This homegrown accessory brand is the perfect partner for every season
Time to bag these merchandise from The Mill
This local shop not only caught our attention with its aesthetic, but also because of their story. The Mill is built backed up with friends, family, and chosen family.
As homegrown brand, The Mill offers genderless and stylish PVC bags to the market. The company was founded by Dani Barretto-Panlilio together with Miko Carreon as creative director and Natasha Gerona as operations manager.
“We’re the best of friends so we know our strengths and weaknesses so we started from acknowledging that and used those strengths to build The Mill’s team. At the end of the day the heart and center of this brand is the closeness of this friendship that turned into family,” shares Miko.
With family at the core of the brand, even the name of their shop was inspired by a family member. “We named it after Dani’s daughter Millie because she gives us so much joy and we want to share that joy to everyone,” says Miko. Adding to Millie, Dani’s sisters Julia and Claudia also jumped in by releasing a collection that is inspired by sisterhood.
In this exclusive, we caught up with Miko about the inspirations for the brand, how being a content creator helped out The Mill, and what collections to expect in the coming months. Check out our conversation below:
How would you describe The Mill brand in your own words?
The Mill is fun, relatable, inclusive, and a lifestyle brand that will be your partner for all seasons.
What’s the inspiration behind the PVC bags for the first drop?
We want something fun since, like what I said earlier, we want to spread the joy that we feel whenever we see Millie and it translates to a colorful first collection. We decided to use PVC because we considered it as something that is very essential nowadays for everyday Filipino workers in this time of pandemic.
What sets your products apart from existing ones in the market?
I guess the inclusivity of the brand. Like literally anyone can pull it off.
How does being content creators help you build this brand?
Maybe in the way that we already know our market individually and we know how to relate the brand to the people. We also have a strict vision of what we really want to achieve because we are also the market and we acknowledge the needs and wants of the people.
What’s the inspiration behind your latest collection? Were Julia and Claudia involved design-wise?
Julia and Claudia are the most supportive siblings ever. I’m sure Dani can say the same thing. Of course, the bags that we released from our second collection are inspired by them so they are also the perfect model for those styles: simple, upfront, relatable, and stylish.
What can we find inside a bag of “Mill friend”?
Actually we have this segment in our IG TV series called “Bag Raid.” Individually we have different things inside of our bag but what I can say is that a Mill bag can fit whatever you need in your everyday life and it will bring you joy and happiness when you wear it.
Any favorites from the brand?
I personally love the tote bags! We actually have two: the Raya and the Neli tote. As an architect, I can fit all the things I need when I work such as my laptop and documents. For a quick errand, I love to use the Amelie re-edition which is a sling bag. I swear it can fit everything! All the small things I have that I use daily can fit in it.
Do you plan on extending your merchandise soon? What can we expect?
Yes! We are excited for next year because we are releasing new things for The Mill, so watch out for that. You guys can expect something bright for the summer and I swear you will have it with you every day; something good for the city and for island life!
