One year anniversary of MiliMilu: Chat with founder Linda Morrison about sustainability, eco-friendly fashion and being an entrepreneur

Time has flown by and just like that MiliMilu, the brand for sophisticated and sustainable fashion for the whole family, based in Hong Kong is celebrating its one year anniversary. MiluMilu founder Linda Morrison couldn’t be more excited and proud to have made it this far, but it wouldn’t be without the help of her family and of course numerous customers.

Linda Morrison: The first year has just flown by! Over the course of that first year in business we have grown and learned so much, while also overcoming some bumps; Mainly the period when the Covid pandemic hit Hong Kong with full force, including the strict lockdown, restrictions on gatherings and of course the restrictions on shipment and postage. It has been a real learning curve and we are grateful for the amazing support we have encountered. I wouldn’t be where I am now if not for the support and encouragement of my family, especially my husband and friends to start MiliMilu. A big thank you also to the people I met during the year who gave me valuable advice for the business, supported me and inspired me to keep pushing.

Challenges and lessons starting an eco-friendly fashion brand in Hong Kong

The starting point of MiliMilu was the limited offer on sustainable clothing made from organic, natural fibers in Hong Kong, not only for women, but also children. Linda, as well as her children have sensitive skin and only tolerate organic, natural fibers. A void that needed to be filled and Linda stepped in. Determination, the motivation to make a difference and supporting people in leading a more sustainable lifestyle through eco-friendly fashion made a dream come true.

Linda Morrison: The hardest part of my entrepreneur journey was for sure starting the business and making the idea I had in my mind for ages a reality. The idea is based on my family’s need to wear natural, organic fibers that have not been treated with harsh chemicals. But at the same time the clothes should be stylish and of course produced in an ethical way – think fair wages and working conditions for the people producing the clothes. Finally, I also wanted my children to be aware of these topics and teach them about a sustainable lifestyle, including eco-friendly clothing.

Starting a business is challenging you as a person. You will make mistakes, but learning from them is essential, and every set back offers a lesson that will help you to move forward. For me the main lesson during this first year of MiliMilu was the importance on finding the right support group. A group of people that inspires you, offers advice and keeps cheering you on when things don’t go so well. Not everybody has your best interest at heart and thus it is essential to be vigilant and search carefully to find that right tribe for you. I did manage to find my tribe after a while; like-minded people who support my dream all the way and I couldn’t be more thankful for their support.

As mentioned we faced the harshest restrictions in Hong Kong due to a major Covid outbreak earlier this year and this was a big challenge for us after a good start. The circumstances led to a few slow months in sales and we were not well prepared for that situation, to be honest. We pushed though, focusing on our offer to the community and powered through. We are more than happy to have left that phase behind and to focus on a bright future and our new collections.  

New collections of sustainable and eco-friendly fashion for the next season

Speaking of – Any new collections coming soon? MiliMilu added sustainable swim wear and fun sustainable sunglasses to its collection this summer and plans on expanding their collection further, not only item wise, but also expanding to new markets. Can you tell us more?

Linda Morrison: We actually can’t wait to present our new Autumn collection. We will start to share sneak peaks very soon and it will be one of our best collections yet. Furthermore we will add sustainable fashion items for our youngest – a cute and sustainable baby collection. We do hope our customers will love the collection as much as we do. Loyal to our brand values, the items from our baby collection will be made of organic cotton, with no harmful chemicals added and will of course also be ethically produced and fair trade.

MiliMilu sustainable fashion expanding to new markets

One could say that MiliMilu is now well established and renown in Hong Kong and after dipping its toes into new markets on a test run, the brand will expand to new markets outside of Hong Kong. Any insights already?

Linda Morrison: Indeed, we have one more very exciting announcement for our customers, especially those outside of Hong Kong. We will be expanding into new markets in Asia. MiliMilu will be more present in some of Asia’s most vibrant hubs and share their sustainable fashion with the communities there. The plans are still in the making as we work out the last details, so we will share more detailed info in due time. As of now we do offer international shipping from Hong Kong, so everyone interested in our collection can already get their favorite items via that channel. In any case, I suggest to sign up for our newsletter to stay updated.

MiliMilu – Sustainable fashion house brand coming soon!?

Many exciting news coming from the MiliMilu headquarters, with expanding the collection and also entering new markets in Asia, the question that burns now is whether there will be a MiliMilu house brand anytime soon.

Linda Morrison: Having our own house brand of sustainable eco-friendly fashion items is something we had in mind right from the beginning of MiliMilu. We have been working on this idea behind the scenes ever since. The process is slow as we want to ensure to select the workshops that align best with our values of sustainability and ethical standards in fashion. We are very careful with the selection and have to overcome some challenges, especially when working across borders. Our aim is to make sure the items from our house collection will be made from organic fabrics, with no harmful chemicals used in the process to ensure the least possible impact on the planet. We also value ethical work conditions and fair wages and want to stay true to an authentic slow fashion collection. We are making good progress though and we are excited for our very own MiliMilu sustainable fashion collection coming your way.

 One year anniversary celebrations at MiliMilu headquarters

Coming back to our introduction, it is the first anniversary of MiliMilu and that must be celebrated, right!?

Lind Morrison: Of course we are excited to celebrate this first year of MiliMilu and while we are not throwing a big party at this time, we will be celebrating online! On Instagram and especially via our newsletter. If you are a subscriber you are in for some treats. If not, quickly go register! Think promo codes and anniversary specials for subscribers only, and much more over the next few weeks.

Me and my family are actually headed back to Europe to visit loved ones that we haven’t seen in a long while and we can’t wait! Which is the main reason to keep the celebrations online for now. But don’t worry, everything runs as usual while we are traveling. Orders can be made and will be dispatched in a timely manner.

I also want to say a big thank you to all MiliMilu customers, who have supported us throughout this first year and we are looking forward to many more years to come. And maybe we will have a big party once we are back in Hong Kong! Just stay tuned and do say hi on Instagram, Facebook or via email. We are always happy to hear from you all!

Get in touch and stay tuned by following us on Instagram, Facebook and subscribing to our newsletter.