Lara Miller

Biography

Roscoe Village — Lara’s pieces have been called “sultry, sophisticated, and as endlessly variable as the woman who wears them” by elle.com.

Born and raised in Chicago, Lara Miller’s work is strongly influenced by the city’s architectural and cultural landscape. Ecological sensitivity and fascination with both the built and moving form flow through each piece. Her modular designs are created with a playful geometry that connects to the personalities of the women who wear them. Both joyous and sophisticated, Lara’s work has attracted acclaim across the U.S. and recently in the UK.

While still an undergraduate at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Lara’s metamorphosing garments electrified local audiences. At the same time, her costume work for a number of the city’s dance companies was widely acclaimed. While she adored creating work that responded to the physicality and expressive power of dance, Lara realized that women’s wear offered exciting possibilities for articulating her interests in multi-function and eco-consciousness. In May 2005, motivated by this idea (and the soaring demand for her ready-to-wear garments), Lara devoted herself full-time to the development of her women’s wear line.

Since her exhibiting her student work as a “Featured Artist” at the renowned boutique p.45 in fall 2002, Lara has made repeat appearances in GenArt’s Fresh Faces, been named “Indie Designer of the Year” by Chicago Magazine and has been featured on Elle.com, DailyCandy.com, The Today Show, the CBS Evening News, and in publications such as Lucky Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, WWD, Newsweek, Ode Magazine, Veg News, among many, many others.

At the personal request of Mayor Richard M. Daley, she serves on The Mayor’s Fashion Council where she has helped bring the CFDA to Chicago, established the Macy’s incubator program, and created the website chicagofashionresource.com.

Her line is carried in stores throughout the United States and is represented by The Four Hundred, New York’s first showroom exclusively dedicated to sustainable design.