My name is Yoana Valerieva. I'm 24 and I believe in a simple but often forgotten thing: style is an expression, not an answer.
We spend our whole lives asking ourselves, “What will people say?” And the real question is:
"What are we saying without saying a word?"
As a teenager, I was exactly that – the “different one”. Bold, sometimes too much. With a taste that wasn’t always “understood”. With ideas that weren’t always “liked”. But I never stopped experimenting. My style grew with me. And after many hesitations, often deplorable results, criticisms and compliments, I realized one thing:
Expressing yourself through your vision is not vanity, but strength.
And then hats appeared – not just an accessory, but a canvas for everyone's personal stories. A favorite song, color, zodiac sign, movie, book, mood, emotion – anything can be woven into them.
So I started making custom hats – not to be "fashionable", but to be yours .
Each hat encapsulates the soul, style and character of its owner.
Each one says, "Look at me. This is me."
HOW DID IT ALL START?
With a friend and a joking question:
"Why would you buy it when you can make it nicer?"
I bought three plain hats. I decorated them. I photographed them. I uploaded them.
And before I could even think about selling them – they were no longer available.
Thus, between hesitation and enthusiasm, a project was born into which my heart went completely.
But just decorating hats wasn't enough. I wanted to understand the craft in depth, so I completed a hat-making course and can now proudly call myself a hatter. My main mission is to breathe new life into this (almost) forgotten craft – to preserve the traditions, but to show them in a completely new, bolder, more inspiring way.
To this day, I continue to do so with the support of my incredible mother – my quiet hero who inspires me every day. And with the support of you – the people who trust me, wear my hats and show them to the world.
I still have a long way to go before I start creating exactly those hats that live in my head and are waiting for their moment.
MY PHILOSOPHY
Every brand can start with an idea. But if it doesn't have values , it can easily become a stall of soulless products. You can read more about them here.
My aspiration is to create not just beautiful hats, but conscious accessories - ones that tell personal stories, inspire confidence, make your style memorable, and most of all - remind you that being yourself is the most enduring trend!
And if anyone ever says to you, "It's very..." - extravagant, daring, different - smile and reply, "That's exactly what I wanted."
With love and respect for you and your style
- Joanna (The Mad Hatter)