With 27.5 million followers on Instagram and almost 37 million on TikTok, Mia Khalifa is the sort of famous that few can relate to. That fame obviously has its benefits, but a notable drawback is that the level of exposure Mia is subject to often results in her being viewed as a sort of single-faceted, public commodity, rather than a whole human being endowed with all the layers and complexities that all human beings are. Read almost any article about her, and you’ll quickly learn that Mia was once the most searched name on Pornhub — a fact that, though her adult film career was brief and ended over eight years, continues to define quick-glance perceptions of her today. It’s a history she proudly owns, but reducing her to it is an oversight that fails to take into account the attributes that have propelled her success since then. Warm, ambitious, witty and evidently one to take no prisoners, the depth and complexity of her character quickly reveals itself, as she giggles her way through a story, cup of tea and saucer in hand, in her plush central London hotel room.
Next to her is Sofia Prantera, the founder of Aries, the irreverent London-based luxury streetwear label. When they first met through a mutual friend, it was immediately clear to Sofia that Mia was a natural Aries girl — her at-ease air and rebellious spark made her an instinctual fit for the brand. Both keen to work with one another, the collaborative relationship started then has now culminated in the release of MIA BY ARIES, a photo book designed by i-D creative director Jonny Lu.
Showcasing Mia’s textured nature, it comprises two longform photo stories — one, an intimate, spontaneous and at times surreal diary of a trip to the Kentish coast with photographer and longtime Aries collaborator Clare Shilland; the other, a glossy, capital F fashion preview of Aries’ AW23 collection, shot by rising American imagemaker Conor Cunningham and styled by i-D senior fashion market editor Bojana Kozarevic. Between the two, which sit at opposite ends of the double-covered book, a nuanced portrait of Mia emerges — one that captures her tender humility and quirky sense of humour, as well as her world-dominating, give-no-fucks attitude.
To mark the book’s launch, we sat down with Mia and Sophia to discuss their collaborative history, what makes Mia the ultimate Aries girl and proving the doubters wrong.
Could you tell me a bit about when you came across Mia? What about her stood out to you?
Sophia Prantera: It was actually a friend in common, who introduced us. And actually, Mia was coming in with her boyfriend at the time, who was a real Aries fan. We were doing a project with him, but I immediately fell in love with her. I just knew that she was such an Aries girl — I loved the way she looked! But for me, I just thought, “She has millions of followers — why would she ever want to work with us?” But then when I eventually approached Mia, who’d then split up with her boyfriend, and asked if she would be interested in working with us — and she said yes!
Mia Khalifa: Oh, I was trying to make it happen any way imaginable! I’m so glad we were able to make it work in the end — I really wanted to work with you so badly.
Sofia: For me, I just saw the punkness in you straight away.
Mia: OH my god! My 14-year-old self is screaming right now!
Sofia: I could really see that you were that girl that I was, too — there was that sense of rebellion there, especially in the way that you’ve approached fame. But also, you never assumed that you were the star. And I think that made you really likeable, and it really warmed me to you. You’re very, very humble, which isn’t necessarily something that you can say about a lot of people in your position. Anyway, Clare and I had been thinking about doing a project that was more creative, and that didn’t really have anything to do with fashion or the brand — and in the shoot, she’s wearing all archive pieces, anyway — it just all came together.
What makes Mia such an embodiment of the Aries attitude?
Sofia: It’s a difficult one — people often ask me about casting and how I approach it, but for me, it’s really about a connection. I probably would never have thought of Mia if I hadn’t met her in real life. I think that’s why our casting ends up being quite diverse, because it’s more about our connection with a person, and knowing that you can do something together and it will feel right.
Mia, how long have you been a fan of Aries? And what was it about Sofia’s creative perspective that resonated with you?
Mia: Well, my ex was an Aries fan, so I gifted him Aries for a year or two, and that’s how I was introduced to it! I loved everything, so would borrow stuff sometimes. But I’ve always resonated with the sense of fluidity and open-mindedness that I get from Aries. It’s more about an attitude than a look. Everyone who works there has attitude, this thing that explains why they all work together so beautifully. And the clothes are just fucking badass. They’re so comfortable. And every single time I’ve worked with Sofia, I’ve been put in things that I would never put together, but now I feel like I can’t live without them.
What sort of conversations around the project did you have?
Mia: “Just tell me when and where to show up!” That’s all I said! I was down to do anything and everything, and I was so excited when I found out Conor was photographing — I’m such a huge fan of his work.
Sofia: I really found working with you quite easy, because you’re very fluid in that way — you don’t have to look a certain way or appear a certain way. It really embodies what we do as a brand and that attitude. Every time there is an obstacle or challenge, we just say, “Fuck it, we’re going to find a way to overcome that and follow our own path.” We don’t compromise, and I think that’s really important. I feel like your life’s been a bit like that, too — finding your own path and not following other people’s ideas of what’s right and what’s wrong, making lots of mistakes on the way.
Mia: Also, being in a room with other creative people is the most empowering thing. When someone says, “Oh, I have an idea — it might sound a little crazy, but let’s just give it a shot,” it empowers you to then vocalise the crazy ideas that you thought everyone would raise an eyebrow at.
Could you tell us a bit more about what this creative environment allowed you to do?
Mia: I was just going for it and fully committing to the bit. There were a few moments on the shoot where we could have very easily moved on, but me or Conor or Clare would be like, “No, let’s spend a bit more time on it! Let’s do it again!” And then we would nail it. It was really fun to know that if you fully commit, you will get that little bit of magic.
How would you describe the collection that we see in these photos?
Mia: I’m so glad you asked — it feels like if the United Colours of Benetton had a younger brother that smoked a lot of weed. And then the womenswear is just, oh my god, it’s so sexy but comfortable and relaxed. You feel like you would wear it to a skate park and get hit on by the guy you want to get hit on.
What facets of yourself did you want to bring to the two shoots?
Mia: Ah, I think for the first shoot, which was a lot more casual, it wasn’t something I was thinking about. With the shoot with Conor, I just wanted to show that I can really go for it. It was fun to do something that I’ve never done before — it was really gymnastic! I was so sore the next day!
What are you most excited for people to see in the pictures?
Sofia: Well, when we first discussed working together, I knew I wanted to do something pretty big in scope. I contacted a couple of people to say that we were working on something, and I was actually very surprised to find that they were almost worried about working with you. I thought it was really shallow and short-sighted, but it really made me want to do something to show people that you shouldn’t base your judgement of a person on rumours…
Mia: I’m just so thankful that you took a chance on me because I’ve had so many doors closed in my face.
Sofia: I mean, it didn’t even cross my mind that people could be that worried about something that’s happened in the past. Women often face so much misogynistic judgement, blame and hypocrisy, which men would never face in the same situation.
Mia: I mean, I’ve never seen anyone who has been to jail or had a drug addiction — then changed their lives for the better — be villainised in the same way as women are. There are still haters in Kim Kardashian’s comments calling her a pornstar — how fucking crazy is that? But things are changing, and they’re going to change because of people like you. You were told, “Hmm, she’s too risky,” or “I don’t know if we want that” — but you just said “Great, I want that!” You have to unlock the door before it can be opened, you know?
Sofia: Totally. I’m excited to prove that the people who had those doubts about Mia were wrong.
