Melinda Huff, the owner of the swimwear company Mirame (mirameswim.com), and three other designers plan to open a shop next month in the former home of Doucette at 65 Main St. in Cold Spring.
Where did you grow up?
I had a very dynamic and interesting upbringing in Yorktown Heights. My mom grew up in Honduras; my father was born during World War II in Berlin. They were cooking rice and beans and then making German potato salad. I learned sewing from my grandmothers, both garment makers. I never could find clothes I liked so would thrift and remake things. In eighth grade, I decided to be a designer. I was sketching and my grandmother said, “I can make that for you.” She made me this gorgeous tuxedo-type jacket, and I had this “aha” moment.
When did you start Mirame?
I dropped out of college and moved to Hawaii. I didn’t have a job but brought my sewing machine and started making and selling bikinis and sunsuits. I got a few internships and was hired to manage the sample room for one of my favorite designers, Norma Kamali, which included her swimwear. I left in 2011 to launch my business. We make everything in New York and use rescued materials. There are so many textiles out there that have been made but, for whatever reason, have not been utilized. We’re expanding into a womenswear collection: pants, tops and light jackets.
What is your design philosophy?
My upbringing influenced it. German culture is very retrained, very austere. On the flip side, Latin culture is spicy and colorful. Mirame walks the line of those aesthetics. We’re fun and edgy, but we never take it too far. We let you feel like, “OK, I’m grown and I’m dressed, but I’m still having a good time and I’m still a little sassy.”
How did the Cold Spring shop come about?
I had been working for the past year with Stephanie Doucette and collaborating with her for many years prior. Her death on May 6 was horrible. With the blessing of Stephanie’s family, four of us who worked with her — myself, Mauricio Barrera, Jess Brush Falco and Kaori Onodera — decided to continue her mission of making local garments out of rescued materials. We all have our own lines. The shop is going to be called Segundo Beso, which means “second kiss” in Spanish. Stephanie believed in keeping our carbon footprint light as a kiss and had been planning a clothing buyback program called Second Kiss.
Do you have a favorite place to swim?
For a while, my parents had a cabin on this tiny lake north of Albany called Peck Lake. It was stunning. Beach-wise, I would have to say Jacob Riis Beach in Queens. It has such a good vibe and the water is nice and the beach clean.
