Mara Hoffman Interview on Mindy Kaling's Swimsuit
Mara Hoffman Weighs In on Mindy Kaling's "Most Flattering" Swimsuit
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A few weeks ago, Mindy Kaling shared a photo of herself in a Mara Hoffman one-piece, and the world went wild. Was this the most flattering swimsuit ever? And the colors — we can't forget those colors. Post-bohemian wedding collection, it was yet another thing to add to the list of why we're huge fans of the designer.
So when we had the chance to talk to her, our minds ran wild: what did she think of Mindy's post? Is there really a swimsuit that looks good on everyone? How does she come up with those crazy-cool patterns, and what are her picks for festival season? Luckily, Mara was willing to answer them all. Keep on reading to see what she said.
Source: Instagram user marahoffman
On Mindy Kaling Wearing One of Her Swimsuits
"It was just so refreshing to see a real girl who is relatable and not, you know, your size 0 model wearing something with so much confidence and enthusiasm and looking so amazing in it. I love that level of inspiration for other girls. I think that's why people got so excited because she's such an icon, and she's funny, and she has the characteristics that most women really ultimately love in other women."
On a Swimsuit That Works For Everyone
"I would say that I don't think there's one universal suit for every single body type. Honestly, I think every body is different — that's why we don't just make one swimsuit. We make a variety of shapes for all different body types to emphasize your greatest assets and to minimize the ones you aren't so super comfy with. I think it really depends on the body type. And your taste — what you are interested in and how revealing you want to be or how conservative you are."
On Feeling Self-Conscious in Swimwear
"If you're not super comfy being as close to naked as you'll be in public and you want to ease into that, there are so many great cover-up options. I know for us, we just launched an entire collection for the beach that is pretty cool and inventive like shorts, jumpsuits, and rompers that you can wear and be totally beach or pool ready, but not be as naked."
On Coming Up With New Patterns and Designs
"We're just constantly concepting and constantly working on different inspirational places and narratives. I'm traveling so much, so usually I find my inspirations from my most recent trip. Like my collection that the suit Mindy was wearing is from a trip I took last year to Guatemala. That inspired it. So that's how we kind of keep it fresh. For me, it's about getting to new places, traveling and seeing the world, and then I bring in those inspirations back and then I say, 'OK, here is what we are doing! Let's research, let's branch off from this feeling!'"
On Colors
"I'm just a super duper color enthusiast, so I live for colors and color combo-ing. I don't know, I think it's just something that comes naturally. Like some people just get color. I get color."
On Her Festival Fashion Picks
"I would say our long embroidered electrolyte dress ($539) would be a perfect festival dress. I think the harvest print that we've got going on, like the harvest jumpsuit ($264), is perfect festival wear. It kind of resembles a marijuana leaf. And then I think like our cotton rainbow, high-waisted pants ($187) scream festival."
On Her Current Fashion Icons
"I always love Tilda Swinton. Lou Doillon, I think, is so beautiful, always a very cool French girl. I love Jamie Bochert. Björk always takes the cake. Solange is always pretty epic. Zoë Kravitz — I've got her on the list, she's looking good. I've got Mia Goth."
On Her Personal Style
"To be honest, I'm a super duper uniform dresser, so almost every day I'm in a pair of vintage Levi's 501's and a button-down. I'm a uniform dresser because I'm designing all day long and I'm kind of living the process through the design, as opposed to necessarily needing to wear it every day. My life is it — I'm staring at it, I'm looking at it, I'm creating it, I'm putting it out there. And by the time it comes to me I've worked through the process so much that, you know, I'm comfy in a uniform. But definitely for events or dressing up, and especially more in the Summer, I wear a lot of our stuff. I'm definitely a bathing suit person. I'm a beach girl and when I'm by the beach I live it hardcore. But like in New York City Winters, I'm good in a pair of 501's and a button-down and sweater and call it a day. But summertime, I'm very Mara Hoffman."
On Getting Someone Out of the Basic-Black Rut
"I think I could get through to her from swim first. I think it's easier to ease her into color and print through swimsuits more than, like, a crazy printed dress or colorful thing. First, it's a lot less fabric and usually when you're wearing a swimsuit you're away from your normal life. Like you're not wearing a swimsuit to the office or out to drinks with your cool girlfriends. You're usually in a happy place where you are letting go a little. It's like another part of your personality comes out when you're on vacation. It's like you go to your happy place. I think that that color and print lives well in happy spaces. But there's nothing wrong with a great black bathing suit — you'll definitely see me in some black bathing suits as well — we make them, they're important. As far as getting a girl to break out I would say give her the sickest little bathing suit and see the compliments she gets when she's in a tropical place or surfing or doing something that involves sun and water."
On the Woman She Sees Wearing Her Bridal Collection
"Honestly, the line was created for somewhat of our existing girl — the escapist, the free spirit — and I think that because the price points are super reasonable and comparable to the bridal world, we want to be approachable to her. We want our younger customer and our customer who isn't making $100,000 a year to be able to not, like, spend everything she's got on her wedding. Be just a little more thoughtful about it. I like to be able to give her that offering. I think the fact that we make so little — we don't make a thousand wedding dress styles, we make like 25 — so you're still buying into something very exclusive. I love being able to do that. I give her this option to get something at a reasonable price under $2,000 and there's only 25 in the world."
