Passionate about pulling inspiration from old-fashion European dressing, Marcelo Gaia, presents the greatest gift of all time: joy.
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever,” the brand stands by.
From living off of funds from friends and his mom, he knew it was time to revamp his mindset on what success felt like to him. He no longer felt the need to live by kindness of others, he wanted to be better off on his own terms.
Departing from his first brand only benefited him, along with his present employee, Natalie Stein, who started out as his intern in 2019 for Rosemilk, but Gaia asked her to stay for the launch of his second brand.
Being that she was from Philadelphia- an hour to two hour commute- she only visited the office in New York City on Friday’s. Beginning a clothing line was not always a fairytale we found out when the designer mentioned just how boring the days were at first.
“There wasn’t always that much to do, but just having someone there with me with the shared goal of making this brand happen meant the world to me. She would try on the samples, shop for fabrics with me, write to do lists, gossip, organize, etc.. I’m so grateful because I was working every day on my own which can get so lonely. Every Friday I looked forward to seeing her and updating her on our progress,” he describes amidst the upbringing.
There is not a thought that goes by in the creator’s mind that does not shed thanks to his team of women. Scoring a reputable team takes time, but ever since the launch of Mirror Palais, influencers, employees, models, and fellow peers in the same craft continuously support and cheer him on.
Feeding design after design to manufacturers became a sincere debate in the mind of Marcelo. He wanted it to be authentic to where he grew up, New York City, and a monument of what investing in fashion means in the bigger picture. “It is more important now than ever that we slow down. I believe treating fashion as an investment rather than something that is disposable is one of many solutions for over consumption,” he includes in a post dedicated to Rob Cord and The Business of Fashion, two entities who told the clothing brand’s truth.
After finding that perfect match with a manufacturer who permitted that trust he so desperately craved from the production side of the business, he received samples for the first collection. Inspired by his travels and abundantly progressing, he was able to snap Lorena Julia in the pieces in Ipanema, Brazil (his best friend’s sister who just so happened to be visiting family and staying in the same hotel as Gaia). He pays homage to the dot on the map which introduced him to a group of supportive models in the area, willing to shoot a stranger’s collection- who then became a beloved friend.
Not feeling productive at all turned into a four month marathon of climbing the ladder as a young, gay designer. A feat he can now cross off as he set off on the greatest journey of his life in December 2019 with the first collection hitting the world of consumers.
Diana Gordon, Matilda Djerf, and Bella Hadid, are three monumental fashionistas who wear Mirror Palais with pride. This past fall brought even more memories for the wonderful team with a runway show. Stein, his original intern, congratulates her team that she feels honored to work with day in and day out in a lengthy caption. But, she also makes it a point to individually send appreciation to Gaia for taking her under his wing.