Iryna Mologoko of Mila Fashion is a talented Washington DC-based designer of Russian descent with over 20 years of experience in tailoring and fashion design, having studied couture design at the premier tailoring school in Kiev, Ukraine. She made her very first dress at the age of 9 for her little sister and hasn’t stopped making dresses since.
“I like magical things. I grew up without TV, reading Russian fairy tales all the time. I was constantly drawing, even at school, sketching the faces of everyone in my class.”
She already had geometrical proportions in mind in her early drawings. People would say she would grow up to be an artist. She applied her talents well, and combined a unique professional skill set.
Iryna grew up in Siberia until the age of 17 when she went to live in Ukraine for tailoring school. She became a tailor for a year. She came to New York at the age of 24 and spent one year in English school. Her impressive professional profile also includes a Master’s degree in Computer Science and a degree from the School of Visual Arts in New York.
Years of traveling around Europe and the world continually infused her imagination with fresh ideas. Mila means lovely, and indeed her designs are quite lovely. She worked as a tailor, a graphic designer, and a photographer for over 20 years before setting up her own business in 2015. She is also quite beautiful and does occasional modeling for local and international designers – including her own designs.
Sixteen years ago she came to Northern Virginia. She worked as a software designer in Tysons and lived in Reston. She had a successful career in IT – going from graphic designer to creative director – but she decided it was time to make a change to further explore her feminine and creative side.
She started out by organizing her first successful fashion event for men’s clothing at the Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown and came to be known in fashion circles. There was a natural synergy with her web design and graphic design background, which she utilized to design and create a rent-the-runway system on her website, which she then repurposed the website for her current fashion brand, Mila Fashion.
She was initially known as a fashion designer specializing in shoe accessories and then expanded to dresses to coordinate with the shoe accessories for photo shoots. Her style could be described as European classic designs with a modern twist. And as she started making her own dresses, people expressed interest. Just six months into it she started getting invited to fashion shows and photo shoots. She left the IT world to pursue her passion for fashion.
“That encouraged me to create more and I had the flexibility. Every day I have different inspirations. Because of my training in tailoring, I specialize in corseted dresses for formal or special occasions. I prefer designing my dresses in solid colors because they don’t distract from the lines of the body shape and are more figure-flattering, so women can feel feminine and beautiful.”
Next she started a line of accessories which are available on the website, including earrings and bracelets—and even crowns—to complement her designs.
There is a certain theatrical flair to her photo sets. She likes to create a distinctive setting with attention to detail for her photography. “People want to experience something when they look at my dresses.”
One enchanting setting was Sally-Anne Andrew’s LeFay Cottage in Little Washington, Virginia, where they created a delightful fairytale-themed fantasy photo shoot.
Iryna designs 4 times a year—spring-summer and fall-winter ready-to-wear collections and two in-between collections, possibly a prom/wedding collection or a special event holiday collection, which is fancier, more one-of-a-kind upscale couture—all available online. Her experienced team of seamstresses trained in Eastern European still use old-fashioned couture techniques.
Just two years into designing clothes, a celebrity stylist discovered her on Instagram and contacted her for a dress for Carrie Ann Inaba on Dancing with the Stars. She wore the elegant Mila Fashion Holiday Season 2017 Collection golden gown during season 25 of Dancing with the Stars.
“That gave me more confidence—a stamp of approval.” Since then, Iryna has been recognized as a celebrity fashion designer and was approached by the team of stylists of award-winning designer Law Roach—who won the Stylist of the the Year Award for In style Magazine in 2019 – to send dresses to Zendaya and Ariana Grande.
Her training in IT also helped her reach a broader customer base. She sells all over the world – Paris, London, Australia, Mexico, and Brazil.
One-of-a-kind couture gowns which could cost up to several thousand dollars rent for only $200 for 3 days locally—exclusively for the Washington-DC area. These are sometimes used in photo shoots or music videos. Mila Fashions also offers three levels of photo shoot packages, which can include a hair stylist, make-up artist, and photographer.
Mila Fashion—sophisticated, stylish, timeless. And local. You are welcome to schedule an appointment with Iryna at iryna@mila.fashion or 571.230.3058 to peruse her latest ready-to-wear collection or arrange to rent one of her exclusive designer gowns.
“If you want to feel like a princess, come and play dress-up in my ballgowns.” What an experience. How lovely is that.
