An Interview With Mara Hoffman

Mara Hoffman was born in Buffalo, NY and is now based in New York City, creating collections season by season, delivering a colorful array of prints and interesting silhouettes. She manages to bridge the gap between hippie cool and contemporary fashion and always has her signature prints present in her collections. Her designs have worldly influences and a flair for fantasy. This month we launched a special collection of Mara’s pieces that are unique and eye catching. Here’s an interview with the lovely designer!

We are so inspired by both your silhouettes and your prints. In your design process, does one inspire the other?

Yes, prints usually inspire the silhouettes.

Are there certain artists that have influenced you throughout your career?

Frida Kahlo, Emma Kunz, Javier Pinon, Basquiat. There are also so many inspiring unsung heroes like indigenous craftspeople and makers.

mara hoffman

Do you travel a lot for inspiration? Your designs often seem to convey a worldly beauty.

I travel as much as possible, which is now less than before I was a mother and the size of this business grew to this level. I’d say I do a good trip about once a year, but I’m constantly traveling the World Wide Web!

How would would you style a piece from this capsule for Free People?

These styles are pretty wild – their voice will take up the bulk of the conversation. I’d probably pair these pieces with simple basics like a great white tee.

What is the best piece of style advice you ever received?

No one has ever actually said this to me but my advice is “be animal”!

What piece of style advice do you happily ignore?

Beauty is pain.

Shop Mara Hoffman’s pieces.

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Pia
10 years ago

I just fell in love with her pieces! I totally agree with her with ignoring the whole “Beauty is Pain” thing. So not true! I’m saving my pennies to buy one of her pieces :)