Akvilina Vaičaitytė

Toks Visoks

Leatherworker

©Akvilina Vaičaitytė

Upcycling leather

Akvilina made her first handbag from an old leather jacket
A former swimmer, she plunged into the world of leather
She loves to create durable items

Akvilina Vaičaitytė first passion was swimming. She studied in the US, graduating in communications and then decided to return to her hometown of Kaunas in Lithuania. There she worked in an advertising company, pursuing her interest in photography and wrote a blog about style called toksvisoks (this and that). Then she fell in love with leather. “One day I bought a few leather coats from a second-hand store, I cut them up, cleaned and ironed the materials, and constructed the mother of all bags - followed by many more.” Now Akvilina creates handbags, backpacks, purses, and belts. From the leather selection to design, down to the finest details and the very last seam, everything is done by her hands. Curiosity and vigorous energy drive her to keep creating new models and looking for innovative slow fashion solutions.

Interview

©Akvilina Vaičaitytė

©Marija Steiblienė

What fascinates you most about your work?: I really like working with my hands, constantly touching something and creating. Leather is an extremely beautiful material, it is alive, there is no monotony when working with it as it is different every time.
What is your source of inspiration?: Myself. I create things that I, a woman who feels equally at ease in the city and surrounded by nature, would find comfortable and beautiful. I love the unisex style, loose clothes and unrestrained, durable items.
What is the hardest part about creating leather goods?: In the physical sense, it is quite a complex material, so it requires a lot of physical work – to pull, to stretch, to impress. But I really like doing it, so nothing is hard for me.
What challenges do you set for yourself?: The most important thing in my work is the practicality, versatility and longevity of the products. I am very happy when customers who bought my handbag five or more years ago come and ask for it to be revived and renewed.

Akvilina Vaičaitytė is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2012