Mirian Njoh Shares Her “Overthinking and Overdressing” Style Philosophy
The Canadian content creator breaks down her dynamic, bright and colourful personal style.
If personal style is dead, Mirian Njoh is performing a fashionable resurrection. The creator puts together outfits like a sommelier twisting the cork off a bottle of Champagne — that is, with precision, confidence and flair. “What really defines style is when you are uncompromising,” she says.
Njoh’s (@miriannjoh) identity is multi-faceted. As a Black woman with albinism, she has long used fashion to communicate her inner world. “When you have that alignment between the internal and the external, it creates a beautiful synergy of self-acceptance,” she says. These days, Njoh is feeling joyful, so she favours pastels, sparkles and soft textures. But her closet hints at bygone eras: her teenage goth phase and a love affair with African wax prints. “My personal style is definitely dynamic, even though it takes on different faces as I evolve as a person.”
Born in Monrovia, the capital city of the West African country of Liberia, Njoh spent her childhood in Detroit before immigrating to Toronto. As a preteen, she picked up sewing from her mother and grandmother. “I didn’t grow up rich, but there was still pride in using what you have and how you present yourself,” she says. “Creativity and sewing bridge that gap.”
Njoh honed her sartorial skills at Toronto Metropolitan University, where she studied fashion communication, and then at a few different gigs: junior booker at an artist agency, stylist (her most memorable moment was being on the wardrobe team of Rihanna’s “Work” music video) and model for brands like Uniqlo and Nordstrom. From 2015 to 2019, she also ran her own blog, Love Mirian.
“The beauty of having all those experiences is that they all built on top of and influenced one another,” she says.
By 2019, Njoh’s social following surged as fashion lovers flocked to her pages for a dose of the creator’s self-assured style, earning her a spot on CAFA’s inaugural NewGen List in 2022.
Today, Njoh counts more than 300,000 followers across her Instagram and TikTok, where she shares style and beauty inspiration, DIY projects and glimpses into her life of “overthinking and overdressing” (as per her social media bio).
“I look at fashion in a bit of an intellectual way — sometimes I over-intellectualize it,” she says. “Fashion is truly not frivolous in the way that it can be used to communicate.” The below look, for instance, conveys the creator’s peaceful new era, but the candy-coloured confection is also a reminder of her style ethos. “Whether or not you realize or consciously feel like you’re engaging in fashion or can engage with fashion, you do it every day. The only difference is the intentionality behind it.”
Here, Njoh discusses the making of her colourful ensemble above.
Candy coated
This deliciously tailored blazer was an easy sell for Njoh, who felt a kinship with the unconventional jacket. “It illustrates that idea of taking something classic and traditional and then reimagining it in this playful cotton-candy pastel stripe that is sweet and fun,” she says. That contrast is something Njoh hopes to achieve with every look. “I am also a juxtaposition of ideas, so the outfit is autobiographical in that way, too.”
Silver lining
Who isn’t sentimental about their jewellery? “A lot of the pieces in this outfit are things that have special memories attached to them or they’re just favourites of mine,” Njoh says. The choker, for instance, was a gift from bygone brand ILYSM. Though the company closed its doors in 2022, the necklace remains one of Njoh’s most-worn pieces. “I think it’s so cool.”
Under wraps
It wasn’t until Njoh moved to Canada that she began buying second-hand. “Something I love about finding pieces that have been pre-owned and pre-loved is that you can really give them a new life,” she says. One of her favourite finds is this translucent corset, which Njoh describes as “invisible structure.”
Golden age
Inspired by Rihanna’s iconic 2014 CFDAs outfit — the Swarovski-crystal naked dress complete with a pink stole — Njoh searched high and low online for her own fluffy companion. “I’m in my fur era,” she says. “I’m really obsessed with glamour right now, whether it’s like an Old Hollywood type of glamour or just a nostalgic glamour.”
Hopelessly devoted
Njoh is nothing if not loyal. The creator has been a patron of House of CB since the U.K. brand was duping A-lister looks under the Celeb Boutique banner. “I have multiple pieces from there that I have worn until they’re threadbare,” she says, this satin-weave skirt being one of her more recent purchases.
“I’ve always gravitated toward U.K. fashion for its great history of mixing classic and rebellious motifs.”
Come on, Barbie
Njoh played around with other footwear in her closet before landing on these Barbie-pink pumps. The Steve Madden heels were the cherry on top of the creator’s colourful look. “The heels are really elongating and they frame the outfit, because there’s so much going on up top that I wanted something that would accentuate it and hold it all together,” she says.
This article first appeared in FASHION’s September 2024 issue. Find out more here.
