Today we’d like to introduce you to Mimi Giek.
Hi Mimi, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Honestly, I was always a dreamer. Creating my world that I would escape to from time to time and as I have grown, my goal has been to make that world a reality. A fond fashion memory I have is around middle school, where I spent hours after school searching the web, and window shopping.
I would see an item I wanted and would present to my parents why they should buy me said item and of course, this only worked so many times. Widow shopping to me was a form of dreaming. How do I get to a place where I am no longer looking at the item from a glass or a screen and how could I get to a level of success where I could attain it!?
It wasn’t until college that everything started to fall into place and take form. As I was evolving into myself as a woman, I started to become more confident in my self-expression through personal style. Not caring what my choices looked like to my parents, my peers, or the media. It was such a freeing feeling that I was unfamiliar with.
This newfound confidence led me to get in front of the camera and start modeling. Gradually, I realized my true passion was in the styling and process of piecing items together. Since then, I have gained a variety of experience. From working with brands, commercial work, editorial work, styling local artists, and more recently, personal styling.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Anything but smooth! I think one of the greatest challenges that I am still facing today is balance. Juggling a 9-5 in the corporate world and still making time for my creative projects is something I struggle with every day. Financially, the 9-5 brings stability, but my soul would die if I could not create.
It is a delicate balance and sometimes one or the other gets more attention. I have learned to be patient with myself when there is an imbalance and I try to intentionally carve out time for my creative projects. Carving out the time not only keeps my soul alive but also allows me to perform my best at the office.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in wardrobe styling and content creation. In my work, I like to play with juxtaposition. For example, in most of my work, you will see menswear mixed with feminine pieces, hard mixed with soft, & an overall minimalistic point of view. I know this sounds cliché to say, but I think what sets me apart from others is my point of view.
I have great instincts when it comes to fashion and how I visualize the best ways to showcase a product. The thing that I am most proud of is the way I was able to utilize the little resources I had to create more resources and the way I used social media to self-develop and promote my brand to the level it is today!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Hmm.. I don’t believe a lot of people know the origin of my brand name Ee and how it was developed. Originally my name was Ethianese on most of my social platforms, which was just a combination of both my nationalities (Ethiopian & South Sudanese). So let’s rewind to college again.
I was working as a housekeeper at a group home part-time in the summer. One of my jobs was cleaning the windows. One day as I was doing so, I thought to myself “If I ever made it, how would I sign my signature?” I started drawing out different ideas with a foam glass cleaner on the windows as I was cleaning them. When I started getting serious with my work, I reached out to an artist to get the logo created and here we are.
Pricing:
- Base rate for styling services: $100/hr
- Consultations (30 minute session): $50
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ee____________?igshid=MmIzYWVlNDQ5Yg==
- Facebook: facebook.com/styledbyee
- Other: instagram.com/styledbyee
