Saz Mifsud: ‘Often we’re the only ones stopping ourselves from doing what we want to do’

Fashion and textile designer Saz Mifsud tells all in our Q&A

Saz Mifsud. Photo: Justine Ellul
Saz Mifsud. Photo: Justine Ellul

Fashion and textile designer Saz Mifsud started her brand in 2013 with a range of printed silk scarves. Saz designs the brand’s fabrics from scratch using her own nature-inspired photography and paintings. Today the brand has grown to include a beautiful range of clothing and accessories including day and evening bags, kaftans and sarongs and even woven summer hats. Panarea, an exhibition of Saz Mifsud’s latest collection, is open from 3pm to 10pm July 2021 in the Courtyard of Palazzo de La Salle, Valletta.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Make a coffee and watch the sea.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, it’s the only way you’ll grow.

What do you never leave the house without?

A silk scarf…

Pick three words that describe yourself

Sensitive, attentive, artistic.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

My work. Running a business for almost seven years now from the ground up and growing each year.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Fried chicken and pop music.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Success is not only what you set out to achieve in a few years’ time. It is extremely important to work towards goals, however it’s also important to notice the little successes we achieve on a daily basis. We have achieved so much already. I find that acknowledging and being proud of all I have achieved so far is so important. Without doing this, it is easy to fall into the trap of feeling that we are never good enough.

Property and cars aside what’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought?

A beautiful indigo wool coat by my favourite designer DVF.

What is one thing you wish you knew when you were younger?

Often we are the only ones stopping ourselves from doing what we want to do. If you really want something, go for it.

Who’s your inspiration?

Diane Von Furstenburg - a designer who inspires me to keep working hard and “owning it” (as she would say), for the rest of my days.

What has been your biggest challenge?

Not being too hard on myself.

If you weren’t an artist and fashion designer what would you be doing?

I’d be a touring back-up singer in an indie band.

If you could have dinner with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Obama. I’d ask him to teach me and thing or two about public speaking.

What’s your worst habit?

Overthinking!

What are you like when you’re drunk?

A hoot.

Who would you have play you in a film?

Meryl Streep. Because it has to be dramatic.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

People who are obnoxious, egocentric and loud.

What music would you have played at your funeral?

James Blake – When We’re Older. A painful, beautiful song about love and loss.

What is your most treasured material possession?

I have some material possessions that I treasure, however I try not to give them too much importance – it’s so easy to lose or damage material things. My friends and family are what I treasure most.

What is your earliest memory?

Sitting on my grandma while she played Solitaire on the computer.

Who would you most like to meet?

They say don’t meet your idols. However, I’d love to meet Dries Van Noten, one of my favourite designers and a leader in textile design.

What’s your favourite food?

Sushi.

Who’s your favourite person on social media right now?

Thomas Brag – one of the founders of a YouTube channel/movement called “Yes Theory” – a movement that embraces the idea of saying “yes” to the things that scare us most. He believes that “life’s greatest moments and deepest connections are outside of your comfort zone.”

If you could travel in time, where would you go?

To Paris in the 1920s – where some of the world’s best artists and creatives gathered and culture boomed.

What book are you reading right now?

The School of Life by Alain de Botton. It’s an interesting book about understanding our emotions and using this understanding to make better decisions each day. Makes me wonder, why aren’t we taught about emotional intelligence at school? Understanding our brains and hearts, and the way they work, is the first step towards understanding ourselves, our motivations and what we want out of life.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

To read people’s minds.

What’s one thing you want to do before you die?

To see as much of the world as possible.

What music are you listening to at the moment?

Snoh Aalegra – an RnB/Soul artist a friend recently introduced me to.

In the shower or when you’re working out, what do you sing/listen to?

Jungle – one of my favourite bands. They have all the right vibes for a feel-good gym sesh.