Milia Maroun: The origin of the Kimabaya is the “Soi Soie” coat that was commissioned by the Beirut National Museum in 2003. Consequently, a pop up gallery — founded by Maya Parisi in Brussels in 2008 — wanted to exhibit a collection of the coat with a more urban feel, thus the Kimabaya. It’s a reversible coat, a crossing between the kimono and the abaya, that are traditional cloths from Japan and the Middle-East. Since then, the kimabaya became an iconic piece and a best-seller in the Milia M collections. Re/Form, as the name suggest, is a way to initiate a change, to instil a new life in an existing object.
MM: Bokja is an obvious partner in this story. The two parties tell the story of the silk road. Their creations carrying legends with them. Makers of dreams, the perfect combination.
MM: Noble and natural fabrics like cashmere, silk and wool primarily. There are also mixes of linen and wool or cotton and cachemire.
MM: Absolutely! This also adds to the urban aspect of the piece, and to the pleasure of fetechizing it at certain moments and normalize it at others.
MM: The kimabaya is versatile in all its forms. Its reading can change depending on who wears it, man or woman, and when. It has no limits, but always with the poetry of the Levant.
MM: At the Milia M boutique in Beirut. At “If” in New York and soon at “ABC” New York and “Ikram” Chicago.