Pia Mia, 19-year-old singer and social media powerhouse, has been crowned the first fashion director for Madonna’s Material Girl brand. “Her creativity, confidence, and unique sense of style make her a perfect addition to the brand,” said the original material girl. The Guam native, who started her career by posting videos of herself on YouTube, will be the face of the brand’s campaigns and as well as have creative input on the collections, starting with Spring 2017. Plus, she’ll front a docu-series with StyleHaul inspired by Madge’s “Truth or Dare” documentary.
We caught up with Pia about her new gig during her brief stop in the concrete jungle.
Welcome to New York!
Thanks! I’m obsessed with Sex and the City, so whenever I’m here I think I’m Carrie Bradshaw and that all of her girlfriends are my friends. [Laughs].
Congrats on the new role!
I’m so honored to be fashion director for Material Girl. I’ve never fashion directed anything before, so this is going to be an exciting journey. For me, fashion has always gone hand-in-hand with music. They’re the best ways that I can express myself…even more so than talking!
What part of the job excites you most?
I’m excited to create pieces, inspire selects, sayings, and patterns, and overall give my stamp and feel to the brand. I think Material Girl’s so amazing already—I’ve been wearing it since I was 14—so being able to come onboard and help with the creative process is really exciting.
Have you met Madonna yet?
Not yet! Hopefully along the way we’ll cross paths. We shot the campaign, I’ve had meetings with the whole Material Girl team, and we even got to go through some pieces that they have ready for fall. It’s my first time seeing how the fashion industry works—like how far in advance you have to make clothes and how the designs become what they are. There’s a lot to learn, but I’m always very hands-on with everything I do, so this will be a good journey for me.
What advice have you gotten so far?
The advice people have given me is to be 100 percent true to who I am—I think Madonna and everyone at Material Girl picked me because of my personality, individuality, and personal sense of style.
Describe your style, please!
It’s always changing and is super random. Sometimes I’m more tomboyish and sometimes I’m girly. It depends on the day, my mood, and where I’m going. But I always like to stand out and be different by testing the limits. I feel like if I’m wearing an outfit that I like, I can just slay the day.
Where do you look for inspiration?
I love looking at people who are walking on the street, or on sites like Tumblr or social media. Material Girl is such a great brand because it’s a fast-fashion brand, so you can always keep up with the trends. But they also set their own trends too, so you get the best of both worlds. I have a lot of ideas…I hope you’re ready for it!
Are you a “Material Girl?”
I definitely think so! I fit into the whole fearless, testing the limits, confident kind of girl.
How does it feel to be getting back to your YouTube roots to document this process?
It’s really cool—I think people will want to see what goes into this. I know I would.
True or false: Are you obsessed with Cheetos?
Yes! They come with me everywhere I go. Yesterday we flew out to New York early in the morning, and as I was leaving the house I saw this bag of Cheetos. It was, like, staring at me so I grabbed it, took it on the plane, and ate the whole bag. It’s a bad problem. I love them so much.
Any workouts you live by?
I’m really into boxing and Krav Maga. I was so obsessed with Krav Maga for a minute and I was training so much, so I was invited to become an instructor. I went through a week-long period of 60 hours of training and got a certificate and everything. I think it’s cool for girls to be active. Material Girl just launched activewear that’s super cute that you can actually wear out.
What’s new on the music front?
Will.i.am has a new single that features me, which is really dope. We have a video coming out together; I’m a huge fan of his work. I’m also dropping my own single and then my album, like, ASAP.
At 19, is there anything you haven’t done that you can see yourself doing?
Acting would be cool! I’m very into street fighting and boxing, so if I was able to do a movie where I could incorporate that, it would be really dope. I’m interested in a lot of things, so I’m down to be creative wherever I can.
