# Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur

> Sarah Miyazawa LaFleur is the founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur, the New York workwear brand she named after her mother and built to take the guesswork out of getting dressed for professional women. A Harvard graduate who walked away from a private equity job after four months, she launched the company in 2013 with designer Miyako Nakamura and Narie Foster, popularized the curated Bento Box, and later coined the post-pandemic dress code she calls Power Casual.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at M.M.LaFleur
- **Organizations:** M.M.LaFleur, Bain & Company, TechnoServe, Starwood Capital Group, Aspen Global Leadership Network, Federal Reserve Bank of New York (Advisory Council), Downtown Alliance of New York City
- **From:** Paris, France
- **Nationality:** American (Japanese-American)
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Founded and scaled M.M.LaFleur, a direct-to-consumer workwear brand for professional women, Raised about $85 million in total funding, including a $35 million Series B in 2019, Coined the post-pandemic dress code 'Power Casual'

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Graduated from Harvard University
- **2006-2010** — Worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company and at TechnoServe, including a stint studying agricultural business in South Africa
- **2010-2011** — Joined private equity firm Starwood Capital Group in New York and Paris, managing part of its luxury goods portfolio
- **2011** — Left private equity after roughly four months and co-founded M.M.LaFleur with Miyako Nakamura and Narie Foster
- **2013** — M.M.LaFleur launches to the public
- **2019** — Discontinues the original Bento Box subscription, shifting to curated monthly capsules
- **2020** — Announces free clothing for women running for political office
- **2023** — Marks ten years of M.M.LaFleur and champions the Power Casual dress code

## Achievements

- Founded and scaled M.M.LaFleur, a direct-to-consumer workwear brand for professional women
- Raised about $85 million in total funding, including a $35 million Series B in 2019
- Coined the post-pandemic dress code 'Power Casual'
- Named a Henry Crown Fellow within the Aspen Global Leadership Network
- Serves on the Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
- Board member of the Downtown Alliance of New York City

## Latest updates

- **2023-02** — Reflected publicly on ten years since founding M.M.LaFleur and set new commitments for the company.
- **2023-09** — Featured in Fortune for reinventing M.M.LaFleur around the 'Power Casual' dress code after the pandemic reshaped office life.

## Links

- Website: https://mmlafleur.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-miyazawa-lafleur-530ab1a
- Twitter/X: http://twitter.com/mmlafleur
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahmlafleur/
- Facebook: http://facebook.com/mmlafleurnyc

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sarah-lafleur
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-03