Our customers are very diverse.
Each has their own story, their own rhythm and their own reason for choosing things made by hand. Some look for peace, some — courage, others simply the feeling that an item matters. And it is exactly in these stories that the common thread appears — a desire for authenticity.
Also studio vēl's story begins with a desire. A desire to create something myself, combining a love of fashion and nature, away from haste and mass production.
This is how the brand got its name — its roots can be found in a moment of inward pause — a time when Beāte Siliņa decided to change direction and let creativity return to its natural flow.
How did studio vēl come about — from what feeling, thought or need did it grow?
I always like to start this story with the words — it all began with a desire. The desire to create something myself, combining my love for the world of fashion and nature. That's why I named the brand studio vēl, and the first bag collection “vēlme”.
By profession I am a graphic designer, and for the past two years I worked an office job in my field. It was a valuable experience that taught me a lot, but in the long run the excessive structure and inability to develop my ideas as a creative person led me to complete burnout and even a struggle with depression.
In the summer I decided to stop and take a break — a kind of internal “restart”. About a month later the idea for studio vēl came to me. So I can confidently say — this is not just a business or a job for me. It is part of me. I see it as my first little child, in whose development I can also involve my mother.
Why is it important to you that the bags are 100% handmade? What does that change in the final feeling?
My goal has never been to earn a million. I simply want to live doing what I truly enjoy and what gives me fulfillment. Handmade for me means presence in the process — each piece is created individually, not on a conveyor.
I feel that customers sense that too. It is often this personal touch that is why they choose studio vēl.
Why did you choose cotton velvet specifically?
Velvet is currently a trending fabric, but it was very important to me that it also be natural. That's how we arrived at cotton velvet.
This is a principle I will stick to going forward — we will work only with natural materials. They are not only more aesthetically pleasing, but also more sustainable. I don't want to add another polyester product to the world that has no story and no long life.
What does your creative process look like — from idea to finished bag?
Right now my creative process is a beautiful mess. Each day is different, and the creation process itself adapts to demand.
It usually all starts in my home, where I prepare materials, fabrics and details. The process finishes in my family home, where the bag is sewn to completion. At this stage my mother, who by profession is a seamstress, helps me a lot. This collaboration makes studio vēl even more personal.
Is there a moment, a customer or a review that made you stop and think — yes, this makes sense?
Honestly, I am still a little shocked by everything happening nearly every day.
But I vividly remember one morning when, sitting at my computer and going through orders, I simply started to cry. From joy and gratitude.
Every time I receive a heartfelt review, I stop and try to truly take it in. Those are the moments that remind me — this all has meaning.
What would you advise someone who wants to live more consciously — less, but of higher quality?
Yes, local producers' goods are often more expensive, but they last much longer. By supporting our own, we help keep money circulating in our own country. Your purchase no longer pays someone's foreign millionaire's salary, but gives work to a creative person right here in Latvia.
First comes the idea, then the fabric, the threads and the quiet in which the form takes shape. Each stitch requires attention, patience and presence — just like the things that stay with us longer than a single season.
Nothing at Studio Vēl is made in a hurry. Each bag is sewn with the thought of the person who will wear it, the story that will be added over time, and the hands that made it. Sewing studio vēl is not just a technical process — it is a conversation between material and feeling.
And perhaps that is exactly why these items find their people.
Because everything sewn with desire holds together not only fabric — it holds a story. 🌿
