Ramona Talks | The MONA WIE Brand Story – How I Started a Slow Fashion Label
In the latest episode of Ramona Talks, I share something deeply personal: the moment I realised it was time to create MONA WIE.
“Before MONA WIE existed, there was just a feeling — that something was missing, that quality was disappearing, that women deserved clothes with strength and elegance.”
This new Ramona Talks episode returns to that founding moment and opens a series documenting how MONA WIE came to life, and what it means to build an independent, quality-driven, slow-fashion brand today.
The Beginning of a (Quietly Powerful) Adventure
For years, I worked in finance, a world and job I genuinely enjoyed. But even in an environment I loved, something felt incomplete. Every morning, as I dressed for work, I could sense the gap between how I wanted to feel and what my wardrobe allowed me to express. I wanted to look competent, grounded, feminine, powerful without noise. Not corporate. Not ornamental. Not the polished “stewardess” silhouette often offered to professional women.
Audrey Hepburn's effortless elegance — the timeless inspiration behind the Audrey Blouse. Strong yet minimalist lines, quiet confidence, and enduring style.
And I simply could not find pieces that matched what I felt inside.
The Foundation of My Slow Fashion Brand | When Quality Was a Way of Life
I grew up wearing custom-made pieces, garments shaped with intention, precision, and care. From a young age, I learned what true quality feels like: the drape, the comfort, the quiet confidence it gives.
Wearing custom-made garments as a child in the 1980s — where my love for quality craftsmanship began.
As time and my career advanced, it became harder to find this level of craftsmanship again, especially in pieces with strong lines, refined silhouettes, and a minimalist, modern femininity.
This tension between who I was becoming and what the industry offered quietly planted the seed for what would eventually become my slow fashion brand, built on principles of ethical craftsmanship and timeless design.
How an Ethical Fashion Brand Began | The First Spark
“Maybe It’s Time to Create What I Wish Existed.” — That thought came unexpectedly, exciting and frightening at once. Years ago, in one of the earliest blog posts, I wrote about this moment — the beginning of the MONA WIE ad-venture. That early reflection is still true today: “It wasn’t a grand gesture. It was a quiet certainty.”
Doing desktop research, late 2016 — the very early days of the MONA WIE adventure.
Minimalist Clothing for Conscious Women | Power Without Noise
MONA WIE began with a simple yet powerful intention:
- to craft pieces in exceptional natural fabrics,
- to honour craftsmanship and silhouette,
- to create clothing that helps women feel capable, serene, feminine, and powerful — without compromise.
The aesthetic vision was, and still is: strong minimalist lines, quiet confidence, intentional femininity, real quality. This is the DNA of MONA WIE — a sustainable fashion brand rooted in slow fashion values.
Starting MONA WIE was both quiet and dramatic. Quiet, because it unfolded slowly, as a conviction that grew over time. Dramatic, because it meant leaving a promising career for an industry I knew little about, one often dismissed by the investor community.
But it was the only choice that felt true.
What to Expect in the Upcoming Ramona Talks Series: Inside the Making of a Brand
This episode is the first chapter of a new series where I will share:
- the early ideation of the brand,
- the fears and the leaps,
- the defining moments,
- and later, the reality of running a slow fashion label: fabrics, ateliers, fittings, production and creative direction.
If you enjoy following the journey of building something meaningful, these episodes may inspire you.
Thank you for being part of this journey!
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