BEHIND MICMIC

Hi!
Mit navn er Michala – jeg er 31 år.
I am the founder, owner and designer behind MicMic.

I was born in Aalborg and live in Copenhagen, but I grew up in Cambodia.

I was back in 2001, torn out of the safe Danish society and placed in the middle of the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh. My father had been offered a job there.
The smell of dry dust, the feeling of curious local hands gripping my arm, and the prospect of pure chaos, are the memories I most clearly remember from the first few days in the poor capital.

I started relatively quickly at my new school. It was, to say the least, a greater upheaval than the move itself. Not a day went by without me being literally dragged to the next hour by my new "friends". Stubborn as hell, I would decide for myself in which direction I should move. But as the 8-year-old I was, I did not understand the language - and thus not where the next class should take place. They were just trying to help, but I have to admit that my mom was called a few (read: really many) times during the first few weeks.

But suddenly the days flew by. I learned English in record time, and the new impressions became a normal everyday life filled with school, friends, family and not least experiences - I no longer saw the city's dust and chaos, and even dragged the new children around the school.
Holidays were spent on elephant backs in the jungle, in the rainy season I bathed in the flooded dirt roads with the rest of the road's local children, and I even learned to love rice both morning, noon and evening.

However, Cambodia is also characterized by a historically dark period: first a 90-year period as a French colony followed by civil wars and not least the regime under the Khmer Rouge - probably the most famous period internationally - where it is said that almost 1/3 of the population tragically died. From being one of Asia's most powerful empires, Cambodia is today one of the poorest, most corrupt, and most landmined countries in Asia. The past has prevented development and reconstruction, which has led to an unstable country with a big difference between rich and poor, where the majority are unfortunately made up of the poor. I experienced poverty, mining areas and corruption up close.

But before I knew it, six years in Cambodia had suddenly disappeared behind me.
Father's task was completed, and the snout was returned to the now more unknown Denmark.

Although my upbringing was untraditional, it was enlightening and most importantly incredibly rewarding. It taught me to recognize, and appreciate, how privileged we are at home, and not least, to always be open to other cultures, people, and ideas!

For the same reason, MicMic also ended up being a company with a great deal of social responsibility. A company that must give back to the communities that do not have the same opportunities that we have at home.
Read my philosophy, mission and vision for MicMic right here.

When I founded MicMic in 2014, the love for Cambodia had not disappeared either, but on the contrary intensified. Therefore, my first collection was inspired and named after areas in Cambodia.
Since then, I have expanded with more products, drawn inspiration from several exotic countries, and allied myself with even more responsible partners.

The most loving greetings
Michala