INTERVIEW #89 YOVANKA
Founded in: 2022
Founded by: the sisters duo Natali (design) and Olivera (marketing)
Stores: Online store, shipping worldwide, https://yovanka.maison/shop
Price range: 35 EUR - 85 EUR
Instagram: @yovanka.maison
Yovanka. Welcome to A Sustainable Closet! Tell us about your beautiful brand and why founded Yovanka?
Thank you. It’s great to be part of a community sharing the same passion and lifestyle as us. We feel the world is suffocated by fast fashion, we produce a lot of waste as humans and we feel we have to do something about it. We were always inspired by beautiful and long-lasting timeless fashion pieces and we knew we can connect our knowledge and passion and create something everyone can enjoy. Our philosophy is designed with a zero-waste approach and made to order. We don’t keep stock and therefore no material is wasted.
How did you come up with the brand name, Yovanka Maison?
Our brand name is Yovanka, Maison is only an extension. It all began in the '90s when we were mesmerised by the magic of our grandma’s hand-crafted knits. Mentored by our grandma throughout our childhood, who taught us traditional crochet and knitting techniques, here we are two decades later slowly building our sustainable brand. We named it Yovanka in her honour.
Where do you source the material from?
We source it locally. Each of our bucket hats is made from 100% deadstock cotton yarn. Due to overproduction most of the factories have dead stocks that usually end up as waste. Where someone sees waste, we see treasure. The cotton yarn is produced in the same factory and area where it has been previously harvested. The yarn was produced in Macedonia. Therefore all of our bucket hats are made locally. The yarn is OEKO-Tex certified. Its aim is to ensure the products are free from harmful substances which may cause allergies.
Which is your best-selling product?
Our best-selling product is the wavy wild fern bucket hat. It’s a real hit among our customers.
We are curious about where the products are being produced, spill the beans!
Our products are made locally (in Macedonia), but sometimes the designer produces the products herself and she ships them directly from Italy where she is based.
Who is the typical Yovanka customer?
Our customer is caring for the planet, has an ethical wardrobe and has a great fashion style.
Where do you find inspiration?
Everywhere. Mostly in nature, music, films, books and so on.
What have been and are the major challenges of starting your own business?
Every new step is a challenge of some sort. First sourcing the materials, working on prototypes and so on. When you create a brand, you are not only a designer, but you do everything that makes a successful brand, like market targeting, finding the right team etc.
What has been and is the largest gain?
The feeling of building something from scratch, something that people see and love, that feeling is immeasurable.
The best thing about Yovanka?
Being part of the change in the world. Slow fashion is the future.
What's up next?
We are working on the winter collection, stay tuned.
