If you can’t go naked…

Mya Royal first formally registered her atelier in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2009. Early clients were primarily women employed in Boston’s financial district looking to improve their work wardrobe. The prevailing look was a structured silhouette of fine wool in a dark solid color palette. It was a somber time following the onset of the Great Recession. Royal met privately with clients in her home atelier, situated on the property of renowned former Ambassador to Switzerland and White House Senior Staff, Faith Whittlesey – a remarkable woman who was credited with many brave initiatives and the quote, “Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, except backwards and in high heels.” Whittlesey’s son managed the property. In this environment Royal was able to plant the seed of business in her life long creative practice.

The first European location of MYA ROYAL opened in the historic center of Florence, Italy in 2011. Clients were widely varied, and fascinating. Projects included theatrical costumes, handmade custom leather goods like bags and sandals, bespoke daywear, and collaborations with other fashion designers. There is no city in the world like Firenze. The profundity of art and design there has been unparalleled for centuries and it remains a thriving creative nest for people from every corner of the globe. This period was very important for company development.

Special collection iñi was first launched in 2014 in the Aeolian Islands, Italy. The Aeolian Islands are a UNESCO protected archipelago providing extraordinary examples of human history predating the bronze age by thousands of years, and of on-going volcanic activity. For one year, MYA ROYAL operated a satellite workshop location within the Museum of Eolian Emigration as part of a special collaboration between the company, the Center for Sicilian Emigration Research, the township of Malfa, and two local resorts – Hotel Signum, and Hotel Santa Marina. The iñi collection is manufactured using textiles printed with Royal’s own original fine art printmaking work. These artworks primarily come from the portfolios associated with “Transfiguration,” Royal’s first large scale public art installation, purchased by the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2006. MYA ROYAL uses imagery of the natural world – plant forms and life sized tracings of the human silhouette – to decorate the eco friendly materials used in production. All fabrics are OEKO-TEX certified and each garment is made to order so as to prevent any polluting waste materials whatsoever. The fashion industry’s role in climate change is integral to company philosophy at MYA ROYAL, LLC. Customers are encouraged to choose wisely and keep their acquisitions for years to come. These items are built to last. In fact, some of the most rough and tumble fashionistas out of NYC have tested and approved the iñi collection – even a longstanding professional break dance troupe.

Also out of NYC comes MYA ROYAL fine jewelry and luxury outerwear. Thanks to manufacturing partnerships formed over the course of years with established artisanal workshops in Manhattan, the company is able to offer the highest quality made-to-order coats of shearling and other ethically sourced materials from Spain and Portugal. Solid gold offerings, like the immensely popular unisex logo signet ring, are created by master jewelers in the big apple at custom order. 

The logo image of a woman riding a dolphin was formally trademarked in 2017 in the USA. This logo had already been in use for almost a decade. The image was inspired by Mya Royal’s Italian family crest – a boy riding a dolphin – and the corresponding legend of the son of sea god Poseidon. In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the god of the sea fathered a son with a local nymph, and named him Taras. Young Taras was later involved in a shipwreck in what is now called the Gulf of Taranto, named after the demigod and affectionately known as as the instep of the boot shape taken by the country of Italy. Poseidon sent a dolphin to rescue Taras and he arrived safely at the port of what later became the large and productive city of Taranto, Italy. The region adopted an image of a boy riding a dolphin for its gold and silver coinage and other official seals. (Museum quality replicas of these coins are available for sale at myaroyal.com/boutique) Royal’s family tree includes a direct surname line of Taranto. The image of a boy riding a dolphin can be found in many incarnations around Italy. For MYA ROYAL, LLC, the logo has been adjusted to reflect a woman riding a dolphin as it is a woman-owned business.

In October of 2019, MYA ROYAL opened in a large loft over-looking the historic harbor of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and subsequently another location on the famous Newbury Street in Boston. These two locations received clients and customers throughout the pandemic. Custom order clients commissioned formal daywear and special event garments in a variety of fine fabrics. Notable trends in the production studio during this period included blush colored wedding gowns and unstructured mens blazers and waistcoats. Navy blue formal gowns were a close second. 

The company was also able to produce personal protective equipment of various kinds for distribution locally and abroad during the PPE shortage of 2020. In partnership with a Korean producer of medical grade filtration materials, MYA ROYAL produced and distributed N95 face masks at a time when no such protection could be found. These masks were available to locals via no-contact pickup and were shipped in large packages to various destinations around Italy during the worst moments of the early disease spread in that country. Many people made generous donations of materials for cloth masks, which were also produced and distributed by the atelier.

MYA ROYAL, LLC has newly introduced some very exciting offerings to the already impressive range of products and services. One particularly noteworthy development is the new ceramics studio next to the in-house artisan apparel production studio. Handmade ceramics make a modern vision of the age-old Italian tradition.

Likewise trailblazing is the new color picker service for wardrobe staples and home decor. Customers are invited to choose literally any color of the light spectrum for their made-to-order acquisitions. The user-friendly color picker allows customers to show their true colors in their most authentic light. Production and shipping times are in alignment with the rest of the company’s products regardless of the very special custom nature of this service. It’s unparalleled in the industry.

After an impressive chronology of events in company history, MYA ROYAL, LLC has finally arrived in the online scene with a full service e-commerce platform. Now you can shop the wealth of creative options online at myaroyal.com from anywhere in the world. No matter where you are, MYA ROYAL will make every effort to get you what you need.