To know Mila is to love Mila. I have been honored to have her in my life for over 20 years… we met in college and became instant friends. We have grown together, never leaving each other's side through younger years, to marriages to babies and our careers. She is the one of the most stylish I know and has a heart of gold. Thank you for being you, Mila Rose.
xx, Lisette
Mila was born in Hawaii and moved to New Hampshire for a short time before her parents settled down in Olympia, Washington. Growing up surrounded by the region’s natural beauty deeply shaped her sensibilities, interests, and enduring love of the outdoors. Nature has always been a source of inspiration for her. In 2000, she moved to San Diego for college, where she met Lisette and the two quickly became best friends.
Mila has loved fashion for as long as she can remember, with an early dream of becoming a fashion designer. She began her career in retail before naturally moving into sales in her twenties. She earned her stripes along the way, learning the business from the ground up and gaining experience in Los Angeles with both small fashion brands and larger corporations. Those early years gave her the knowledge, perspective, and confidence to eventually take the leap and build a successful business of her own: Mila Rose Agency.
Mila did not set out to be a business owner, but after her daughter was born, she decided to move back to San Diego, and watch her sales agency grow organically alongside her family. When asked about balancing family and career, Mila believes “in balance and feel wholeheartedly that it is needed in life both in a successful career and motherhood.” She feels tremendous gratitude that her work allows her flexibility to be both present with her children and create a meaningful work life.
With a career that involves a fair amount of travel, she finds a sense of grounding through her family, nature, her yoga practice, and a close-knit community of like-minded women. She points to New York market as one example, where collaboration often extends beyond business, with women sharing ideas, supporting one another, and celebrating each other’s successes. As Mila puts it:
“It is very empowering and so fun at the same time. The wine and laughter flows for hours.”
If you know Mila, you know she’s always dressed effortlessly. Stylish, herself, and with a little twist of magic. “Style is a creative outlet for me and my self-expression. I wear pieces that are personally meaningful and symbolic,” she says.
Her jewelry collection reflects the same, consisting of all the stories from her life: family heirlooms Lisette has re-worked, new pieces thoughtfully chosen by those she loves, or pieces selected to mark the moment.
Her first Zofia Day Co. piece was the Diamond Crescent Necklace from Lisette’s inaugural collection, gifted to her by her husband for Christmas. Her collection has grown to include several ruby pieces (her birthstone and one of her favorite colors) as well as a Pisces Charm she gifted herself after her son’s birth.
Mila’s most treasured pieces though are those she and Lisette have reimagined together, giving new life to jewelry already rich with meaning. Lisette created a beautiful ring using her grandmother’s opal, a stone her grandfather gifted to her grandmother while living in Australia.
But her most special project? Her mom’s vintage Rolex. Originally gifted to her mother for her college graduation by Mila’s grandparents, the 1960s watch had a cord strap that didn’t quite fit Mila’s everyday style. Lisette replaced it with a chain bracelet, transforming the watch into something she can wear seamlessly day to day, all while preserving its history and carrying forward a story of family and legacy.
