ABOUT US
MISSION STATEMENT:
Haus of Jung handmade leather accessories aims to provide a unique, one-on-one platform for clients to create their ideal custom accessory. Natalia holds space for clients to examine the inner needs of their Self, manifested and expressed through an accessory, to best support their individual story through life.
"I hope that Haus of Jung is a living testament to the importance of inner work. By increasing knowledge of the Self, we each can exist in a reality aligned best with our center/spirit/soul. Walking through the tortuous fires to remove sociocultural blinders reveals exactly how one should uphold their existence."
Haus of Jung draws an ethical line at working with exotics - only animals whose hides are a byproduct of the meat and dairy industry are used, for the hides will be discarded- burned or buried- if not used.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Natalia is the owner, designer, and maker of leather accessories brand, Haus of Jung.
Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Natalia's upbringing involved daily creative play with all materials. Despite her passion, she couldn't imagine it would become her calling.
It was not until receiving her Master's in Psychology from NYU and questioning what another 70 years of life would hold that Natalia's study of the writings by Carl Jung helped her to comb through existential questions.
Jung's theory provides a roadmap to live congruently with the Self. Natalia was ready to shine consciousness onto her artistic shadow and resurrect a personal form of existence she sustained before ego adhered to sociocultural myths and their expectations.
After making a fanny pack for herself and not knowing how to replicate it as per her friends requests, she applied to the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she learned to design and hand-make leather accessories. She found a way to give voice to her original form of play. Natalia's international upbringing as a global nomad also ingrained a need for accessories, since they allowed 'home' to be contained and transported.
She walked through the fires of a huge paradigm shift by founding her leather accessories brand, Haus of Jung, and having the privilege to create with her hands every day.
Six years later, and she attests to Jung's inner roadmap for alignment with one's true calling. Her atelier, designs, and exposure continue to grow. "What was once a dream now supports my reality".
Natalia currently works from her studio in Richmond, Virginia. Her studio is the center of her home, her life revolves around her craft.
ABOUT HAUS OF JUNG
Q: How did Haus of Jung get started?
N: It all started with a fanny pack.
I officially launched Haus of Jung after much interest had developed around a fanny pack I made for myself around 2013 while living in New York (before their resurrection since the 80's!). I hadn't found an accessory that fit my practical and aesthetic needs, so I purchased leather and created what I envisioned. My community of friends wanted this bag, but I knew nothing about pattern-making and couldn't figure out how to replicate what I had created.
Pair that with an existential crisis, and discovering the works of Carl Jung, that I started to see my obvious next steps.
I decided to apply to fashion school (the Fashion Institute of Technology). My program focused specifically on the design and construction of leather accessories. Here, I found a way to give voice to my original form of play. I could engage in creativity and work with my hands; an artist's truth I had muted since childhood.
I then founded my brand and started making accessories for others.
Requests for my accessories continue to increase. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Q: What the the best part about Haus of Jung?
NT: I love crafting custom orders. It's super fantastic to give someone THE custom order of their fantasies. It is very rewarding to see how a design can positively transform a customer, and vice versa. Leather also adds another degree of personalization as it can be "broken into" by one's unique way of interacting with it to fit exactly you.
Q: How do Fashion and Psychology intersect in your designs?
NT: For starters, I enjoy generating pieces where design works relationally and drives inner work. Particularly on more complex accessories, I focus more time and labor-intensive processes to include representations of symbols or archetypes that can affect change. I also believe design can assist individuals to open space for the autonomous healing function of the psyche to manifest. I have a lot to say on this, maybe in a longer post.
Q: Why "Haus"?
NT: The brand name Haus of Jung was born in honor of all accessories made in-house.
Q: Why "Jung"?
NT: I have a total fascination with the works of Analytical Psychologist, Carl G Jung. Jung's theories on synchronicity, the collective unconscious, the shadow, and so much more.
His theories on the journey of unifying the Self (one's totality; the soul/spirit) and the degree of personal growth when one comes to terms with unconscious dynamics, is a transcendent achievement and the answer to living a fulfilled life. By integrating all parts of yourself that society/culture has requested that you split off, you heal yourself and your universe. The expansion continues outwards and you can heal the world you live in.
Jung's theories have served as a roadmap to my own life. As individuals in contemporary culture, we become lost in a lot of superfluous cultural agendas. It's important to look inside for your own ethical roadmap and drives, and to listen to the energy of your spirit. In other words, know what you truly desire, outside of egocentric needs, and once you've identified it, run wild in that direction. It's okay to get totally lost in the process and in chaos, for that's the only way to reorganize the content in the jar and have it settle in a new way. If you truly love what you do, and listen to the needs of the Self, the universe aligns in your favor.
Q: What inspires you?
NT: Nature, and the chthonic feminine energy that has been forgotten.