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K
I
VAN
ARININ
I
K
ello, my name is Karina Ivanova and I was born in a small northern European country - Estonia.
I was born into a family in which all the women were engaged in handwork and arts. My grandmother was an excellent seamstress and still knits wonderful winter socks for all of us. My mother also sewed and knitted, and my aunt used to draw amazing portraits at school. It was therefore natural for me to draw and practice all sorts of handwork during my childhood. I even crocheted my first doily in elementary school!
I was signed up to go to a needlework circle where on weekends we would draw, sculpt from clay and make a variety of different items.
Our teachers were big fans of theater and cinema, and whilst we drew, they showed us old classic films like Romeo and Juliet.
H
hile working on my first collection, I started embroidering. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to completely switch from fashion design to embroidery. I always loved to work with my hands and embroidery allowed me to truly indulge in this.
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Young Karina: Hmm, how long did it take to make this dress?
I was amazed by the actors’ costumes, how they were sewn and embroidered. This captivated me throughout my school years, after which I decided to study fashion further. The history of art and costume became my favorite subject in university, and studying the world of paintings gave me even more opportunities to study historical costumes.
I was especially fascinated by the work of masters in decorating such clothes. I could look at embroidery works for hours and not understand how these could have been born in someone's mind.
At university, I also realized that the world of art, fashion, and especially the world of handicraft was incredibly huge, and I did not have enough university knowledge to become an excellent craftsman. I understood that there was still a lot to learn, discover, and understand for myself. I started paying attention to the world around me. What colors were found most often in nature? Why did I like some buildings and not others? Why did one bring me delight and the other, on the contrary, disapproval. I started to train my taste in arts, fashion, composition and color.
The year was 2014 and I was very much into dark fashion. I think Dracula was to blame for this, which I watched as a child.
I wanted to take a break from creating clothes and focus on accessories.
Thus, the idea of creating small handbags was born. I would like my creations to be treasured by people for a long time and to be companions at the most important events and moments in life. Such handbags should not be simple, rather memorable, unique and interesting.
These exquisite pieces can be passed on to children and grandchildren, carrying their stories and adventures to the next generation.
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My work is a journey that I started as a child and that I continue to this day.
In times of fast fashion, I am especially reverent about handwork. Such work takes a lot of time, effort and determination. Every one of my pieces contains my heart, soul and passion.
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