Saint Martén is an ecological fashion & lifestyle brand, founded by two sisters, with a cause to inspire for conscious & mindful living that protects the environment.
We design with love our clothes, living textiles, accessories, and pottery to be both aesthetic and long-living and to provide a sense of connection with nature and with our most authentic selves. Our intention is for each product we craft to be able to serve in multiple ways: fitting well in different seasons and body shapes and helping this way to reduce consumption.
We design our products and seasonal collections inspired by simplicity, mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as by nature and the landscapes we were surrounded by in our childhood. Our design combines traditional, ethnic motives, with Mediterranean and contemporary Nordic design elements to create products that speak to the part of our soul we all share as humans, regardless of our origin, race, class, gender.
In the process of production, we support artisans and craftswomen & -men of different ages and social backgrounds to sustain a living from the art they have learned to master. In this way we wish to contribute to rescuing extinguishing handcrafts on the Balkans, creating a bridge between indigenous, traditional notions from our homelands, and contemporary designs.
All our products are hand-crafted in ways most gentle to the environment and made of natural materials.
As we believe that harmony with nature, courage for authenticity, emotional wellbeing and care for our relationships are keys to long-lasting happiness, all we do aims to spark impulses for more of that – both in our own lives & in those of our community members.
In each of our products we entangle a piece of that spirit as well as our deep hope that they will bring to you and your homes love, peace, and joy.
And will help you remember that life is beautiful.
Founders
Adriana Garelova is a fashion designer & a passionate mother of two.
Adi studied Linguistics in Veliko Tarnovo and Fashion Design in Berlin. She gathered her first experience on the field of fashion design & production with the brand Adriana Rica that she co-founded & managed together with the German designer, fine artist, and photographer Friederike Dröge between 2009 and 2013.
Later, the brand evolved in Adriana Rica Haute Couture House and specialised in evening and bridal clothing. In her free time, between care for her daughter and son, bridal fashion design and work for her newest ‘baby’, Saint Martén, Adi loves photography, aquarelle painting and trying out fine cuisine recipes. She dreams of building a botanical garden and a fashion academy in her hometown one day.
Silvena Garelova is a psychologist & researcher in adult education.
Sis studied European Studies in Ruse & Antwerp, Adult Education in Berlin, and Psychology & Psychotherapy in Veliko Tarnovo & Osnabrück. In her childhood she followed her love for ethnic music as a dancer in a traditional Bulgarian folklore ensemble.
Countless encounters with dancers from around the world shaped her cosmopolitic worldview. In her twenties she co-founded an award-winning programme for nonformal citizenship education to promote interethnic understanding on the Balkans. Currently she works as an organisational psychologist and on her doctorate at Humboldt-University, Berlin. In her free time, she plays saz – a Persian long-necked lute. She dreams of building a school of emotional wellbeing in her hometown.
For both Adi & Sis the common start-up Saint Martén is a realised dream they have had together since childhood. Here you can read more about how the idea for Saint Martén was born.
