Miosa Bridal

“Miosa” is a combination of two names: Michael and Sanea Sommerfield. Miosa Bridal is a combination of two visions: that of a husband and a wife making wedding garments for future husbands and wives.

“We knew we wanted to offer a high-level product,” said Sanea of Miosa’s beginnings. “The only possibility was bridal, because women don’t buy that caliber of dress for any other occasion.”

Sanea brought her business sensibilities to the team, while Michael pulled from experience he gained sewing outdoor wear at his father’s store, Frostline Kits, at age 11. Michael went on to open his own tailoring shop in Sacramento, where he noticed common flaws in clothing design.

Miosa works to avoid those flaws, creating brand-new Miosa-designed gowns for each bride that “celebrate all the positives and remove all the negatives” of her figure, said Sanea. They design men’s suits to be “Armaniesque with clean lines.”

Many gowns are sewn from fabrics bought in France and Italy; the suits are crafted from Italian and British fabrics. And the designs are often inspired by travels to western Europe. “The Spanish influence is very heavy in what we do,” said Sanea.

The Sommerfields also offer formal wear in a shop around the corner from Miosa Bridal called Miosa Couture. But the proudest moments of their fashion career happen when a bride is moved by the dress they have created especially for her.

“This has to be the dress she picks for the rest of her life,” Michael said.

Sanea echoed, “It’s a reflection of her that you’ve made.”

Available at Miosa Bridal, 1125 J Street; (916) 443-1301; www.miosabride.com.