As the premier alpaca knitwear company approaches its fourth decade, Millma is an animal comfortable in its own skin. It has never abandoned its identity, which is deeply connected to the Andes where a strong artisan history, craftsmanship, pursuit of skills, and substance are everything. With its strong technical foundation, and drawing on its rich human resources and history, the company still makes clothing the old school way, stitch by stitch, seam by seam.
Co-founders, Arthur Tracht and Laurie Adelson met in La Paz in 1976 while independently researching indigenous Bolivian textiles, eventually co-authoring the Andean textile classic Aymara Weavings, published by the Smithsonian Institution. Their love and knowledge of native alpaca textiles translated into Millma S.A. which the now married couple launched in 1983. While the company's initial focus was Andean inspired designs, it later widened its design scope to include international ethnic textiles and fine art influences.
As creative director of Millma's design team and the visionary force behind the company's ethnic look, Ms. Adelson recognized early on the importance of looking at fashion in relation to art and culture. With no formal design training, but a restless passion for fashion and a keen sense of the market, the talented Ms. Adelson put Millma at the forefront of alpaca knitwear innovation. Selecting from a treasure trove of ethnic references, over the years Ms. Adelson has called on an eclectic collage of inspirations (though never imitations) of the world's material wealth, from Tiawanaku stone carvings to 55'Chevys, from Bauhaus geometries to Amish simplicities.
Today Millma is a global brand that creates sophisticated handcrafted women's and men's garments, unique in a world of mass produced products. Due to its constant commitment to quality, the company has established a solid international reputation. Year in year out Millma seems to wow its fans reinventing itself with a seemingly inexhaustible well of cutting edge designs.