Mia Esteban is an aspiring young glass artist from the Philippines. A hobbyist fashion designer, Mia was pulled in a new direction when a chance encounter introduced her to the world of glass. Armed with a passion for learning, Mia crossed the world this summer to begin her glass education at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass, where she studied the theories and practices of flameworking and coldworking.

Before returning home, Mia was kind enough to join me for a conversation about her experience pursuing glassmaking, her plans for what’s next, and what motivates her to keep pushing forward.
“I’ve always been into the arts. I love everything about fashion. I still visit Vogue Runway to see the newest collections of every designer and what they’re taking inspiration from. But since there are so many people in the space, it’s so hard to differentiate yourself,” Mia said. “Because of that, I was in a conundrum where I didn’t know what my next steps should be. Then, I saw this piece by a designer brand called Coperni, and it was this glass bag. It was just art. It was so cool to see fashion expressed in a different medium. It was so new to me. I started researching glass, and I ended up becoming friends with Anna Orlina.”
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