Mimi So
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Mimi So | |
|---|---|
| File:Mimi So Mirrors Color.jpg Jewelry Designer Mimi So | |
| Born | Mimi So New York, New York, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Parsons School of Design |
| Occupation(s) | Jewelry and Fashion designer |
| Known for | Graphic, fine fashion jewelry |
| Label(s) | Mimi So, Mimi So International |
| Awards | 2012 CFDA Board of Directors, Council of Fashion Designers of America |
| Website | http://www.mimiso.com |
Mimi So is an internationally active New York City based jewelry and fashion designer, and CEO of an eponymous luxury brand, Mimi So International.
She is known for fine jewelry with graphic designs featuring organic shapes, clean and asymmetrical lines, and bold fluid movements. Her collections are said to have a distinctive and definitive fashion vibe.[1] In 2012 Mimi So was elected to the CFDA Board of Directors.[2]
Mimi So International was originally founded as a partnership between Mimi So and luxury conglomerate Richemont, which subsequently sold its interest to Mimi So.[3]
Biography
Family and Education
So was born in New York City, the daughter of Nancy and Richard So. She is the youngest of three siblings. Her parents struggled after immigrating to the United States from China, but eventually opened three jewelry stores in New York’s Chinatown. Mimi So began to work in her parents’ store at 8 years old, reluctantly at first, becoming a third-generation jeweler.[4]
Pursuing an interest in Graphic Design, Mimi So graduated from the Parson’s School of Design[5] and initially worked at an advertising agency. Due to her mother’s sudden illness, So returned to the family business, and managed a family jewelry store.
Mimi So Brand
Brand Beginnings
Her interest in jewelry rekindled, in 1998 Mimi So opened her own jewelry boutique at the corner of 5th Avenue and 47th Street, in Manhattan’s Diamond District.[6] Following in the footsteps of her mother, So was one of the first women to open a store in the largely Orthodox district.[7] Over the years her limited edition designs became celebrity favorites, culminating in a frequent inclusion of her pieces on the stars of HBO’s Sex and the City.[8][9]
Recognizing an up and coming designer, luxury department store Neiman Marcus approached So and proposed to market Mimi So jewelry in one test location, which quickly expanded to 15 precious jewelry salons.[10]
Richemont Joint Venture
In 2004, Compagnie Financière Richemont, the conglomerate that owns Cartier, Piaget, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chloé, Montblanc, Dunhill and other international luxury brands, formed a joint venture with Mimi So, launching Mimi So International.[11][12] The primary goal was international expansion, resulting in the opening of flagship stores in New York, Beverly Hills and Tokyo,[13] and the construction of the Mimi So Penthouse in Manhattan.
The joint venture agreement entitled Richemont to purchase full control of Mimi So International after seven years. But with surprising growth in the first two years, and the expectation of making substantial investments thereafter, Richemont proposed to take full ownership immediately. Instead, Mimi So preferred to maintain control, and she bought out Richemont’s share in 2007.
Before and during the partnership with Richemont, Mimi So advised and designed collections for sister brands including Cartier and Piaget, and designed the first jewelry assortment for Montblanc.[14]
Fashion designer Carolina Herrera has been on the Mimi So International Board of Directors since 2004.[15]
Mimi So Today
Since returning to a stand alone firm, the Mimi So brand has continued to expand, and today her jewelry is available in many luxury department stores around the world.[16] Locations include Neiman Marcus and Holt Renfrew[17] in North America, Harrods, Printemps and Colette in Europe, Ali bin Ali[18] in the Middle East,[19] Lane Crawford[20] in Hong Kong, Isetan and Mitsukoshi in Japan, as well as in many leading fine jewelry stores around the world. Mimi So jewelry is also retailed online via www.mimiso.com.[21]
In 2012, Mimi So was selected as a featured designer by De Beers for the Forevermark Diamond campaign.[22]
Mimi So generally releases two to three limited edition jewelry collections per year, in sync with the fashion calendar.[23] All the Mimi So jewelry is hand made in her New York studios.[24][25][26]
Mimi So Penthouse
This innovative three story atelier overlooked 5th Avenue in New York, and featured a designer salon and a glass enclosed client cafe within a state of the art jewelry workshop.[27] The Penthouse was designed by Mimi So with support from architects Yabu Pushelberg. The design is a modern interpretation of the classical jewelry atelier townhouse, where the retail showroom sat on ground floor, with design and production floors above.[28] Yabu Pushelberg also designed the Mimi So Japan flagship inside the ground floor of Tokyo’s Mitsukoshi Nihonbashi department store, and the Mimi So boutique on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Rolex Daytona Sponsorship
Mimi So sponsored a Porsche based Grand-AM Rolex Sports Car Series racing team managed by Brumos Racing in 2009 and Action Express Racing in 2010. In both years, the team’s Riley Daytona Prototype race cars won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.[29][30] The unique prototypes used older Porsche Riley race cars, paired with a Porsche Cayenne V-8 powerplant.
Awards and Recognition
In 2012, Mimi So was elected to the Board of Directors of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). For two years prior, she was on the Member Selection Committee.[31]
In 2003, Harvard Business School selected the Mimi So International business plan as a case study, after which Mimi So became a popular annual guest speaker.[32]
Editorial Coverage
A&E’s Biography Magazine featured Mimi So in its advertising campaign.[33]
In 2012, television show 1stLook NY (New York NBC affiliate) produced a Mimi So video profile, that was also broadcast in the city's 13,000 taxi cabs for two weeks.[34]
References
- ^ "CFDA Member Directory".
- ^ "CFDA Board Announcement".
- ^ "Professional Jeweler article: Richemont Partners with Mimi So".
- ^ "Asian Women in Business Entrepreneurial Award Biography of Mimi So".
- ^ "Parsons Red Magazine Alumni Updates 2006" (PDF).
- ^ "Women's Wear Daily article - So Bright".
- ^ "Women's Wear Daily Article - So Serene on 47th Street".
- ^ "Working Mother Magazine article on Mimi So".
- ^ "AsianWeek article on Mimi So".
- ^ "Asian Women in Business Entrepreneurial Award Biography".
- ^ "WWD print and web article - Richemont Acquires Stake in Mimi So".
- ^ "Elite Traveler Article on Mimi So and the Richemont Experience".
- ^ "Japan Times article describing store revamp and addition of Mimi So".
- ^ "Women's Venture Fund Biography of Mimi So".
- ^ "Fashion Week announcement of Carolina Herrera joining Mimi So board".
- ^ "Mimi So website".
- ^ "WWD Article - Holt Renfrew Freshens Luxe".
- ^ "Ali Bin Ali website".
- ^ "Elite Traveler article - A Businesswoman's Qatari Adventure".
- ^ "Lane Crawford website".
- ^ "Elite Traveler Magazine article - Mimi So Launches E-Commerce Website".
- ^ "De beers website Bio of guest designer Mimi So".
- ^ "Young Hollywood Online - Q&A: Jewelry Designer Mimi So".
- ^ "Elite Traveler Magazine - Mimi So Elements Collection".
- ^ "Elite Traveler Magazine - Mimi So Jewelry Review" (PDF).
- ^ "JCK Magazine - Show Me the Bunny: Mimi So's Rabbit Rings".
- ^ "New York Social Diary article and photos describing Mimi So Penthouse".
- ^ "Haute Living magazine article describing Mimi So Penthouse".
- ^ "Grand-Am website, Official Results 2009".
- ^ "Grand-Am website, Official Results 2010".
- ^ "WWD Article - CFDA Toasts Its New Members".
- ^ "Harbus Magazine Article".
- ^ "A&E Biography Magazine Advertisement".
- ^ "NBC New York Video - Profile of Designer Mimi So".