As Sotheby’s remixes its approach to luxury, promoting cross-collecting, discussing sustainability and juxtaposing the old with the new, LA-based, DJ Mia Moretti teamed up with us to drop a smokin’ Spotify DJ set, pick out her pieces from across our sales and sit down and talk up old school influences, legendary influences, new styles and her unique personal aesthetic.
Having collaborated with the likes of Missoni, Prabal Gurung, Louis Vuitton and. Calvin Klein – as well as playing at Sotheby’s Luxury Edit launch parties – Mia’s personal sense of style and exclectic tastes define her as a rock’n’roll icon for a new era.
Here she tells us about what she wears when she’s spinning tunes, being inspired by vintage looks and the magic of vinyl.
What inspired the Spotify playlist that you created for Sotheby’s Luxury Edit?
I pulled this playlist from the vinyl set I performed for the opening of the Luxury Edit in London. This was my first time recording a live DJ set on video, so I wanted to make it special. Is there anything more special than the sound and feel of real vinyl? I don’t think so.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
I am very influenced by classic rock as that’s what I grew up listening to; however, I love discovering it in hidden place like the track Reyhan by Iranian musician Kourosh Yaghmaei recorded before the revolution, as well as Israeli musician Levitros who jumped on the Greek-Turkish craze of the 70s.
Right now, what records are on repeat play for you?
Joe Tex, Coke Escovedo, Hugh Masekela and Jimmy James
Who are your style icons?
A woman at the market, my mother, the actress Louise Brooks and writer, Joan Didion.
How would you describe your own style?
Like a well decorated home.
How important is your look when you’re performing? What is the outfit that makes you feel most confident?
My outfit is less about feeling confident and more about feeling like I have stepped out of my day to day flow and stepped into a party. It is a scene change. I have to show up to work ready to be engaged and present. When I’m not in the headspace for that, the wardrobe can help take me there instantly.
How has travelling the world influenced your style and your music?
I pick up pieces of life everywhere. Mixing what I’ve seen and learned into my set keeps me excited about what I am playing and it lets me share my newest discovery — it brings me great joy to share something new with a crowd, it changed the whole mood of the set.
What are the biggest luxuries in your life?
Freedom. Freedom to come and go, freedom to stay home, freedom to stay out, freedom to make music and freedom to dance to it.
Is vintage a big part of your wardrobe?
It is always part of my wardrobe whether you see it or not, because it plays in how I put together an outfit, I always think of the future and the past.
Is sustainability an important consideration for you when it comes to shopping?
Absolutely, it’s appalling how much is wasted. The longer I keep something the more joy it brings me. I feel disgusting if I only wear something once or twice. I always consider what went into making it and how we should value that time and material.
Are you a collector of anything in particular?
Records mostly these days.
How do you decide whether or not to buy something? Are you impulsive or do you have a checklist before you say yes?
I am impulsive, I see it and I know if I want it or not. No checklist, just a feeling.
Do you hang onto things or do you like to keep changing it up and passing things along to new owners?
Both. I trade things with my friends too, that way you always know where to find it if you need it back.
What is your most treasured vintage or secondhand find?
My EL Rego Zon Dede original press 45 from my friend Cut Chemist. It was my first collector’s record… and the beginning of quite expensive hobby.
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