Oltramar

Valentina is the founder of Studio Oltramar. She is an Italian-Croatian interior designer from the Istria region of Croatia. After living, studying and working in different places in Europe, in 2019 she moved to the south of France and there she discovered the world of natural dyes, and the ancestral technique of indigo dyeing that immediately fascinated her. After 2 years, thanks to the people she met, the apprenticeship with great dyers from all over France, and her hard work, in September 2022 she created the first Oltramar garment collection.

Although today in her studio in Provence (France) she works alone, behind the Oltramar brand there is the passion, the skills and the smiles of many professionals, friends and colleagues of Valentina. 

Oltramar garments are dyed with pigments from Provence, grown in the South of France by Laura and Amandine of Le Champ des Couleurs. Two sisters who grew up in nature, close to the work of the farmers, and who today are happy to represent the group of farmers who produce entirely in France. They follow the tradition of their ancestors and cultivate dye plants in the Provençal village of Roque d’Antheron in an ecological and responsible way.

The garments are made by Anne and Coralie, two friends with a common passion and the same ethical vision of the sewing craft. Together, they decided to create a small artisan workshop in Montpellier called Atelier Cats, where people are at the heart of their activity and where they maintain a close relationship with each other. 

Natural indigo dyeing is what makes Oltramar a special and different brand.

For Valentina, indigo dyeing is a wonderful teamwork where the artisan, her dye bath and the environment around them collaborate without prevailing over each other, but in balance and in continuous listening.

Organic indigo dyeing is a vivid colour that needs pauses and time to rest between the different dyeing activities. Technically the skill of the artisan dyer lies in knowing how to control, manage and master all the factors that affect the dye bath and being able to reproduce the same tones regularly over time. But Valentina loves to work with variability, enhancing the concept of ephemeral and unrepeatable.

Only cellulosic fabrics (cotton, linen, hemp, nettle, etc.) and protein fabrics (silk, cashmere, wool, etc.) can be dyed naturally due to the affinity between their chemical and physical properties. For this reason, Oltramar works with nettle, hemp and linen fabrics. These materials are hard-wearing, require no pesticides to grow and feel wonderful against the skin.

Sometimes, they also use cotton, especially when sourcing fabrics from Italian and French upcycling suppliers.

At Oltamar they don’t waste leftover scraps of clothing. Valentina uses the leftover scraps to create new pieces and the smaller pieces are given to a friend who uses them to make the felt/​capote paper and create new products, such as cushions or tapestries.

In addition, some of her garments are made from unused stocks of fabrics from the most exclusive French sewing houses, thus encouraging the creative reuse of existing resources.

Oltramar is a multicultural and Mediterranean studio, supporting local communities!

All fabrics are sourced from Italy and France in a conscious way to support quality producers and are dyed with pigments from Provence, grown in the Provençal village of Roque d’Antheron from ecologically responsible dyeing plants. The garments are made in a small artisan workshop in Montpellier, a village in the south of France. 

Currently Oltramar does not use animal materials in its collections. Perhaps in the future it will start to use ethical silk or wool from native sheep, but always knowing very well the process used to obtain the fabric and respecting the welfare of the animal! 

Oltramar’s garments are not limited to trends or seasons. They want to be worn all year round, to last for centuries and to deserve to be cared for.

They create limited garments and each garment is numbered. In addition, each garment is available upon request and can be customised. They also give you the possibility to have the garment totally adjusted to your body, with their made-to-measure service.

As we are all unique, so are the garments and objects offered at Oltramar!

Oltramar is a transparent brand! On their website you can find information about who dyes and manufactures their garments, and even more information about their dyeing process.

COSH! has spoken to Valentina, the creator of Oltramar, and with total transparency she has provided us with the name of her suppliers, so we can assure you that Oltramar is a transparent brand.