I started in Birmingham, AL doing florals and events for Sybil Sylvester and interior design. I decided to move to NYC shortly after my 30th birthday and work in fashion. I spent 7 years doing celebrity styling and fashion PR working with Zac Posen among others and eventually realized I wanted to go back to my roots - events and interiors. So here we are!
2) What is a day or week like in the life of Mimi Brown?
Everyday or week is different - it's just the nature of my business - but I do start almost everyday off with a MudWtr latte or brassica green tea, if I'm home, followed by Nourish for lunch. I work partly from home but am onsite and traveling a good bit for clients and jobs. I spend a lot of time running around the city to visit new venues and do walk throughs. It's the first step before I can design the interior and layout for any event. My free time is spent with friends, my 3 nieces, or you can find me at Drybar or Hudson Yards ... so bummed about Barneys! Although Fred's is still alive and kicking ;)
3) What are the things that you invest in to better your week?
I use Nourish for meals, juices, and the protein ball bites. They are a lifesaver when it comes to having something healthy and easy - especially since I travel all the time and weekly trips to Whole Foods just aren't happening on a regular basis. I pretty much rely on Nourish and my protein plant shake. If anything, I will do a greens order from FoodKick, a grocery delivery service up here - for kale, leeks, scallions, garlic, spinach, arugula, tons and tons of greens. I am obsessed with vegetables so if I'm cooking anything it's usually cauliflower rice with a mix of greens or a roasted sweet potato. Although, I can't beat the Nourish stuffed sweet potatoes - I DIE for them!
4) How has Nourish and our meals or service impacted you?
I can't say it enough - Nourish is a gamechanger for me for so many reasons. I am a big fan of their paleo program and the meals are easy, delicious, and portion controlled. You can't really go wrong. I use Nourish on a daily basis if I'm at home and when I'm traveling I come screeching in from the airport and have backstock in my freezer to pull out. It's so much easier (faster and healthier) than ordering takeout or trying to grocery shop and cook dinner after you're getting back into town. The food is also delicious and unbeatable for the calorie content.
5) What is it like being a Southerner building a life and putting down roots in NYC? What aspects of Southern life have you brought with you up there?
It definitely took a minute. I feel like I got my groove here 2/3 years in ... I had always traveled a lot growing up and through college and in my 20s but of course actually moving somewhere is a completely different story. NYC was super sexy and exciting the first couple of months and then reality sort of sets in - the honeymoon stage is over - and you have to figure out what you're doing. I moved here with a job in fashion pr already secured and a very small network of people. About a year in, I started finding my friend group and that has been really fun and cool to meet all of these new people I never had any connection to. One of the things I love about the south and my roots is growing up being surrounded by friends and a network of people who go back generations and generations. And one of the things I have loved about NYC is exactly the opposite - meeting and finding new people who I now can't imagine my life without.
As far as bringing the South up here - in my designs. I love an antique, always have, and the history that goes along with it. So a lot of my designs are grounded in mixing the old with the new.
6) What has been your most proud moment/event/award that you can share with our community?
I've been blessed to have many surreal career moments up here. So many fun red carpet moments with Zac (Posen) but if I had to pinpoint one in my fashion days I would say being in a fitting at Vogue with Anna Wintour, Zac, a handful of amazing editors I had always looked up to, and the talent - it was a fitting for a Met Ball dress we were making with Vogue. I think I changed outfits 3 times before going to the fitting. Another would be getting to design a large dinner party Gwyneth Paltrow was hosting for her company, Goop, with Cadillac. I have long admired her style and am a total groupie (still am!) so my continued work with her brand is a dream come true.
