What Miu Miu Can Teach You About Personal Branding
Miu Miu is a masterclass in founder-led branding. Here's how you can steal its luxury-level clarity and “It Girl” energy for your personal brand.
I have been dying to write this briefing for a little while. When it was announced that The Prada Group had acquired Versace, I knew it was time… along with some wonderful convos on Substack 🤍
Let’s dive in!
You’ve probably asked yourself, “Why does her brand feel so on point… and mine doesn’t?” You’re not alone. (I have been there too, it wasn't my best era!)
You’ve been tweaking your fonts (guilty!), redoing your messaging (oh, erm), maybe even booking branding sessions… and it still doesn’t feel like it clicks. Worse, no one’s quite sure who it’s for 🤦🏼♀️
Let’s take a cue from the masters (or is that mistress!?), Miu Miu. A brand so dialled in that her “girl” practically jumps off the page. It’s founder-led, laser-specific, and emotionally magnetic. With retail sales up by 93% in 2024, it's a masterclass in luxury branding.
If you’re a personal brand or service provider with big results, but your branding still feels "off", you’re going to want to steal a few plays from this luxury fashion powerhouse.
Because honestly? You don’t need more font tweaks and moodboards. You need clarity. Miu Miu-level clarity.
The Miu Miu Girl: Why Customer Clarity Is Everything
You know the Miu Miu girl the second you see her. She’s not just wearing a look—she is the look.
A little chaotic, ultra-feminine, rebellious in a polished way. She’s the kind of girl who rolls her eyes at rules and still ends up charming your folks at afternoon tea. And that’s not an accident. That’s branding done right.
Miu Miu isn’t trying to appeal to everyone. They’re not hoping to “capture a bigger market share.” 🤮 They’re talking to one very specific type of girl, and everything they do is filtered through her lens. The copy, the visuals, the casting, the campaigns, the ambassadors. It’s all a love letter to their muse, the Miu Miu Girl. That level of clarity makes you instantly memorable and impossible to replicate.
And here’s the thing. You don’t have to be a fashion house to do the same. When you know who you’re speaking to, it shapes everything. Your tone, your offers, even the kind of content you create. Decision making becomes easy. It gives your brand gravity. Without that clarity? You’re just decorating an empty space with no soul.
So, how do you get there?
Start with this » Who is the one person you want to make feel seen when they land on your website?
Not a niche. A person. Give her a name. A moodboard. A playlist. A perfect morning ritual. Get weirdly specific. Because the clearer the vibe, the louder the resonance.
I’m being serious, my clients are asked the name of their perfect customer and they are forever referred to by their name and never as their “perfect customer”.
» Knowing exactly who you’re speaking to is the fastest way to make your brand unforgettable.
Founder-Led Branding: The Secret Sauce No One Talks About
Behind every magnetic brand? A founder with an unapologetically clear point of view.
Miu Miu isn’t just a sub-label—it’s Miuccia Prada’s alter ego in full bloom. If Prada is the intellectual minimalist, Miu Miu is her messier, moodier, party-at-midnight twin. This isn’t “pass it by the board” branding. This is personal. And it’s exactly why it works so well. It’s the spirit of the founder incarnated.
Founder-led brands have an edge because the vision is rooted in lived identity, not market research. You feel the difference. There’s coherence. Confidence. Consistency. You’re not seeing what a focus group thinks Gen Z wants, you’re seeing what Miuccia believes is cool, and you either get it… or you don’t. And there’s massive power in that.
If you’re a service provider or coach or creative, this is your power play. You are the founder. So own it. Let your actual opinions, taste, POV, and values guide how you show up. You don’t need to be universally appealing, you just need to be recognisably you.
People don’t buy brands. They buy the clarity, taste, and worldview of the person behind them.
Translating High-Fashion Strategy Into Personal Branding
Luxury fashion isn’t just about clothes, it’s about world-building.
You’re not just buying a handbag or a coat. You’re buying access to a feeling, an identity, a version of yourself you want to step into. And here’s the part no one talks about » service providers can do the exact same thing. In fact, it’s essential if you want your business to thrive.
When you treat your brand like a high-fashion label, you stop just offering “packages” or “sessions” and start curating a vibe. You craft experiences that attract the right clients not because you begged, but because you invited them into something they deeply want to be part of.
Want to steal the luxury strategy? Start here:
First, refine your visual identity. Not just your colours or font, but the emotion behind them. What does your brand feel like? How do you want your clients to feel? Sleek and minimal giving them calm vibes? Bold and layered that gives them confidence? Does it move fast or slow? Is it avant-garde or traditional? Is it intellectual or easy to get?
Next, align your tone of voice with the identity you’re selling. If your brand is high-touch and exclusive, your copy should whisper, not shout. Elevated but not aloof. Word salads are banned, ok?! Say what you mean as if you’re sharing a secret with your best friend.
Finally, design your offers like fashion collections. Each one should have its own distinct purpose but live within a cohesive universe. Think capsule wardrobe, not chaos. Also, think heirloom pieces, not fast fashion. Slow, more deliberate launches are way sexier than a “hey, buy my stuff” email.
One way to test this? Ask yourself: Would your dream client screenshot your site just for the aesthetic? Would they bookmark it the way they would a favourite designer’s look book? Would they read your copy and feel like they know you? Would they share your POV in a group chat and say “I feel seen”?
The goal isn’t to impress everyone. It’s to create something so specific, so intentional, that the right person says, “This was made for me.”
When your brand becomes an invitation, not a pitch, you don’t need to chase. They come to you.
The Website Test: Would Your Ideal Client Recognise Themselves?
Here’s a quick gut-check: if your dream client landed on your website (or Substack) right now, would they feel like they’d been invited to the party… or left standing in the lobby?
Miu Miu’s website isn’t trying to convert the masses. It’s an editorial spread meets fashion fantasy, dripping in micro-mini skirts, baby collars, and barely-there attitude. It doesn’t explain itself. It doesn’t soften the edges. It trusts the right girl will see herself and say, “Yes. That’s me.”
That’s what a real brand does. It signals. It filters. It excludes. Because when you’re speaking to the right person, you don’t need to prove anything. The aesthetic, the tone, the pace—it all becomes a mirror.
Want to test your own brand? Pull up your site and ask:
Does this look and sound like my most ideal client’s dream world?
Would they feel instantly seen here or slightly confused?
Could a stranger scroll for 10 seconds and describe your “vibe” with scary accuracy?
And for your Substack:
Does it feel like an invite to their next era—or just another newsletter? (psst, give them more inspo, less info)
Don’t water down your site with vague copy and middle-of-the-road visuals. Instead, let it feel so right for your person that they know, instantly, they’re in the right place.
The goal isn’t to please everyone, it’s to make the right person feel like they’re home.
What Prada Could Do With Versace
The feminine trifecta is now complete.
Picture this: Prada has just acquired Versace. And honestly? It could be iconic… if they don’t lose the plot.
Versace has always been maximalist, dramatic, unapologetically sexy. If Gigi is Miu Miu (dreamy chaos in pearls), then Bella is Versace, sharp cheekbones, painted on leather, main character energy. One whispers. The other walks in and dares you to look away.
Here’s what makes this acquisition fascinating: the feminine trifecta is now under one roof.
Miu Miu is the light feminine—flirty, playful, chaotic good.
Versace is the dark feminine—bold, seductive, unapologetically powerful.
Prada is the balance between the two—cool, controlled, always thinking two steps ahead.
Each brand serves a different facet of the same woman. Together, they form a complete identity, with room for softness, strength, and everything in between.
The challenge? Maintaining clarity. If Prada tries to mould Versace into another version of itself, they’ll lose the electricity. But if they honour Versace’s heat while layering in their own refinement? That’s how you build an empire with multiple dimensions, just like the women that adore the brands.
And here’s the takeaway for you:
You don’t have to pick one side of yourself to build your brand. You do need to define each side clearly. If you’re part softness and part fire, own both. Just don’t blur the lines.
And if you’re expanding your business, adding offers, or collaborating, don’t let the essence get diluted. Know your brand’s voice before you bring in others. Align with people who amplify your identity, not confuse it. Adding more only works if it still feels like you.
When you own your vision, you can scale without ever sounding like a brand you wouldn’t recognise in the mirror.
(So who would Prada be? I’d love to see Zendaya as a full-time ambassador for Prada, her “JW Anderson for Loewe in Challengers” era.)
FAQs
What is a brand avatar, and why does it matter?
Your brand avatar is the ultra-specific person your brand is speaking to. Their style, mindset, energy and all. When you define exactly who they are, your content, offers, and visuals finally click. Think of it as giving your brand a muse. (And Miu Miu does this masterfully.) Yes, you need demographics but vibe is essential.
How do personal brands use luxury brand strategy?
Personal brands can steal all the best parts » founder-led vision, strong identity, and magnetic storytelling. You don’t need a fashion house, just a clear point of view and the guts to commit to it… and not flip flop after a month or two.
What’s the difference between a luxury brand and a premium one?
Luxury brands sell identity and exclusivity. Premium brands sell quality and value. Luxury says, “You’re one of us.” Premium says, “You made a smart choice.” Miu Miu is luxury. Apple is premium. Your brand should know which it wants to be. Premium buyers buy with logic and luxury buy with emotion/feeling.
Want to dive deeper into how to use this in your business then I highly recommend The Business of Luxury SERIES.
This NEW, binge-worthy 2-week email series unlocks the BTS secrets of the world’s most coveted luxury brands—revealing exactly how they command authority, dominate as a category-of-one icon, and attract high-end clients effortlessly. And how YOU can too.
This article first appeared on my blog. Reworked and issued on Substack for those wanting to read in-app 🤍
Very nice article!
As a former brand designer, this is GOLD! You hit the nail right on the head.