Living in a small country drives me to support local artists in their work especially that related to fashion and beauty. Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting the brains behind Mint Sparrow - one of the not-so-hidden-anymore-gems in the heart of Valletta.
As for Viktoria, she is a jewellery maker herself and she loves to work with natural materials and ropes as well as hand-paint pendants and has recently delved into making silver jewellery.
In the shop one can also find a curated collection of authentic vintage bags and jewellery and even some re-purposed clothing items.
When I asked Viktoria about any plans for the future, she immediately mentioned that Mint Sparrow will soon have a web shop and that she also in the process of designing a 30-piece fashion collection and yoga mat bags as well (she has some designs for the yoga mat bags already on sale in her Valletta shop). Since people ask about the decor of the shop so much, she is also looking into developing Mint Sparrow into a design outlet that covers interior design tips and design of wedding stationery and props for wedding photoshoots.
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| Viktoria standing in the shop's entrance |
Walking down to St. John Street, where the shop is located, I immediately notice the mint coloured facade of the shop and instantly fall in love with it - the look of it, the decor...everything as I expected and more!
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| Mint Sparrow shop display - I especially love the idea of displaying rings between rolled pages of books :) |
The owner, Viktoria, greeted me with an infectious, warm smile and after she brought me a chair (which she re-upholstered herself) to sit comfortably in, I began firing questions, eager to get to know more about Mint Sparrow - the brand and the concept behind it.
Viktoria told me that she is a psychologist by profession and came to Malta a few years ago to do her Masters degree in the subject; as often happens with foreigners, she couldn't resist Malta's charm and is now living here. However, at the time, she still wasn't sure what she wanted to do and on a surfing trip to Portugal, it hit her that she loves decor, jewellery, designing and creating stuff and that's when she began brainstorming the idea behind Mint Sparrow.
I asked her how and why she chose the name Mint Sparrow and she told me that mint is her favourite colour and her surname means sparrow in another language, thus the Mint Sparrow brand has Viktoria at the very heart of it.
In the tastefully decorated shop, one not only finds Viktoria's own work, but also that of other artists who are not necessarily Maltese but still based in Malta. The idea behind this concept is inspired by shops she encountered overseas where work from different artists is displayed in the same shop. Mint Sparrow had their first shop open in St. Julian's but has moved to the new premises in Valletta on the 1st of May this year.
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| Different works from different artists stocked at Mint Sparrow |
A case in point with Mint Sparrow exposing the work of other artists is the 'When Concrete Becomes Jewellery' collection which is only available through Mint Sparrow and which is in fact what sparked my interest the most as soon as I saw it advertised on the shop's Facebook page. It combines my boyfriend's background (he comes from a family of construction workers) and my love for jewellery and anything fashion, thus the reason why it intrigued me so much :) I think this is a very interesting collection and I love the combination of colours as well; in fact I got myself a pair of the round stud earrings - of course I choose a pair in mint :)
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| A small part of Bibe Jewellery's 'When Concrete Becomes Jewellery' collection - a collection of covetable, unique pieces! |
As for Viktoria, she is a jewellery maker herself and she loves to work with natural materials and ropes as well as hand-paint pendants and has recently delved into making silver jewellery.
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| A small selection of work from Viktoria's capable hands: Silver jewellery, hand-painted pendants, rope jewellery, tote bags and yoga mat bags |
In the shop one can also find a curated collection of authentic vintage bags and jewellery and even some re-purposed clothing items.
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| Authentic vintage jewellery - sometimes they are revamped to give them a more appealing look |
When I asked Viktoria about any plans for the future, she immediately mentioned that Mint Sparrow will soon have a web shop and that she also in the process of designing a 30-piece fashion collection and yoga mat bags as well (she has some designs for the yoga mat bags already on sale in her Valletta shop). Since people ask about the decor of the shop so much, she is also looking into developing Mint Sparrow into a design outlet that covers interior design tips and design of wedding stationery and props for wedding photoshoots.
There are big plans ahead for this Mint Sparrow and I wish Viktoria the best of luck in succeeding with all her ambitious projects which are a breath of fresh air in Malta!
Mint Sparrow is located at 120, St. John Street Valletta (for my Maltese readers, it-Triq tal-Ganc).
Follow Mint Sparrow on Facebook and Instagram.
Follow Mint Sparrow on Facebook and Instagram.
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