From intern to millionaire fashion designer: how Amina Muaddi became shoemaker to the stars, with fans from Kim K and Beyoncé, to Dua Lipa and Rihanna – A$AP Rocky did a collab with her too
- Kim Kardashian loves Muaddi’s Holli slingback while Kendall Jenner wears the Julia sandals, but it was her Minnie Mouse heels for Oscar Tiye that first put the designer on the map
- Growing up in Romania, a nine year old Muaddi dreamed of working in fashion, so after a stint at Vogue she launched her first label, and she boasts 1.3 million followers on Instagram
Muaddi spent her childhood in Romania and followed her fashion dreams all the way to the European Institute of Design in Milan. She kick-started her career by working in esteemed publications like Vogue Italy, L’Uomo Vogue and even GQ in New York.
Her incredible journey from interning at Vogue to being on its cover definitely deserves to be told. So here goes …
She was ambitious from a young age
A nine-year-old Muaddi asked her mum how she could work in fashion, per Vogue. Her dream finally came true after she landed an internship at Vogue’s bridal magazine; she used it as a stepping stone to get her first job as a fashion assistant at L’Uomo Vogue not long after.
In an interview with the Business of Fashion (BOF), she explained her how her early drive helped her bag that all-important first job: “I was worried about how I would be able to grow in the industry. I think the fact that I had a lot of passion and determination helped me, but my studies and most importantly my thesis also helped. I made the first-ever issue of Vogue Romania as my graduation thesis, with photo shoots, editorials, art direction. I put all my heart into that project, and that was what got me my first job.”
The launch of Oscar Tiye
