I Have A New Favorite Online Retailer
And here I thought the Golden Age of Digital Retail was beyond us.
Today’s list of Things Gone Stale reads as follows: the croissant I impulse-purchased yesterday when getting coffee and forgot about in the depths of my tote bag, and the state of online retail.
Gone are the days when I’d delight in spending a Sunday night at home curled up on the couch scrolling page after page of New Arrivals. Lately, I’m bratty enough to admit that placing online orders feels like a chore — largely because major retailers have gotten so damn boring. User interfaces are bland, market curations too safe, and as I jump from site to site, the options seem so…repetitive.
I’m still a major fan of the Nordstroms, Bloomies, and Revolves of the world, but there’s no denying that their digital retail identities all combine into one unmemorable virtual entity.
If these sites want us to spend, why must they make the process so un-special?
ISO online retailers that actually make me want to put my Apple Pay impulse-purchasing skills to good use, I find myself frequently clicking over to Cult Mia, a site I discovered when on the hunt for a good engagement dress back in the fall.
At the time, every cute option I came across on Pinterest linked me back to this site I’d never heard of. Unsure of the credibility or legitimacy of its offering, I moved on and found something elsewhere.
Lately, though, I’ve found myself scrolling Cult Mia just to feel something. And reader, it feels so right!
Eager to pull trigger, I decided to do a little more digging to figure out where on earth Cult Mia came from — and how it manages to be so much more compelling than every other online retailer in its orbit.
I found my answer in a Forbes interview with Nina Briance, Cult Mia’s Founder & CEO (big shout out to Forbes contributor Angela Chan-Danisi for writing exactly the article I was looking for! I just love it when that happens).
Per Briance’s claims, Cult Mia is a site dedicated to spotlighting independent designers and providing them the same digital retail opportunities as their more mainstream counterparts. Briance seems to understand that, for so many designers looking to build audience and community, the hardest part is getting their product in front of consumers in a way that feels legitimate and purchase-friendly.
Forbes notes that the site boasts 350 brands spanning 42 countries, selected via a conscious application process that Briance claims approves only 10% of hopeful designers.
Even without knowing all of this, I was drawn to Cult Mia thanks to its supremely strong curation. Everything feels unique and premium, unlike the majority of options I was seeing elsewhere online.
A quote from the site confirmed my suspicion that this singularity was not only intentional, but in fact a core pillar of the “cult”, if you will:
Unlike other platforms overwhelmed with copycat collections, we’re on a mission to bring you conversation-starting, standout pieces that you’ve never seen before (we even have a 40% exclusivity count).
A bold endeavor, but ultimately, one they’ve managed to execute flawlessly. Whilst browsing, I come across a few names I’m already familiar with — Selezza London, Andreeva, Montsand — but the majority of my scroll-time is happily spent swimming in a sea of new-to-me brands with up-my-alley pieces galore.
And before we go any further, I’d be remiss not to praise Cult Mia for its inclusive size offering. Of course, not every brand featured has an impressive range, but I was delighted to see Heva Couture offering up to 6XL, Bariano up to 5XL, and Onalaja up to 4XL, just to name a few.
As with any online retailer, Cult Mia is far from perfect, and I fear it’s my duty to call out both the highs and lows of this shopping experience. The aforementioned highs are numerous, but two frustrations interrupt an otherwise perfect shopping experience.
The first is that pricing runs the gamut in a way that makes it hard to know exactly what tier of brands you’re browsing. On the same page as you might ponder an AMYLYNN sundress for $117, you’ll risk being tempted by a custom-made Le Thanh Hoa gown for a cool $5,000+.
Of course, filtering can help weed out options that conflict with your budget, but the site’s curation is so good, it seems criminal to eliminate any potential joy from my browsing pleasure.
To play my own devil’s advocate, I could argue that this spectrum speaks to the versatility and range of the target audience. At Cult Mia, there’s something for everyone — so long as each “one” is a stylish, savvy fashion person with a soft spot for statement-making dresses and ethical sourcing practices.
The Cult Mia girl is every cool girl you know, from the minimalist who only dons sleek, black tailored separates to the magpie drawn to all that sparkles and shines. Even better with a bow (or two, or ten).
The second turn-off is that many of the most covetable options on-site are made-to-order. Yes, this means that they’ll take longer to arrive at your doorstep, but my issue here is less so about timeline and more so about commitment.
I yearn to consider a Deme by Gabriella draped gown for an upcoming wedding, but who wants to drop $400+ on something that’s final sale without full familiarity of a brand’s quality?
Of course, it’s understandable that a custom garment can’t be returned and resold, and I’m sure the Cult Mia team’s response to such a complaint would be that they’ve done the vetting for you. But as an “it’s all about how it fits on my body” shopper, I need the option to return before taking the risk on something unfamiliar, no matter how lovely.
In some ways, this site seems too good to be true — don’t hold it against me if some scandal occurs months after I’ve mentioned it. They do claim to be a cult, after all! I’m simply here for the pretty things, the small designers, and the endless fashion scroll potential.
I can’t speak to Cult Mia’s customer service, as I’ve yet to place my first order (narrowing down my cart is proving to be quite the challenge, hence why I’m happy to share so many selects here first). Still, it’s high on my To-Do List as I start planning out occasionwear for a few upcoming weddings and formal festivities. It’ll take some time to get me on-board with the made-to-order pieces, but I fear some might be too good to resist.
All this to say that Cult Mia is an IV of sartorial serotonin injected directly into my computer screen. Whether or not you’re looking to make actual purchases, you might enjoy a quick browse, if only to remind you that online shopping can still be fun and aspirational. I’d almost forgotten.
x BG
Thank you! Always on the hunt for unique in the online retail space of boring
This is how i feel about Moda!!!