How it all started…

Studio Katya is an independent brand created by me, Katrina Zaharova.
I was born in Latvia and I've spent the majority of my life in the countryside surrounded by nature which thought me to see beauty in the simple things - each rock on the road and the unique pattern and surface it had, sunshine shining through the birch and oak trees and dewy mornings filled with fresh air. It was also reflected in the clothes it was always repaired and being taken care of and sometimes to give them new life they would be upcycled into something else in a creative way and I discovered that the options were endless. That's how I found my passion for creativity and I connected with it through art and textiles, throwing myself into various creative projects.


In 2009 I moved to the UK I enrolled on college and then to university where I found a new passion for the technical construction of garments and challenged myself by experimenting with different techniques, high-end finishings, mixing different fabrications and creating my own fabric/textiles. After graduation, I got an opportunity to work for a high-end sampling studio where I further developed my understanding of luxury wear, then to develop my understanding of the fashion industry I moved to work as a high street designer where the sad truth of how fast fashion operates made me realise how damaging the fast fashion industry is.


What was behind the idea? 

Having missed my childhood, the beauty of calmness and stillness of life and the importance of taking care of and appreciating everything things that you have, I wanted to share those nostalgic feelings and values with people. I decided to bring that through the art of making clothes, that reflect youthfulness, femininity, fearlessness, blissfully in love with life and the feeling of freedom I wanted to share that experience with the customers, wanting them to enjoy and feel confident in what they wear by creating garments that not only are beautiful on the outside but also inside.



Every piece has a story, 

Studio Katya’s purpose is to merge femininity, style, quality and sustainability together and it's translated through finding beautiful one-of-a-kind fabrics, curtains or bedsheets from vintage shops giving it another life so every garment has a little story behind it. I also find some beautiful cottons from a local independent fabric shop and as well as buying end-of-roll fabrics, trying to use what's already there. Every piece is unique and made to order so there is never any fabric wasted, which also means that each customer can alter their order be it having dress length shorter or longer, changing fabric or shape of the sleeves, the sky is the limit here you can be as creative as you want. I want to give a wearer the experience of being creative and unique and not afraid to express themselves.



 I make every piece myself by designing, sourcing fabric, pattern cutting, making, packing and posting it to you, individually. ensuring everything is done with uttermost care and attention.


 

Follow the creative journey on Instagram