On the Frontline of Conscious Fashion: Bourzma Boutique and Its Faces

Bourzma

Sustainable fashion, innovation, and community—that’s what best describes Bourzma. It was born from a love of organizing events and evolved into the first platform in Latvia to bring together young designers and other creative professionals with one goal: to promote conscious art to the masses.

After working in the event industry for several years, Patriks Kirkils (now the creative director of Bourzma) and his team realized that many of their events lacked depth and meaningful values. Just a party is great, but they wanted people not only to have fun, but also to reflect on something important. That’s how the idea of Bourzma slowly began to take shape. The project went through several stages of development, ultimately embracing sustainable fashion as its main value. Today, Bourzma is the leading hub for sustainability in Latvia and a platform that inspires more responsible consumption in fashion and art.

The main event that Bourzma organizes today is Bourzma Boutique. This two-day festival offers talented Latvian designers (and, gradually, designers from other countries) the chance to show what they are capable of. The showcased collections must consist of at least 65% upcycled materials, meaning that the designers, fully aware of the environmental and ethical challenges in the fashion industry, create using fabrics and garments that have already been in use. This is what sets the festival apart from the familiar format of Fashion Week.

Traditionally, the first day of the festival is a fashion show, followed by the awards ceremony and a party. The second day is a chance to meet the participating designers, purchase their creations, take part in upcycling workshops and, of course, again dance to wonderful DJ sets. And just like that, the team that dreamed of rethinking the way events are organized created an event that masterfully combines meaningful ideas with a great, party-like atmosphere.

This year, the festival’s main programme is divided into two categories—Fashion (where the collections must consist of at least 65% repurposed materials) and Style (where all items must be entirely made from repurposed materials). In each category, there are nine talented designers who were selected for participation this year. We spoke with several of them and can’t wait to introduce you to their unique visions—and even more unique designs.

Zanda Albekeite & Elīna Pūce, Hugo Zauerhagen, Kondrat Hecht, Zaiga, Brutāne, Alise Sedliņa-Brūdere, Linards Ābelītis, Ieva Purviņa, Aiva Zīle, Jūliānas Ivaņinokas.

Brutāne Studio (Zaiga Brutāne)

You just can’t close your eyes when you see the bleeding leg of the industry

For Zaiga, this is a second Bourzma Boutique. This year, she will present a collection under the code of “wearability and irony.” The pieces were made from towels, T-shirts, and sportswear found in Riga’s second-hand shops.

Sustainable Fashion

I don’t want to “eat” plastic or textile waste.

This is Hugo’s second year participating in Bourzma Boutique.
This year’s collection combines sportswear and plastic—materials that normally don’t go together, yet here they merge into a single, chaotic, shiny whole. The inspiration came from the red carpets of the 2000s with lots of ruffles, frills, and the confidence that “too much” is never too much. It’s glamour with a taste of tracksuits, partly funny, partly sexy, and completely self-confident.

I’m from Brocēni but have lived in Riga for the past ten years. Almost all of those ten years I worked in an office, but in 2024 decided to finally pursue my dream and started studying Fashion Design at the Art Academy of Latvia. Design was always somewhere in my subconscious, but I always put it on the hobby level. The more time passed, the more I realized that I want to bring my creative ideas to life and share them with the world.

Robert Wun (but mostly my classmates).

Sometimes, I just let the textile decide for me. Often, ideas come unexpectedly and in great numbers—so many that I have to hurry to write them all down.

Thrown-away items don’t just magically disappear. Whether we like it or not, they still come back to us—for example, as microplastics in our food. I don’t want to “eat” plastic or textile waste.

The fashion industry in Latvia is relatively small, and it’s not easy to get your work out in front of people. Bourzma gives designers a chance to reach an audience that truly cares about fashion.

I am a creator and I must follow my own path—even if it seems unusual or unclear to someone else

At her first Bourzma Boutique, Viktorija will present a collection that she describes as “a celebration of diversity, details, and the expression of emotions through clothing.” It serves as a reminder to live in your own fairytale, where beauty is found in the details, in emotions, and in the courage to be different.

At the heart of the collection is lace, material that symbolizes sensuality, grace, and feminine strength. The dominant tones are various shades of blue, symbolizing waves of freedom and the flow of life. Deeper, earthy colors in the collection represent inner strength. The greatest inspiration for Viktorija was nature—its textures, colors, and forms. Each piece in the collection is made from repurposed materials.  

Honestly, any artist can inspire me—it could be a tiny detail, a color combination, a shape or idea that later becomes part of my work. But I also look for and find inspiration outside the fashion world: in nature, in people, in music, in everyday life. At the same time, I’m inspired by haute couture houses like Dior and Chanel. Even though sustainability isn’t their central value, their aesthetics, silhouettes, and material choices expand my creative horizons.

My ideas come from feelings and intuition. When I see a piece of clothing, I can immediately imagine what it could become. I allow myself to play with fabrics and shapes, letting the ideas flow freely. The main goal is to give a second life to forgotten things.

For me, Bourzma is a movement for sustainability, a community of people who share similar values and look deeper into fashion and the environment. It’s important to be part of a community that inspires and gives strength on this journey.

If there’s a strong and honest concept, the design will “come together” naturally.

This year at Bourzma Boutique, Kondrat is presenting his collection “Captured Butterflies”. The central idea is to show how something ugly (discarded fabric) can become beautiful and admiration worthy—just like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. The collection was made from pearls found in textile sorting containers, deadstock fabrics, leftover scraps donated by local designers, and some garments from Kondrat’s previous collection.  

I’m from Dobele, where the lilacs are currently blooming in the beautiful Upītis garden. After earning a master’s degree in economics from the University of Latvia, I realized that all along I had been searching myself in fashion. So, on my third attempt, I entered the Art Academy of Latvia, which I hope to finish this year with a master’s degree.  

Gianni Versace. For me, ever since my school days, he’s been the embodiment of free thinking. I still often find myself browsing through archive photos from his shows.

Zanda Albekeite

Although the problem is too big to solve alone, I can at least turn part of the potential waste into something beautiful and useful.

“Kitchen Cabinet” — that’s the name of the collection, created in collaboration with Elīna Pūce, which Zanda will present at Bourzma Boutique this year.  

Warm, comforting homemade meals, the smell of freshly baked pies, jars of jam in the fridge, and the bright colors of childhood — the collection is about that familiar feeling of nostalgia for this far-away period. Each outfit in the collection is inspired by a specific food or kitchen process—from breakfast eggs to dinner desserts—showcasing the deep emotional and physical connection people have with kitchens, food, and time. The “Kitchen Cabinet” was made out of fabrics sourced from friends and second-hand stores.  

I grew up in Skrīveri. Now I’m in my third year studying Fashion Design at Riga Technical University, but even before that I loved expressing myself artistically — through clothing, jewelry, and other creative media. My love for design developed gradually, but it all started with making clothes for dolls. Now in my work, I mostly use recycled and reused textiles. Today, with the popularity of fast fashion, I’m horrified by how much clothing is produced and how quickly it ends up in landfills. Although this problem is too big for one person to solve, I can at least turn part of the potential waste into something beautiful and useful.

I often draw inspiration from my surroundings. Objects, shapes, textures, as well as people and how they express themselves can all be sources of ideas. Often, the material itself can spark an idea — when you see and feel a particular fabric, you immediately imagine what it could become.

The main reason to prioritize sustainable fashion and know how your clothes are made is for environmental and ethical reasons. But it is also important to know that sustainability can guarantee quality — making it an investment in longer-lasting clothing. By popularizing sustainable fashion, supporting and giving a platform to designers and organizing engaging events, Bourzma is a significant step towards a change.

Miks Tillers, Amēlija Zīvere, Eryilmaz Firat, Kaspars Mārtiņkrists, Viktorija Grigorjeva, Maasiica, Masara Šulmane, Ellis Staltmanis

Maasiica

I really love that an idea, born somewhere in the brain, in its neural networks, can lead to a tangible result.

Maasiica became part of Bourzma four years ago. Last year, she assisted one of the participants at Bourzma Boutique, but this year is finally presenting her own collection. For several years, she has been collecting paper and fabric clothing tags. These tags became the main elements of her collection. The designs of the outfits are romantic, with some “assertive” elements, but it’s the textures of the tags that make them truly interesting.

Ozols was right when he said, “In the micro districts there are people who can’t even figure out in which direction the city center is.” I grew up in a micro district. I studied at the Latvian Academy of Culture, but it wasn’t a creative major. About 10 years ago I started doing handicrafts. I’ve never officially studied sewing—my teacher was YouTube.

Before second-hand became a trendy choice, it was a matter of survival for many people. My interest in upcycling also comes from there.

I love contrasts. Apartment houses, everyday scenes in the streets, at markets, on public transport which are juxtaposed with classical painting, architecture, elegance and everything that’s associated with “high art.” By combining something from these two “worlds”, you can get some truly unexpected results.  

capture this one (Amēlija Zīvere) 

This is Amēlija’s second year at Bourzma Boutique. Her collection blends street style with elegance, combining everyday comfort with visual intrigue. Worn-out and forgotten garments and fabrics are “revived” through details: lace, cutouts, pearls, and chains.

I’m very inspired by the Bourzma designers I get to collaborate with on joint projects.

Ideas for new designs usually come to me while wandering through the streets and second-hand shops of Riga.

In Latvian, “Burzma” means hustle or disorderly movement. By adding just one letter (giving the name a slight French flair), Bourzma was born.  

Bourzma Boutique is a movement of the most chaotic yet the most incredible ideas. Come and soak up this creative atmosphere.