Lu Loves Indie Labels: Interview with Koo

Hello, dear readers! Hope your weekend has been a nice one! :)
Today I want to introduce an idependent label which I personally like a lot! I got to know Maggie and her jewellery label Koo by chance this spring and since then, we've been in contact with each other. I had already shown two of her great necklaces in a blog post some months ago and since then, they have belonged to some of my favorite accessories.
A while ago, Maggie has released another collection with new shapes, pastels and bright summer colors and I was again given the chance to choose two pieces for a cooperation, yay! I chose those two yellow necklaces and I simply love them! Because I didn't only want to show you her handmade items, but also wanted to let you know more about Maggie and her label Koo, I asked her some interview questions for your. :) Here we go!
"Hello dear readers! I am Maggie and the head of Koo. I like to be creative and to make people happy with my jewelry. I just finished my studies in product-design and I am 24 years old. I love to read and to eat great food. Normally I am a little bit shy. :)

How did the idea develop to sell handmade things and to establish an own indpendent label?
I am a creative person. When I need something new, first I try to create it myself. I love to knit, to sew and to paint. When my sister wished for handmade jewelry for Christmas, I invented some shapes for pendants. My sister liked them and I thought: "That was fun, do some more" and had many other pendant-shapes in mind. And as a student, there is always the need for some more money, so I decided to open a shop, at first on DaWanda and some weeks later also at Etsy. I am lucky that so many people like my jewelry, because I have tried other student-jobs like working as a waitress - and I was lousy. ;)
Could you tell something about your process of creating a new item? How does an idea become a finished product?
It's always different. As a design-student, I had to work very hard to create a new product. It took about four months to finish a semester-project. I had to research other products and also society, had to make a lot of sketches and to consult a professor every week. There were alway ups and downs when ideas were rejected or my concept just didn't work. But with my label I feel very free to make everything I want. Just today in the morning I had some new ideas for a new material I want to use (copper) and some new shapes. It always gives me thrills to imagine the finished product. So I immediately made some sketches and I am looking forward to make some models. Unfortunately, the workshop of my university is closed during summer, but I am lucky that my father has an own workshop, too, and is always happy to help me. So I am going to build some models and try to make a variety of the first idea. That is always important to me because so I can choose which model is the best and I also ask friends and wear my designs myself before I sell them.
Any future plans regarding your creative work? :)
Right now, I am very satisfied how my shop is developing. It is so much fun to know that there are people who wear my designs and also like them. In my university studies I specialized on designing industrial products like furniture. I am currently thinking about another shop with furniture I made, but I also want to make an internship in a design-agency and then gain a master degree. But whatever I am doing, I am sure that my label "Koo" is going to play an important role.
Thank you again for answering those questions, Maggie! :)

So dear readers, here are again the necklaces I have chosen. I love their shapes, their colors and their material and they match my style quite good! :) The yellow is perfect for summer outfits and I'm sure I will still use the necklaces in fall quite often. Moreover, I really like Maggie's shop concept (link below), because her product photos are so bright and colorful.
Which of those two shapes I've chosen is your favorite?
What I most love about working and cooperation with other small labels (apart from testing their great handmade items :)) is to get to know the designer better and to get insights into other people's working process! :) This interview also helped me to get to know more about the design process and the designer and for me, this makes the main difference from buying mass produced products! Horray for handmade!

So if you are interested in Maggie's other designs and are in love with her jewellery as much as I am, simply visit her shop! :)

Those necklaces were sponsored for a cooperation, but this didn't touch my personal opinion!
Lu

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Lu Loves Indie Labels - Blütezeit Berlin.

Hello, hello! Remember my outfit post with that awesome green hoodie? :) It was handmade by Blütezeit Berlin, the indie label I want to introduce in this blogpost! :) Back in spring, I got to know Kristin, the label's owner, and she suggested a cooperation. I was invited to visit her in her shop and studio, I chose two great handmade pieces of clothing from her label, tooks lots of photos and then I asked her lots of questions about her work so that you and I can get to know her better. Since Luloveshandmade is an indepentent label, too (although I'm currently more focused on my blog than on selling handmade items), I find it always super interesting to get to know more about other people's work. :) So here's what I can tell you about Blütezeit Berlin.
Kristin Jacob, the owner and founder of Blütezeit Berlin, is a fashion designer who came to Berlin in 2005 in order to become an Assistant of Fashion and Design. Afterwards, she studied fashion design at the University of Applied Sciences and in the meantime, she has already been starting her own brand. In her spare time, she loves travelling, reading, skateboarding, and yoga and of course, making clothes. Almost everything in her wardrobe is made by herself. Since the beginning of this year, she is a mum. Being a mother now is her most important job and the best thing which could have happened to her.
Are you curious about how she got the idea to found an independent business? :) Kristin has known for more than ten years that she wanted to work independently one day. When she was sixteen years old, she was the intern at an advertising agency and has been sitting in front of the computer for eight hours a day. From that time on, she knew that this was not what she wanted to do for the rest of her life and that she needed more variety. The good thing about being self-employed is that it is often up to you how much you earn, because it depends on how hard you work. You can organize your day on your own and it´s always exciting because you never know what´s coming next. Of course, this is exhausting, too, she told me, because even in her spare time, Kristin thinks about work, too.
How did Blütezeit Berlin come to life? Well, Kristin told me that creating clothes has been her hobby for a long time. At the age of thirteen, she has been sitting at her mother’s sewing machine for the first time and then she started making clothes herself. Because her own wardrobe was too full because of all the clothes, she started selling them on DaWanda. When people started to buy them, she went on with creating new designs.
Kristin is the mother of a little daughter and being self-employed better allows her to balance motherhood and work. At the moment, she takes her baby daughter to work with her and it is made even easier because her studio and shop (which she shares with another designer) are at the same place. But off course, she currently works much less than before, because she enjoys the time with her baby and this inspires her a lot. What is really great is that in the future she then wants to design Blütezeit Berlin clothes for babies and kids.
When I asked Kristin about her favorite thing about designing clothes, she told me that she loved making cuts, looking for new fabrics and especially seeing the new design on the model or customer, seeing how good it fits and looks. When developing a new collection and starting the design process, she first chooses the colors of the collection and then she looks for inspiration. Next, she starts looking for fabrics and makes the first sketches. The new collections are always a mixture of old and well-liked designs and new color combinations and styles. Then Kristin starts sewing the first clothes of a collection and step by step, all the pieces are created.
What I also wanted to know was if Kristin had any advice for other people who want to become self-employed and want to found their own indie business, especially a fashion label. She told me what was most important is to be passionate about your work, because you are going to work a lot! Moreover, it’s not bad to have some knowledge about running a business, because most of the time, you will rather be a businessman (or woman :)) than a designer. Like Andy Warhol once said, “Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”
So inspiring! I always love hearing other creative people's stories and I'm always super impressed when people like Kristin spend their life with doing what they love!
What is more, I love the two pieces of clothing I was allowed to choose (the outfit post with the sweater can be see here and the outfit post with the dress can be seen here) and I especially love the cozy green streetstyle hoodie (on top of this blogpost), it's so comfy and still so pretty and super carefully made and totally worth its price! :)

If you now have become curious and want to have a look at all of Kristin's other pieces of handmade clothing, you can visit her website and shop and see more:

Blütezeit Berlin website & shop
Blütezeit Berlin DaWanda Shop
Local store with some selected items: Duncker Strasse 86, 10437 Berlin

Have fun visiting her (virtual or local) shop and thank you again, Kristin! :)
Lu

P.S.: If you also have your own (indie) business and want to be introduced here in the course of a cooperations, simply email me to luloveshandmade(at)web(dot)de. :)

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Lu Loves Indie Labels - Olenka Vintage

Hey everyone, today I want to introduce and welcome my latest sponsor, Alex of Olenka Vintage!

A short time ago, I have invited her to advertise on my blog, because I love her shop on DaWanda in which she sells carefully chosen vintage and second hand pieces of clothing. Last year, I found her shop while I was searching for vintage dresses on DaWanda and since then, I have bought three of her awesome dresses which now belong to my favorite ones in my wardrobe (one can be seen here, another one can be seen here, worn by Stef of Magnoliaelectric during out vintage clothing shoot). Even my mama has bought something pretty in Alex' shop. :)

When Stef, Stefanie and I started our "How to Shop and Style Vintage Clothes" series last summer, I sent Alex a mail so that she could see what her customers do with her clothes and then I thought it would be a good idea to invite her as a sponsor, because I REALLY like her shop, her clothes and the overall look of Olenka Vintage and now I can happily welcome her here! :)

Alex answered me a few questions in order to let you know more about her shop and the idea behind it and I hope that some of you will fall as much in love with her range of clothes as I did. :)

Alex, the young woman behing the shop Olenka Vintage (Olenka comes from the Polish belittlement for Alexandra), is 29 years old, has a five year old son and lives in Heidelberg. When I asked her how she developed the idea to open her own DaWanda shop, she told me that she has been in India to find out about what she wanted to do in the future, she has gone there after she had just finished her studies (Sociology and Management Studies). Afterwards, she decided to make something she likes and with which she could earn money, because she had plenty of time (applying for and getting a job took her longer than she had expected) and because she doesn't like doing nothing at all.

She has always been a big fan of vintage things and at this time, she got to know a wholesaler who then started providing her with awesome vintage clothes and from who she still gets all the awesome, unique pieces you can find in her shop. At about the same time, Alex discovered DaWanda and she was excited about the idea to pass on the clothes which she liked so much to other women, because she could hardly keep and wear them all by herself. :) This way, Alex is able to find fulfilment in her passion for special pieces of clothing without having to fear that her wardrobe could explode.

Concerning the time when she started her little business with vintage clothes, Alex told me that in September 2010, about two years ago, she has started to take photos in her living-room and has listed the first items on DaWanda. Then, she soon realized that her customers like and appreciate the clothes she chooses and that's what made her really happy. Now she shares a small studio with a band where she takes her photos and where she stores her clothes. Only a short time ago she sold her 1000th piece of clothing which makes her really happy (congratulations!! :)).

Olenka Vintage now takes a lot of time. Alex has stayed self-employed and does the marketing for an art agency. What is more, she also does the accountancy for a bike store and even holds workshops for kids in a library. As you can see, she carries out various, slightly different jobs (what she totally likes) and she also has her son with whom the day is filled out until the evenings.

Her love for vintage - the really old, original things - has always been a part of Alex' life. As she told me, she has always had a certain nostalgia for the 60s and 70s, although she's only 29. She has grown up with the music of this time and at the age of 16, she bought her first leather coat from the 70s on a flea market. What Alex currently is excited about are the 80s and 90s.
 Because she is someone who cares a lot about sustainability and who has an aweness for ecological concerns, it was bad for her to know that a huge part of all second hand clothes are simply turned into cleaning rags by the industry and she wanted to save those precious pieces in order to use things in a sustainable way. She can't stand the thought that things are thrown away and destroyed, although they still completely fulfil their function. Not only because of this she's happy about the current vintage trend! What is more, Alex also likes that by means of shopping used clothes, one can still afford a certain quality standard which one maybe couldn't afford when buying completely new clothes.
 After getting to know all those things about Alex, her shop and the concept behind it, I even love it more! :)
I hope you're gonna have a look at all the amazing things she offers, too! I check out her shop on a regular basis and each time I'm fascinated by all the new, unique pieces. I love when clothes have been worn before and can tell a story and I always imagine how the previous owner might have been like and to which occasions those clothes have already been worn! :)

Those two pieces are some of Alex's favorite items in her shop (too bad that they have already been sold :)). The mini dress is a designer piece from Yvette Paris, made of golden velvet fabric with a paisley pattern.)

Thanks again for letting us know more about you and your shop, dear Alex! :)
Lu

(If you are interested in advertising on my blog, too, you can read my sponsor information. :))

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Favorite Blogs: Interview with Stefanie of Squeaky Swing.

Hello my lovely readers! :) This week's Friday interview is with my lovely blogger pal Stefanie of Squeaky Swing! She's an inspiring and super creative young teacher from Switzerland with a really cute blog (that many of you may already know, but nevertheless, you can now get to know her a little better :)) and a feeling for pretty DIY projects. Can't hardly wait, Stefanie and I and some really amazing other bloggers are going to meet each other very soon, but that's another story which I will surely tell a lot about... :)
So here's the interview:

***

1. Please introduce yourself. :)
Hey everyone, I’m Stefanie, I’m 25 and I live in Switzerland. I have been a secondary school teacher since January, so I’m still getting accustomed to this job, but I really like it so far, especially working in a team of good people I’m getting along well. We have a lot of fun during the breaks:)!
 2. Why and when did you start blogging?
I started blogging in July 2011, so it’s been just about one year now. I have always been someone who needed to keep memories in a diary. When I was older I neglected writing down stuff that was important to me and I felt really bad about it. And I also felt like I needed something to boost my creative energy. So starting a blog was like a new start for keeping my everyday life at a place where I could go back to so I wouldn’t forget about it.
I’m nervous though I don’t have it all written down on paper and all the photos not printed out. What will happen once the internet breaks down forever??? That’s why I’m still keeping a little “real” diary where I can also write down very personal things.
 3. How would you briefly describe yourself and your style?
That’s hard. I’d say I’m a quiet and contemplative person. I like being by myself and making things. Through my style I want to express the happy side of myself. I love colorful clothes and floral prints. If I could live in a shop, it would have to be ModCloth!
 4. What is special about your blog? What makes it unique?
I believe that being Swiss in the blogger world is unique. It seems like there are no other Swiss bloggers out there! Other than that, I would say that my blog design is unique, because it’s all written and drawn by me.
5. What is the best thing you have ever made / created / sewed / cooked / …? Please tell me about your best project and share a link!
As far as reactions go, I think it were the bowls made of a doily. This isn’t my idea from scratch of course, so I would say I like restyling things the most. For example this handbag. And I also really love doing outfit posts!
6. Concerning the creative part of your life, what is the best thing that has ever happened to you?
My blog :).
 7. Who and / or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration from and how does your inspirational process look like?
I’m inspired by fellow bloggers, the Internet and mostly by everyday life. That’s why I want to keep up that blog so I can do something about it! If I see something pretty I want to make, for example on the Internet, I save a picture or a link on my computer. I keep a to do list with all the things I want to make so every idea will be noted there. And then I’ll work it off. But the most important thing is that I don’t want to just copy these ideas and present them on my blog, but work out my own version by changing things or combining different ideas. Sometimes ideas also just pop up, especially when it comes to designing things for my home.
8. How do you organize blogging? Do you always prepare your posts in advance or do you rather spontaneously post about what comes to your mind?
I have sooo many ideas in my mind that I couldn’t live without to do lists. Almost every day I jot down ideas. If I’m really excited about something, I write a post about it immediately, but for elaborate projects I have a list I’m working off. And I want my topics to take turns so it won’t get boring. I could never write about only one specific topic!
9. How do you manage to get a balance between everyday work as a young teacher and your private life as a creative woman?
It’s very difficult. Being a teacher is an intensive job and demands lots of long hours. My time for creativity is after work until bedtime and on the weekends. But I always feel like there’s too little time for my projects. I would love to work on my ideas every day from am to pm!
10. Please name three of your favorite blogs to share them with my readers and briefly tell me why you like them and what makes them worth reading.
You all know them and you all know why…:)
1. A Beautiful Mess (My very favorite blog, although I have my issues with how it changed recently.)
2. Bleubird Vintage (It’s the most inspiring family blog!)
3. WishWishWish (My favorite British blog)
11. Please share links to three of your favorite DIY ideas or projects by other creative people. :)
1. I love this toilet paper rolls recycling project by Rotkehlchen.
2. Love this blog and these super cute necklaces made of ironing beads by Tagträumerin.
3. Since I love polka dots, I immediately fell for this restyling project by Wolkengleich.
 

12. Is there anything really important you‘ve learned through blogging and do you have any useful advice for other bloggers?
I’m still learning, but I think the quality of the posts and originality are two very important things. I decided not to put pressure on myself to write a post everyday, but to take my time and prepare my ideas carefully, photograph them as good as I can. I also try bringing in personal stories every now and then so my readers feel connected to me and also see me on my photos.
 13. What is your biggest dream or most important goal you want to achieve?
For the near future I would love to open my very own online shop with all things handmade. Mostly accessories and things for the home. Later I would LOVE to create a line of handmade dresses and maybe someday open my own boutique where I would sell handmade things and all kinds of cute dresses for quirky girls. But that needs a lot of preparation, hard work and time time time…

***

Dear Stefanie, thank you so much for answering my questions, now you're even more appealing to me than before! :) Can't believe that we're going to meet in less than two weeks! <3
Lu

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Favorite Blogs: Interview with Laura of Tagträumerin

Hello everyone! :) It's time for the weekly Friday interview, today with my lovely blogger pal Laura from Leipzig who writes the awesome, colorful blog Tagträumerin which is about fashion, second hand, DIY and lifestyle, written by a lovely lady who knows how to enjoy life. :) Can't wait, Laura and I are going to meet each other in person in only three weeks! <3
So here's her very inspiring and interesting interview, have fun! :)

***

1. Please introduce yourself. :)
Hi there, my name is Laura and I’m from Leipzig, Germany – my favourite city in the whole world! After finishing my A-levels, I did an apprenticeship as a tailor. At the moment, I’m studying fashion design in a small city named Schneeberg. This summer, I’ve been blogging at Tagtraeumerin (translation = day dreamer) for five years! Crazy!
2. Why and when did you start blogging?
I started my blog in the summer of 2007, because I wanted to share my own point of view on fashion and my craft projects. At that time, I had been sewing for about 2 years, but I was still far away from being an expert, so I also wanted to document the progress I was making.
3. How would you briefly describe your blog and its style? What is the main focus of your blog?
I love colors, so they’re a big part of my life and, naturally, of my blog. I love playing with patterns and colors in my projects and outfits to create something fresh. In addition, I really like interesting, surprising and funny details. The main focus of my blog is to make people happy. My aim is to motivate others to enjoy the beauty of every day and make beautiful things with their own two hands. I post about my outfits, craft projects, vintage finds and inspirations.
4. What is special about you and your personal style? What makes you unique?
As I mentioned before, I think I have my own point of view that differs from what the fashion world thinks is “in”. I like to mix vintage elements and bright colors into something that appeals to me – no matter if others think it’s fashionable or not. To my mind, it’s important to follow your own style when it comes to fashion and design.
5. What is the best thing you have ever made / created / sewed / cooked / …? Please tell me about your best project and share a link!
Wow, that is one difficult question, since I have made so many things I love and wear regularly! However, this t-shirt adorned with a silk peter-pan-collar from last summer is definitely among my all-time-favourites!

6. Concerning the creative part of your life, what is the best thing that has ever happened to you?
Last Spring, I got an e-mail from a big German publishing company mainly focused on craft books. You know what? They asked me to write a book for them! They had an idea for the book and asked me to write a brief concept. Obviously, it was convincing, so I won the contract and wrote a book last year! In November of 2011, “Hilfe! Meine Jeans hat ein Loch” (translation = "Help! There's a hole in my pair of jeans!") finally came out. As you can imagine, it was amazing to hold my first book in my hands! I’m still so proud and thankful for this opportunity that I would not have been given without my blog. If you want to know a bit more, take a look at this post.
7. Who and / or what inspires you? Where do you get your inspiration from and how does your inspirational process look like?
I get inspired by so many things! Vintage books and magazines, nature, the people who surround me, my home town Leipzig, beautiful blogs and websites like yours, … I always try to go through the world with open eyes and carry a little notebook or my camera with me most of the time. If I see something that appeals to me, I record it and might use it later on. 
8. In which way does your course of study contribute to the content of your blog?
Although I don’t post about my university projects that often (except at the end of the term when I’m not able to think about anything else), studying Fashion Design has influenced the way I see and design things. In addition, I have been able to improve my creative skills, for instance photography and drawing.
9. How do you organize blogging? Do you always prepare your posts in advance or do you rather spontaneously post about what comes to your mind?
It depends. At the end of the week, I always write down my blog post ideas for the next week. I sometimes get to prepare a few posts, sometimes I don’t. However, I always try to add spontaneous posts to my “schedule”, because I think that makes a blog more up to date and personal.

10. Please name three of your favorite blogs to share them with my readers and briefly tell me why you like them and what makes them worth reading.
My absolute favourites are Mein Morgenstern, Squeaky Swing as well as A Beautiful Mess. Oh, and I love your blog, Lu, but I guess that doesn’t count!
11. Please share links to three of your favorite DIY ideas or projects by other creative people. :)
Eni’s shelf make-over, the horse throw pillows from A Beautiful Mess and Stefanie’s lace bag are among my all-time-favourites!

12. Is there anything really important you‘ve learned through blogging and do you have any useful advice for other bloggers?
I think it’s important to do what you love and what makes you happy. Thinking too much about other people or visitor figures will not make you feel inspired, but dejected. Do your own thing and if others like it, too, that’s fine! If they don’t, keep doing what you love – someday you will find the right readers! Another advice I have is: be focused! I like blogs with a strong focus and personal style and bloggers who know what they have to say.

13. What is your biggest dream or most important goal you want to achieve?
I hope I can, at some point, make a living from what I love to do. Maybe blogging, maybe writing books, maybe sewing beautiful things and selling them, maybe writing tutorials and selling sewing patterns, maybe creating websites for others. In addition, I dream of having my own little family, owning a big garden with homegrown vegetables and a retro caravan to spend our summer vacations in… But no matter if that becomes true or not, I try enjoy every single day and make an effort to see the beauty in “ordinary” things.

***

So inspiring and charming, thank you again so much for answering my questions!! :)
Lu <3

(All photos in this post belong to Tagträumerin!)

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