Sharmilla Persaud is a Guyanese-born designer who teamed up with her best friend Arianna Brooke to launch Millianna (a combination of their names) in 2010, a U.S designer fashion jewellery company.
They met while Sharmilla was working in the design department of BCBG Max Azria, in the USA,and Arianna in marketing. Sharmilla now leads the design, while Arianna oversees production of their own Spokane, Washington-based business.
According to the millianna website, each piece is intricately handmade by skilled artisans in the U.S.,where many of the artisans who work with the company are immigrant women who arrived in Spokane with the World Relief Organization.
Sharmilla’s love for fashion began from an early age in Guyana with her awe for her mother’s colourful saris and jewellery,and blossomed into a full-fledged passion as she moved to New York where, during her teenage years, she was known for her unique outfits.
She pursued her love of fashion at the Fashion Institute of Technology and earned a degree in Design. Max Azria hired her as designer at BCBG after her graduation.
Millianna pieces have been featured in magazines such as Oprah and Women’s Health, on celebrities such as Miranda Lambert and Elizabeth Rohm, and in the wardrobes of stars in movies.
