We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Padina Bondar a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Padina, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was born into a family of artists, so creativity has always been a natural part of my world. Even as a toddler, I was given real professional art tools to play with, and my family encouraged me to pursue my artistic interests with the same dedication as my academics. I spent most of my childhood crafting, drawing, sewing, sculpting, and experimenting with textiles. By the time I was 12 years old, I had already developed intermediate skills in these areas.

In high school, I was accepted into an intensive arts program that followed an international fine arts curriculum alongside my regular studies, which deepened my commitment. That experience led me to study fashion design for my bachelor’s degree, and not long after graduating, I launched my own business creating custom-made gowns and textiles for several years before shifting my focus toward textiles as fine arts.

My life as an artist is something I was born into. I’m deeply passionate about my career and enjoy every moment of it but I can’t pinpoint a specific moment when I decided this would be my path—it’s simply what I’ve always done, and I can’t imagine dedicating my life to anything else.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

When I first started my professional career, I believed fashion was the natural path for me. I had developed a wide range of technical skills but realized early on that I wasn’t interested in pursuing a typical office job within the industry. Instead, I focused on creating custom-made clothing for niche clients. Much of my work centered around meeting the needs of clients with special requirements—whether due to religious restrictions, physical disabilities, unique body types, or specific cultural traditions.

What really set me apart was my hands-on, deeply personal approach to every project. I’ve always been extremely resourceful, and I took pride in delivering results that often exceeded what a client’s budget could typically achieve. In my own collections, I gravitated toward fashion as a form of wearable art, using it as a platform to explore and promote important social topics like feminism, animal rights, and social justice.

My passion for these causes eventually inspired me to start a nonprofit organization focused on empowering refugee women. Through the nonprofit, we provided training and skills that empowered these women through career opportunities and financial independence.

A pivotal moment in my career came when I began researching the systems behind textile and garment production. I started to see the industry and the world through a new lens. I couldn’t reconcile creating beautiful things using materials that were produced cheaply at the expense of unethical labor and environmental destruction. This realization shifted my focus toward sustainability, traditional craft, and ethical textile production. While I still create wearable art, my main focus now is on engineering tools and systems that transform plastic waste into yarn, developing sustainable, circular solutions that are both viable and impactful.

Today, my work bridges the gap between fashion, fine arts, and activism. Whether through my art pieces, wearable designs, nonprofit work, or sustainability projects, my mission is to create meaningful, impactful work that not only inspires but also serves as a catalyst for real change. I want potential clients, followers, and collaborators to know that every piece I create carries a story and a purpose, t’s never just about aesthetics; it’s about building a better, more sustainable future.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Through the vocabulary of crafts, I am striving to enrich the language of visual arts and uncover value in places and things others often overlook. In an average week, my work consists of diving waist deep in recycling bins, felting human hair, asking neighbors for old clothes, sterilizing tampon applicators, and disassembling old electronics. All of these discarded goods are teeming with potential to replace yarn and embellishments in my next project. We simply don’t have the resources to process waste at the speed that we create it, and through this practice of transformation, I address urgent issues like waste management and subvert expectations for what sustainable textiles and art pieces can be.

My goal is to ensure that craft remains relevant and impactful, not only as a passive art form but also as a radical way to engage with the world’s most pressing issues. I strive to carry forward the legacy of craft while contributing to a more sustainable and inclusive future. Every knot, every stitch, every piece of art created is a step toward my vision of a more thoughtful, imaginative, and interconnected world.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I used to believe that real, tangible change could only come from professions like doctors, lawyers, politicians, and social workers, people who are visibly on the frontlines of social impact. It took me a few years to truly recognize and value the power and potential I have as an artist to create meaningful change. I’ve come to understand that my narrative, expressed through my work, can ignite conversations, shift perspectives, and even inspire movements. As artists, we have a unique ability to communicate powerful ideas and values without using a single word, and that silent but profound impact is what drives my creative journey every day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.padinabondar.com
• Instagram: @padinabondar
• Linkedin: Padina Bondar Designs
• Youtube: Padina Bondar

Image Credits

Fashion images: @cosplay (Instagram)
All other images: Padina Bondar