Meet Mia Fonssagrives-Solow

Fashion Designer – Sculpture Artist

Mia Fonssagrives-Solow was born into a family where creativity wasn’t just encouraged—it was practically in the air she breathed. Her father, Fernand Fonssagrives, was a renowned French photographer, and her mother, Lisa Fonssagrives, was a Swedish supermodel often credited as one of the first of her kind. If that wasn’t enough star power, Mia’s stepfather was none other than Irving Penn, the legendary Vogue fashion photographer.

Growing up between Huntington and Manhattan, Mia was surrounded by cameras, couture, and a constant flow of artistic inspiration. She was already sewing clothes at age 12 and selling them to her mother’s friends.

Mia’s fashion career kicked off in the 1960s when she headed to Paris with her Parsons School of Design bff, Vicky Tiel. The duo launched a label that took the city by storm, introducing the Mia &Vicky mini dress in 1964 at French designer Louis Féraud’s couture show.

Their designs caught the eye of stars like Elizabeth Taylor, and they even designed costumes for Woody Allen’s movie What’s New Pussycat?

In 1967, Mia married Louis Féraud, but by 1970, their marriage and her Paris adventure had ended. She returned to the U.S. (California) and took up woodworking.

This pivot wasn’t just a career change—it was a return to her childhood love of creating tactile, three-dimensional art. Her sculptures often start as maquettes made from recycled detergent bottles, and yogurt containers. These are then cast in polished bronze, aluminum, or fiberglass, transforming everyday objects into art that’s both whimsical and thought-provoking.

In 1972, Mia married Sheldon Solow, a Brooklyn-born NYC real estate mogul who transformed the Manhattan skyline with projects like the iconic Solow Building at 9 West 57th Street, as well as One and Two Sutton Place North, and the Solow Townhouses, a modern interpretation of the classic Upper East Side private home.

Sheldon, who passed away in 2020 at 92, was also a passionate art collector, amassing a $400–500 million collection featuring Matisse, Picasso, Basquiat, and Botticelli. His collection is on exhibit at 9 W 57th St.  Together, they had two sons, Stefan Soloviev, who now runs the family’s real estate empire and art collection, and Nikolai Solow.

And Mia is still creating, still dreaming up new projects, and still inspired by the world around her.