Featured Shop: Viveo

Hi! My name is Sergio, and I make customized leather accessories, belts and bags in Odessa, Ukraine, with my mother, Nataly, and my father, Sergio. Our brand is called Viveo.

Viveo started in 2011. At the time, we were making leather tote bags for ourselves as a hobby, and also giving them to friends as gifts. Some of these friends advised us to show our goods at local markets; after taking part in several markets and getting good feedback, we decided to open an Etsy shop.

My parents and I make all of our items by hand at our house; we are involved in all aspects of the design and manufacturing process from beginning to end. The full-grain leather we work with is produced especially for us at an old tannery, and we work closely with a colorist and leather manufacturer to develop our colors. We work six days a week, for about 10 hours a day.

Beauty, practicality and durability are our main goals while we design. We are inspired by vintage leather goods, and we love having the ability to express our ideas through leather. Knowing that our items make people happy worldwide is such a good feeling.

Etsy means a lot to us – it’s a great opportunity to show our products around the world and collaborate with customers to make personalized goods. Etsy isn’t just a marketplace, it’s a place where you can meet friends; we’re very thankful for that. Our main goal for the future is to continue producing items that make life easier and spread good emotions. We’re planning to open our first store here in Odessa soon, so if you’re around stop by and say hi!

All photographs by Viveo.