This is my story

For the love of was born out of a strong desire to create.

I’ve loved fashion since forever. My house is filled with fashion magazines and design books. My love for fashion has been one of the few constants throughout my life. I’ve had this drive to create something in this field since I was a little girl. I always had an idyllic image of it. For me, it represented beauty and authenticity. This image changed the moment I saw ‘The True Cost’ a few years ago. It opened my eyes to the impact of fashion on people, on our planet. It forever changed the way I look at the things I buy and wear. It left me thirsty to know more. So I started to read and become more aware of the damage the fashion industry is having on our environment. Somewhere along the way, the system broke down and we have to face it. Fashion is fast, cheap, disposable. Fashion changed and this change will cost us our planet if we don’t begin to change ourselves. Change our habits. Change our mindsets.

I knew in an instant that I didn’t want to contribute more to the damage. I wanted to do the opposite. So I though, instead of creating something new, I could take something old and give it new life, new meaning.

The idea for the first collection, For the love of tradition was born when I found some things my grandmother had created decades ago, sitting away in storage, deteriorating. They were these intricated traditional designs, full of color and life. I wanted to integrate them somehow in my life, so I started sewing them onto hoodies and other clothes I was wearing at the time. Hoodies, I know.. I’ve always liked contrast in fashion and design. So, in 2019 I bought a sewing machine and taught myself how to use it. Soon after that, the idea of ‘For the love of’ was born. I wanted to show the world all the beauty lying around in hiding, forgotten in people’s closets with no current use.

My grandmother died a long time ago. She was a seamstress. A peasant. An artist. I remember the stack of fabrics near her sewing machine, the drawings, and the million buttons I used to play with as a little girl. For me, she represents all the women of her kind, peasant simple women who created beauty and continued to keep traditions alive. This collection is for her.

I thought that it had to be perfect. I wanted to create the perfect sustainable product. I became obsessed with finding the perfect materials, fabrics, zippers.. It took me a while to understand that it’s not about being 100% sustainable or circular. Not yet, at least. I learned that change can start small. Maybe just by thinking twice if you really need that new T-shirt. I learned that if each one of us starts to make a small change today, we can make a big change together.

With love,

Dana