In a world of copy-pasted high streets punctuated by identical stores, independently-owned businesses stand out for their inimitable contributions to the communities they serve. Setting Up Shop is the Livingetc column that takes you inside the lives and professional ventures of shopkeepers who went the extra mile to run the stores of their dreams.
When MIISTA organizes a sample sale at its Bethnal Green showroom in East London, you can rest assured that, whatever the time of the year and weather conditions, a spirited line of brand devotees will patiently form from every angle of the city as early as an hour before the actual opening. Why? The answer is simple: having built her self-funded, independent label with community at its heart, beyond crafting artisanal footwear and ready-to-wear endorsed by style icons like Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and Maria Bernad, Spanish-born founder Laura Villasenin has, first and foremost, created a platform for people to come together. And that's what MIISTA stans love doing on any day of the week, whether to indulge in one of the house-organized, female-led DJ sets or browse its latest collection and too-good-to-go outlet offerings.
