Lesa Milan may be best known as one of the extravagant ladies on The Real Housewives of Dubai, but she’s also the mind behind Mina Roe, a high-end fashion brand focused on maternity wear.
When the label launched in 2016, it offered a range of clothing options for pregnant women, ensuring they were able to look and feel stylish, sexy and comfortable in their own skin.
Mina Roe came about when Milani realized she needed to have a wider collection of maternity clothes when she was pregnant as a 24-year-old.
“I started the brand because there was a hole in the market. There was no trend-setting maternity wear,” Milan told WWD. “I love that Rihanna was there with her bump, being sexy and bold, because that’s what Mina Roe has always been about – celebrating your pregnancy instead of hiding it. You can still add that trendy twist and your own personal style to your bump. I think that’s the hole we filled with Mina Roe.”
With a background in fashion, Milan first designed things for herself and, eventually, one thing led to another and Mina Roe was born.
The name Mina Roe materialized after Milani toyed with girl names while pregnant with her second son, hoping it would be a girl. The word “Mina” is common in Dubai, meaning “light” in Arabic. The last part of the name was inspired by the gynecologist of Milan, who at that time had welcomed a granddaughter named Monroe. She wanted a letter to match the logo design, so she simply used “Roe” to fill it in, with the “R” in the shape of a pregnant woman.
Recently, Milani expanded the Mina Roe collection into non-maternity wear, so that women of all shapes, sizes and experiences can wear the brand regardless of their respective stage in life.
“Branching out into a completely different space was a bit challenging because I had to work with other creators,” she said. “We took a risk by introducing pieces from other designers, manufacturers into our brands. So far it has been overwhelmingly positive. I’m so glad we went through the transition because it makes sense. You get pregnant, we breastfeed, so how do we keep customers coming back from a business perspective? It was a no-brainer that after pregnancy it was the other thing.”
On Real Housewives of Dubai, viewers get a glimpse into Milan’s fashion empire, including working with her husband, Rich Hall, and hosting her first fashion show for Mina Roe last fall.
She was initially asked to be a part of Dubai Fashion Week, but the dates didn’t match, so she decided to hold an independent event, which she successfully managed with the help of another housewife and former model, Chanel Ayan.
“It was super hectic,” Milan said. “I’ve never done a fashion show before, but it was really good. Thank God I had Chanel Ayan. I booked all my models through her and they ended up killing it. She was really helpful behind the scenes as well. Overall, I think for our first show, I survived it.”
Eventually, Milan hopes to expand her brand into shoes and body care tailored to pregnant women, offering comfortable styles and body butters and stretch mark creams and more.
With just a few more episodes left on the first season of “Dubai,” currently airing Wednesdays on Bravo, the fashion designer and former beauty pageant contestant reflected on her experience on the franchise so far, even confessing that was a fan of The Real Housewives before they joined.
“Going into it, I was a little scared,” she said. “My children are on the show with me, my husband, and I want to protect them at all costs. I was really nervous, but so far it’s been really good. The fans are super fans and are so invested and so supportive. It actually exceeded my expectations.”
Asked what viewers should expect from the end of the show, Milan did not reveal many details.
“I feel like the viewers didn’t get to see us having a lot of fun as a group of friends,” she said. “I think you guys are in for a lot of fun. Lots of laughs and more drama, of course.”
