Text by Irina Rusinovich
Miguel Maldonado has lived out of a suitcase long enough to know that style has nothing to do with where you are. Monterrey, Barcelona, Berlin, New York, four cities, two decades, one consistent eye. What changes, he says, is the conversation he has with each place, what never does is the way he sees.
Now based in New York and running Mi/Ma79, the creative platform he founded with his husband in 2025, Miguel approaches fashion the way a writer approaches language as a system of meaning, not decoration. His editorial for PHM 012, „I Can Buy Myself Flowers,“ is exactly that: volume and color and theatricality in service of something larger than a look; a woman who does not wait, a femininity that needs no permission.
We asked him about geography, discipline, and the moment he realised that styling was never really about clothes.
You’ve lived and worked in four countries across three continents. Does your sense of style change with geography, or do you carry the same eye everywhere?
I carry the same creative perspective wherever I go, and I stay connected to the elements that have always shaped my personal style. What changes is the way I engage with each place. Whenever I arrive in a new city, I try to understand it with an open mind, to observe how people live, dress, move, and express themselves.
I’m interested in absorbing as much as possible from my surroundings and filtering those influences through my own creative lens. My style doesn’t necessarily change with geography, but the conversation I have with each place certainly does.
You spent years in Berlin before moving to New York in 2025. Two cities with completely opposite energies. What did Berlin give you that New York can’t, and vice versa?
Berlin taught me a highly structured and disciplined way of working, something that aligns closely with my personality. It also gave me the freedom to experiment, take creative risks, and develop my identity as a stylist. It was in Berlin that I really defined my visual language and built the foundation of my career within the industry.
New York has a completely different energy. Like any major fashion capital, it operates at a fast pace, but what has stood out to me most is the openness to creative dialogue and collaboration. There’s a flexibility and spontaneity in the way ideas are exchanged that I find incredibly inspiring.
What I value most about both cities is the talent they attract. They are places where you constantly meet people who challenge you, inspire you, and push your creativity forward. In many ways, both cities feel like home.
from the „I can buy myself flowers editorial“
You now run an agency, not just a styling practice. What did you have to learn about yourself to make that shift?
“Agency” might actually be too big a word for what I do. Mi/Ma79 is more of a creative platform, one that allows me to step beyond the label of Miguel Maldonado Stylist and approach projects from a broader perspective.
That transition made me realize that my interest was never limited to styling alone. What truly drives me is building complete narratives. Through Mi/Ma79, I can engage with creative direction, brand communication, positioning, values, and overall image, rather than focusing solely on wardrobe.
I’ve also learned the importance of collaboration. The strongest projects come from bringing together talented people from different disciplines, each contributing something essential to the final outcome.
You started as a stylist for advertising campaigns, now you run a creative agency. At what point did you realize that styling was never really about clothes?
I think I realized it the moment I stopped seeing clothing as the final result and started seeing it as a form of communication. Clothes always tell a story, they express an attitude, an intention, or a point of view.
With Mi/Ma79, I found a space where I could move beyond creating attractive looks and explore how fashion can contribute to a larger visual language. That becomes especially interesting when working with brands, where every creative decision needs to support a broader message.
That’s the part I enjoy most: when aesthetics serve an idea and help communicate something with clarity and purpose.
Your editorial in PHM 012 is called “I Can Buy Myself Flowers.” What did that title mean to you when you were building the looks?
The concept came to me almost immediately. “I Can Buy Myself Flowers” speaks to female independence—not as a statement of isolation, but as an expression of choice, desire, confidence, and self-celebration.
The title naturally brings Miley Cyrus’s song to mind, but beyond that cultural reference, I was interested in creating the image of a woman who is strong, self-assured, and fully comfortable in her own identity. A woman who doesn’t wait to be given flowers—she buys them herself, wears them, and makes them part of her own narrative.
The editorial isn’t about rejecting love; it’s about emotional autonomy. That’s why we explored a femininity that is expressive, playful, and fully self-aware. Volume, color, and a touch of theatricality become symbols of confidence, freedom, and personal power.
Thank you Miguel!
Link to the full editorial
