Marina Vaptzarova is an ethical luxury lifestyle brand that creates contemporary journals exclusively handmade from Nepalese craftsmanship using natural and sustainable materials.
With sustainable development at it’s heart, Marina Vaptzarova has created designs with renewable and natural raw materials since 1993. The brand uses plant-based materials that regenerate rapidly and are harvested by hand. By adopting a complete handmade production, very little energy is needed for fabrication and waste is reduced to a minimum. Almost all materials used in production are derived from Nepal’s natural plant life. Marina Vaptzarova collects and recycles all its paper offcuts to ensure that production is as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible.
The brand supports the conservation of Nepalese craftsmanship as the production is entirely carried out by Nepalese artisans, supporting their access to the global market. Moreover, Marina Vaptzarova has, since the brand’s establishment, committed to improving working conditions and social benefits for its artisans, for example by providing health insurance and payment plans for school fees. Moreover, according to the brand’s website, Marina Vaptzarova offers its artisans to work from home, “providing additional revenues for those who cannot work outside”.
Marina Vaptzarova engages women and men from different backgrounds in multicultural Nepal. To support Nepal’s future generations, Marina Vaptzarova also donates 1% of its sales of paper designs to the Nepal Youth Foundation, which is committed to providing healthcare, shelter and educational opportunities to the county’s most impoverished children.
Respect has always been our key word, whether it is respect for the environment, the artisans or the client. – Marina Vaptzarova
Marina Vaptzarova has been awarded the Butterfly Mark, sponsored by Positive Luxury, in recognition of their commitment to social and environmental sustainability. You can head over to Positive Luxury’s website to find out all of this brand’s positive actions.
This elegant journal has a Daphley vegetal leather cover, and is lined with smooth pages hand-made from sustainable Daphne fibres. Daphne paper is made using the fibres extracted from the bark of the Himalayan Daphne bush; a Nepalese plant which regenerates rapidly once its cut. The vegetal leather used for the cover of the journal is called Daphley, an innovation created by the designer Marina Shrestha. The leather is made using the same fibres taken from the bark of the Daphne bush but is done using a different technique to that of paper. The journal comes in different colours and can be personalised using a silkscreen technique printed on the first inner page of the journal.
This journal would make the perfect gift for any stationery lover (my academic husband has already claimed it for himself). You can buy this beautiful journal and check out other designs by Marina Vaptzarova HERE.
For more information about this brand head over to
www.marinavaptzarova.com
More information on post:
Wearing: TOAST dress, RAW Copenhagen bracelet, Rolex watch, Illesteva sunglasses.
Pen: Montblanc fountain pen
Photos taken in Magdalen College in Oxford. Highly recommend making a quick stop at this college if you are visiting Oxford. It is absolutely stunning and has a deer park!
Positive Luxury sent me this piece for review and the product is genuinely loved! Help support brands that support the environment and make it a social norm to shop ethically.
Literally Nataly 
You are so beautiful! And I absolutely have to get my hands on one of those!