Miruna, Founder and Creative Director at Miruna Studio, reflects on building her brand across borders, transforming creative vision into commercial reality while protecting design integrity. From confronting the credibility gap around financial authority to resisting algorithm-driven sameness, she shares why true influence in fashion comes not from visibility, but from authorship, discipline, and the courage to lead with a distinct point of view.
What defining moments or challenges most shaped your professional journey?
Moving across countries and building the brand from scratch shaped my journey the most. Each market changed how I see women, confidence, and personal style. The biggest challenge was turning a creative vision into a functioning business, not just a beautiful idea. Managing production, cash flow, and timelines while protecting the design identity was the real test. Early mistakes in sourcing and scaling taught me discipline, sharper decision making, and zero tolerance for creative compromise.
What barriers do women still face in leadership today that aren’t talked about enough?
One overlooked barrier is how differently creative authority is evaluated. Women are encouraged to be expressive, but often challenged when they are exacting or commercially firm. There is still a credibility gap around financial and technical decision making. In fashion especially, women are highly visible as brand faces, but not always fully trusted as strategic drivers behind them. Access to serious capital and supplier leverage is still uneven, and that affects who gets to grow without dilution.
How have you built credibility and influence in environments where women are underrepresented?
II built credibility by being technically involved and creatively decisive. I do not separate design from construction, and I do not delegate understanding. When you can discuss cut, structure, and cost with the same clarity as concept, the dynamic changes immediately. I also chose not to dilute the brand to fit trends or expectations. A distinct creative voice builds long-term authority faster than constant adaptation ever will.
How is technology—especially AI and automation—changing leadership expectations in your industry?
Technology has shifted fashion leadership from instinct-only to insight plus instinct. Today, founders are expected to read data, understand platform behavior, and respond to digital consumption patterns with precision. AI and automation can support forecasting, sampling efficiency, and visual testing, but they cannot originate identity or attitude. The real risk is algorithm-driven sameness. Strong leadership now means using technology to sharpen decisions, not surrender taste.
What skills or mindsets will be most critical for the next generation of women leaders?
Creative courage and commercial awareness must exist together. Women leaders should feel free to take visual and conceptual risks, while fully understanding margins and scale. The mindset I value most is self-trust with accountability. Not every strong idea will be widely approved at first, and that is not a reason to abandon it. Leaders must stand by a point of view long enough to prove it right.
What role have mentorship and sponsorship played in your career, and how do you support others today?
My strongest mentors were craftsmen and technicians who cared about standards, not titles. They corrected details, challenged shortcuts, and expected precision every time. That shaped my discipline and my respect for construction. Today I support other women by being direct about process, mistakes, and costs. I encourage creative independence, not imitation. I would rather help someone build a sharp voice than a safe one.
How can organizations move beyond policies to create cultures where women genuinely thrive?
Women thrive where originality and authority are protected, not over-managed. In creative and fashion businesses, this means giving women real authorship over product and image, not only execution roles. It also means accepting leadership that is strong, opinionated, and not always agreeable. Creative freedom with accountability produces better work than controlled inclusion ever will.
What advice would you give young women considering careers in IT, security, or leadership roles?
Build substance behind your ambition and make your knowledge undeniable. Learn the mechanics of your field deeply so your authority cannot be questioned easily. At the same time, protect your individuality and your judgment. Whether in tech or fashion, industry leaders are rarely the most compliant people in the room. They are the clearest and the most decisive.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you, and what real change would you like to see beyond it?
For me it is about reminding women that visibility is not the final goal, authorship is. I want more women to take creative and commercial space without apology, and to negotiate from strength, not gratitude. Beyond the day itself, real change is when women are not only represented in campaigns, but shaping product, direction, and ownership. That is when influence becomes structural, not symbolic.
