Lost in Plovdiv

In a world that moves at breakneck speed, Hristo and Nina Voivodovi have deliberately chosen the slower path—the path of craftsmanship, of handmade work, of details that cannot be automated. Their studio in Kapana is a true workshop, where shoes carry character, and every piece tells a story built on respect for the material and a pursuit of sustainability.

They are both guardians of a tradition and its contemporary interpreters. In their creations, there is no trace of disposability—only the idea of making something built to last, to age beautifully, and to leave a mark rather than waste.

The shoes of MBG Atelier embody a different rhythm of life—one where the silence of handwork speaks louder than the noise of fast consumption. In this interview, we talk about craft as a personal responsibility, about Kapana as a living place, and about sustainable consumption as a mindset.

1. Nina and Hristo, you’re partners in life and a successful team in the workshop. What’s the magic that brought you together and keeps you united?

Hristo: We first met at a crafts fair. I was presenting my work, while Nina was showcasing her art—textile design. We were two young makers, each absorbed in our craft, yet drawn by the same pull toward detail and authenticity in materials. That’s probably what connected us: looking in the same direction—toward meaning, and toward creating something beautiful and lasting.
Nina: And then Kapana drew us into its web of lights, beauty, and emotions. And here we are, still together, years later.

2. What drew you to leatherwork, and how did the path of MBG Atelier begin?

Hristo: Leather is a craft with ancient memory. From early human communities to the modern world, it has protected, clothed, and served people. It’s a material unmatched in strength, flexibility, breathability, and the way it ages gracefully. For me, working with leather was a natural choice. There’s something unique in shaping it, in mastering its character, and in creating to reveal its beauty.
MBG Atelier started as a small workshop, and today, twenty years later, it is part of Kapana. Here our shoes, belts, and bags carry the mark of quality and respect for what is made by hand and made to last.
Nina: I come from a family where craft—specifically textile art—has been passed down through generations. For me, weaving and working with fabrics is a way of carrying on tradition and transmitting emotion. In the atelier, our crafts met and intertwined—just like the two of us.

3. What does it mean to be a leather craftsman in today’s world?

Hristo: It means choosing the slow road in a world that is rushing. It means making something with your hands that will last. For me, it’s about love for a natural material—feeling the leather, finding its form, and turning it into shoes, a wallet, or a belt that will serve and delight someone. Craftsmanship is also about inventing new models, experimenting, creating something unique—and that’s where our strength lies.
Our work is both responsibility and choice, and I invite everyone to think: do you want things that will turn into waste tomorrow? In a world of overconsumption, I believe in what endures—and even grows more beautiful with time.

4. How do you combine traditional techniques with modern sustainability?

Hristo: For me, sustainability isn’t a trend but an inseparable part of the craft. Leatherwork has always been about using the material wisely and efficiently.
I combine old techniques—hand-cutting, sewing, embossing—with modern practices like ecological dyes, minimal waste, and using even the smallest leather pieces. Tradition lives in the hands, but sustainability lives in the mindset.

5. How do you see the future of crafts in Kapana, and of your atelier in particular?

Hristo: I believe the future of craft lies in preserving its tradition and meaning while giving it a new face. MBG Atelier will continue to exist as a place where quality and unique leather goods are created—pieces that age beautifully and carry a story. I’d love to see more young people step into workshops, touch the materials, and feel the joy of making something with their own hands. Kapana is the perfect place for that. It breathes through creative people and stands as proof that crafts do have a future.
Nina: I see the future as a weave between tradition and new ideas, between crafts and other creative industries. Kapana is a stage where everyone can show their skills, and that makes us part of a common fabric. For me, it’s essential that MBG Atelier remains not just a shop or a workshop, but a space for encounters, for exchange, for inspiration. To leave a mark not as waste, but as memory and culture.

6. If you could make a pair of shoes for Kapana—not out of leather, but from something intangible—what would they be made of, and why?

Hristo: I’d make them out of memories. Because Kapana itself is woven from small stories—of people, of workshops, of encounters. Shoes made of memories would never grow old. They’d carry voices, colors, footsteps on the cobblestones. They’d always bring you back to the feeling of belonging to a place that lives through its people.