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A couple of years ago, I first entered Naomi Venetiaan’s photography studio by the water in Amsterdam. I was looking for interesting local connections within a city that was completely new to Maiwe. What happened next was something I wasn’t expecting. Do you know that feeling when you meet someone for the first time, and you can feel in your core this person is not just a passenger in life but someone with whom you’ll share a true connection?
I can exactly recall how things felt the first time I met Naomi. The drizzling rain, the calm of her studio, the empathy that came from her look. We sat down with a cup of coffee and after an initial round of feeling each other out, we quickly opened up. We talked about our relationship to our skin, the concept of vulnerability and shared reflections about big changes in our lives, and everything that happens in between. Time flew by, beautifully surrounded by Naomi’s photography and selection of design. I left, knowing we would come together again, convinced Maiwe had to be interpreted by her sensitive eye for beauty.
Naomi’s work is very much inspired by light, change and movement. Her best known work comes from the series “Gradient Goodbye”, a collection that started in 2018 and symbolizes gradual changes in life. Beautiful light, calm and peaceful, seemingly endless skies. Two small gradients are hanging in my bedroom. Newer work of Naomi is bundled in the series “Feisty Shift”, researching the bold and unapologetic nature of change. The work visualizes movements, allowing new boundaries to be explored, witnessing how new paths emerge. “Feisty Shift” reflects faster changes, such as the birth of a child or other pivotal moments that mark clear turning points in life. When I just met Naomi, I recently found out I was pregnant for the second time, totally unexpected. Talking about a feisty shift in life. A year after we first met, I stepped back into her studio to shoot the campaign of our Exfoliating Glow Mask. It was so special to be there again, with Uma.
The artwork symbolizes movement, a reflection of the dynamic journey Maiwe has undertaken over the past years, and of nature itself, ever-changing and growing.
On the occasion of Maiwe’s five-year anniversary, we selected a piece from her latest series, called Fluid Bloom. The artwork symbolizes movement, a reflection of the dynamic journey Maiwe has undertaken over the past years, and of nature itself, ever-changing and growing. Within the composition, one can subtly discern the shape of droplets, a graceful reference to our iconic rosehip oil that lies at the heart of every Maiwe product.
Curious to see how Naomi Venetiaan’s artwork became a beautiful silk scarf? Read more in our Journal article. Receive the limited edition scarf for free with the Maiwe Box — only while stocks last, until Friday midnight.
