By Alexus Mosley

*Valley of the Milk* *Fed* *Dolls*: Sofia Coppola, with Lisa Ann, Amanda de Cadenet and Zoe Cassavetes for *W Magazine*, September 1991

Since the resignation of Virginie Viard in June of 2024, rumors have been swarming around the Chanel name regarding the highly anticipated but yet-to-be-made announcement of a newly appointed Creative Director. Amongst those names has been Sofia Coppola, It Girl and actress turned filmmaker and, to my surprise… former fashion designer. As an admirer of the “Nepo Baby” (my favorite, in fact), I was euphoric when I heard about the possibility of her going to my luxury fashion house of choice. Naturally, I went down an investigative fashion research frenzy where I discovered that I didn’t know every single detail of my most loved director’s life. Turns out, the style icon once had a clothing line of her own.

As a close friend and muse to none other than the Marc Jacobs, a previous intern at Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel (she landed the gig at the tender age of fifteen), and the writer and director of The Bling Ring (the most glamorous crime film there ever was for crying out loud), it’s obvious that Coppola is no stranger to the world of fashion. I just had no clue her ties led her down the path of being a designer herself.

Born from Coppola’s natural interest in style, Milk Fed debuted in 1995. Inspired by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon and her X-Girl label, the launch consisted mostly of hip-hugging flat-front pants, skimpy Nylon dresses, and baby silk screen tees with statements like “I Love Booze” and “Wasted” plastered across them. Coppola’s fashion photography experience heavily influenced her designs, serving as early advertising for Milk Fed. Having just finished studying Fine Arts at the California Institute of the Arts and Art Center of Design, the twenty-two-year-old was hesitant to pursue the venture due to her lack of training and inability to sew. After producing a street fashion show in SoHo for friends Kim Gordon and Daisy von Furth' of X-Girl, Coppola alongside Stephanie Haynes mustered up the confidence to begin her very own fashion project.

Emulating much of the trends of the eighties and capturing the “cool girl” aesthetic, Milk Fed was considered by fans of the brand to be the girl-friendly streetwear space. Produced by the originator of the shrunken tees, Linda Meltzer of Tease Tees, Milk-Fed was carried at Bloomingdales, Fred Segal, Supreme, and Coppola’s own Heaven 27 boutiques in Los Angeles and throughout Japan. Today, Milk Fed is Japanese and sold exclusively in Japan.

I Just Found Out Sofia Coppola Had a Fashion Line