Philosophy — MIMI PROBER

MIMI PROBER creates sustainable modern heirlooms through textile narratives, preservation, process, and technique.

The MIMI PROBER philosophy integrates antique materials, natural luxury fibers, and botanical earth based dye methods to create seasonless collections crafted from rare materials developed into custom textiles and organically formed fine jewelry, with an emphasis on history, process, and handcraft.

The MIMI PROBER signature collection is handcrafted using recovered fragments of antique materials dating from the 18th-early 20th centuries that have been organically designed and uniquely re-developed into signature custom textiles. By employing ancient techniques and processes, including natural dyeing, hand weaving, felting, and embroidery, these textiles are reimagined into modern heirlooms. A pioneer of sustainable luxury, Prober is celebrated for her decorative and unique embroidery, beading, and lace designs. Highlighting the individual story that would have otherwise been lost with these forgotten fragments, through a zero-waste closed loop philosophy, honoring the hands that created the art.

The MIMI PROBER Fine Jewelry collection combines ancient lost wax casting techniques, sustainably sourced reclaimed 18k + 22k gold, reclaimed sterling silver dating from the 19th to early 20th centuries, vintage and reclaimed precious stones, all developed organically into a modern sculptural form.

The MIMI PROBER sustainable luxury Atelier, Ready to Wear, and Fine Jewelry collections are produced mindfully and ethically by partnering directly with local farms, mills, artisans, and manufacturers.

“‘New York-based fashion designer Mimi Prober is something of a rarity. A creator of exquisite and ethereal handcrafted apparel and accessories, Prober uses recovered fragments of antique materials that date back as far as the 18th to early 20th centuries. Through utilizing recovered materials, natural and locally produced luxury fibers and botanical-based dye methods, Prober’s custom textiles enable a zero-waste, closed-loop system that embodies “sustainable luxury.””

— WWD

Our core ethos is built on preservation, weaving the past into the present; the preservation of tradition, individual narratives, and history. Employing ancient processes (hand spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, embroidery, natural and botanical dye methods, and lost wax casting), honoring artisanal techniques and the hands of creation, along with capturing rare antique materials that may have otherwise been forgotten. Preserving their history and artistry by bringing it forward for a new generation.

We work directly with family owned, local, and sustainable small farms and mills to develop and create custom textiles using the most treasured ethical luxury fibers (Vicuña Nube [in photo above], Cormo, Cashmere, Merino, Organic Cotton, Flax/Linen), in addition to local natural pigment (Japanese Indigo grown at an upstate New York farm, local foraging, and flowers that would have otherwise been discarded from florists within our community).

The foundation for creating our custom textiles is a signature process which combines these local luxury fibers with encapsulated antique fragments embedded within. In line with our closed-loop design process and zero-waste philosophy [re: Ethical Production], we are able to highlight and preserve the smallest of materials, including fragments that individually would have been beyond restoration [re: Preservation]. Integrating this with the specially selected fiber, we have designed an innovative artisanal based textile that is uniquely ours and cannot be replicated.

With a focus on meaningful creation and a slower approach to design, we celebrate transparency and mindful practices throughout the entire development process, supporting and honoring the individuals (farmers, mills, artisans, manufacturers) who play an integral role in the creation of our pieces. Our production for the Atelier collection includes a circular development process, which in turn includes zero-waste implementation. From incorporating even the smallest, yet still innately precious and cherished, handmade textiles in our custom textile development, we utilize, mend and preserve every piece.

Local creation offers valuable opportunities that not only support the local economy but also fosters collaboration and community engagement. From farm, to textile, to manufacturing; we are closely involved throughout and can build toward sustainability from every standpoint.

In addition to applying local production practices [re: Farm to Fiber, Ethical Production], we also engage directly with the community, with the goal to inspire sustainable change by offering mending, natural dyeing, embroidery, workshops and process installations, as well as an educational library of textiles. Partnering with Museums, Educational Institutions, Retailers, and beyond to host these one of a kind activations based on our philosophy and process.

Artist and designer Mimi Prober’s aesthetic vision integrates the artistry of the past to establish a sustainable future. New York based and a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she has received acclaim for her collection and philosophy, as well as her holistic and sustainable approach to design. Translating her personal and professional passions into pioneering sustainability in the industry through preservation and process within her signature collection.

She has dedicated herself to the sustainable practices of natural dyeing and design with a focus on textile narratives, preservation, and process - honoring those involved in the creation, from farm to fiber.

Mimi Prober’s signature collections are based on ‘honoring the hands that created the art’, both past and present -and built upon four sustainability pillars: Preservation (through her reuse of antique textiles and preserving heritage techniques for the next generation), Farm To Fiber (working with local regional fiber farms, textile mills, and natural dye processes, along with international artisans to support and honor heirloom craft and artisan based supply chains), Ethical Production, and Community Engagement.

Founding the namesake label in 2014 (after establishing the groundwork of her founding philosophy beginning in 2011), she became a fixture searching for forgotten textiles with documented stories to tell from a previous time. Her collection has been worn by industry icons Chloë Sevigny, Misty Copeland, Erykah Badu, and Rihanna, to name a few.

Mimi Prober’s collection work is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Costume Institute’s “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” exhibition and book publication, part of the permanent collection at the Museum at FIT, for the exhibition “Fashion Unraveled” and the most recent “Food and Fashion” exhibition and book publication, and as part of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and New Orleans Museum of Art for “Fashioning America: Grit To Glamour".