fashion TV thereafter. It has been fashion on her brain since then.
When asked what her first creation was, she laughed and said,
I designed my sisters matric farewell dress. I never made it ’cause I didn’t even know how to sew at the time.
After design school the first garment she made was for Bob Marley’s granddaughter, Donisha Prendergast, who was a friend from school. Leah, made an African print dress with the weirdest back detail.
I will tell you that after art school you will make a lot of rookie moves … I know, I still am.
Leah on Blogging
Blogging first started as a ploy to compete with one of her classmates who was an Editor for a Fashion Magazine in her 2 year of college. So, she started a blog. At that time, Leah, was a competitive African girl in art school who was behind in life according to American standards and naturally she felt she had something to prove to everyone all the time. To her surprise, she fell in love with blogging because she was already someone who loved to journal everything.
Being a fashion designer does not put you at a great advantage with fashion blogging.
You may sometimes find it hard to market your own brand the way you would other people’s brands. Leah can sell anyone a product all day but once it’s her own creation, it becomes more personal which makes it hard for her to sell it herself, she says.
…on her Brand
LM LA MODE which stands for Leah Misika (LM) The Fashion (In French), but has a double meaning because when you pronounce LM La Mode you are saying “she loves fashion” which is just as truthful.
The Brand LM was created in 2007 in her first year because that is how she used to sign off her work, the La Mode part came some where in her second year because she used to dress up so much to school that some people called her “The Fashion” and I translated it into French which she also happens to speak. The idea for what La Mode was supposed to be had changed so many times, the only thing that has remained is that Leah, always wanted to create an experience and a sense of exclusivity about her brand. That’s what La Mode is today, a brand that offers an experience and a sense of exclusivity through all its services.
Being a Fashion designer in Namibia has been hard for me, but the way I see it, this is what I was made to do.
Leah, says this in a calm voice and not complaining at all, but on the contrary, she does not want to sell anyone that looks up to her dreams either. You have to fight tooth and nail not to give up. Your passion will be tested, you will have to work smarter than you have ever before just to survive and you will find that half of what you learned in school doesn’t apply says Leah. She adds that she would not change a thing. Her life has been a great lesson and a beautiful journey and she has been blessed and privileged to live her dreams.
…on her Craft.
Finding the time to really get back to pattern making is one thing Leah is aspiring to get back into. She genuinely feels it is what is holding her brand back. How she limits herself because of forgotten skills that she does not have the time to reacquaint herself with. Being patience with oneself and your skills and reveling in your strong points are key lessons to becoming great at your craft.
Future plans
Leah’s, dream has always been to create a brand that had Namibia as its home, but did not really depend on the Namibian market. The opportunities are there, but you get caught up in life and work that it gets hard to set aside time to contemplate world domination. In her tenure as a member of the Fashion Council of Namibia, they can truly say they unified the industry just a little bit. They have a long way to go for the organization to work as it should and it will require some really selfless people that just want to see Namibian Fashion thrive.
Leah on Beauty
I have always believed in creating my own notions of beauty. to create my own kind of beauty by reveling in that which is truly me.
Leah, has never been an easy person to influence and something about that instilled a confidence that radiated past what she looks like. She thinks beauty is learning how to be truly comfortable in your own skin and not allow society to dictate how you feel about You… even if it’s good. Finding little things like wearing white is what Leah, makes her feel most beautiful.
If we had to take a few steps back, when asked what she would tell her 12 year-old self, Leah, simply simply smiled and said,
12 year old me was a tomboy who only wore sneakers and was low-key a girlie-girl struggling to find the girl in her. I would tell her, be patient, you’re gonna be a fire boss babe some day.
Quick side questions:
Favourite skin care brand?
Rooibos
Favourite make-up brand?
Still Mac for me
You are going to an island and can only take 3 beauty products, what are you taking?
Nivea lotion,
Rooibos Scrub
My Brow Kit cause the struggle is real
Is that what’s always in your handbag?
Nope, my handbag always has chap stick (once, I leave my house all I care about is lip care
Skin care advice in 3 words….
Love yourself hard
Photos: Tuva Wolf Studio
Hair & Make Up: Melvy Macky
Styling: Leah Misika and Disney Andreas
