Leading LBS alumna makes splash at Dubai Fashion week

London Business School alumna Nina Briance (LBS MBA Business and Fashion 2019) has made a splash at this year's Dubai Fashion Week.

In an interview with Emirates News, the Founder and CEO of fashion curator Cult Mia spoke about the rise of Middle Eastern fashion and the growing importance of designers such as Iraqi haute couture fashion designer Zeena Zaki.

"Dubai Fashion Week feels like a real breath of fresh air and the rise of exciting new young talent," said Nina. "At Cult Mia we are all about looking for new talent that can expand internationally. I think we are seeing a redefinition of what Middle Eastern fashion means. Today, we are seeing leading international brands choosing Dubai to showcase their fashions and a 400 per cent growth in the region's fashion marketplace."

Fascinating journey to Cult Mia

Nina embarked on an MBA at LBS having previously worked at Goldman Sachs, the Investment Banking Private Markets arm of UBS and the United Nations’ Women & Trade Program. At LBS Nina seized upon everything and anything that might refine, clarify and accelerate her entrepreneurial DNA, joining the School’s Women in Business Club, working as the club’s Head of Entrepreneurship, while participating in the LBS Institute of Entrepreneurship and Private Equity (IEPC) Launchpad Start-Up Accelerator, first achieving Runner-up in 2018 and then becoming Winner in 2019.

LBS - licence to experiment and grow

“My LBS experience gave me a safe space to experiment with my business. I suppose I was sheltering myself to a degree, to develop and grow.”

Briance’s experience at LBS proved “really positive”. “I now fully understand the value of my time at LBS, perhaps more than I did at the time.”

Nina founded Cult Mia in 2019. The company has experienced remarkable growth over the past six years, achieving triple-digit increases in sales. In 2024 Nina successfully completed an extension of its seed funding round, raising more than €4.6 million.

Funding new growth

The capital facilitated the company’s ambitions for global expansion and solidified its status as a premier destination for independent luxury fashion. The latest funding followed what was a remarkable summer for Cult Mia back in '24, with third-quarter sales surging by over 200 per cent compared to the same period in 2023. Notably, the company has been operating at three times the efficiency of its marketplace peers, highlighting its effective business model. By integrating style-led brand and product curation with data-driven insights, Cult Mia has created an ecosystem that not only benefits customers but also supports its brand partners.

The funding round attracted significant investment from a range of prominent investors, including H&M Group Ventures, Morgan Stanley, Fuel Ventures, and David Wertheimer. The fresh capital injection will enable Cult Mia to scale its operations, particularly in burgeoning markets such as the United States and the Middle East.

Speaking about her expansion plans Nina said: “The rapid growth we’ve seen, coupled with the loyalty from both customers and brand partners, reinforces our belief in the platform’s potential to become the independent luxury fashion destination for the world.”

Nina has emphasised that the funds will be pivotal in accelerating the company’s global footprint, particularly in high-growth markets such as Dubai.

Listen to the full interview on Instagram