Studio Workshop
Traditional craftsmanship and contemporary leather pieces
Niyona was founded in Brussels in 2010 by Nina Bodenhorst and Jonathan Wieme.
The studio is the result of a delicate human encounter, a sharing of values and ideals. The desire to move forward and excel has united the founders around this shared adventure for more than ten years. They have never strayed from their quest for excellence and creativity. Their backgrounds of design studies, artistic direction and advertising, as well as the encounter with high quality craftsmanship have influenced their approach. It is intended to be free of any framework and received notions, removing the barriers between disciplines.
Niyona composes its universe from a repertoire that is always open to design, gastronomy, fashion, architecture and scenography; transverse characteristics of the studio as a laboratory for creation, excellence of know-how and the association of leather trades.
Both a design studio and a manufacturing workshop, Niyona is at the crossroads of influences between minimalist aesthetics and traditional techniques. It draws all the professions and all stages of creation together, in accordance with its interdisciplinary approach. Thanks to this ongoing dialogue between expertise and a shared ambition to put craftsmanship on the contemporary scene, the creative process takes on its full meaning.
Nina Bodenhorst, Jonathan Wieme and team member Jelena Vrankulj have all received a distinction from the guide Homo Faber (Michelangelo Foundation), celebrating excellence in craftsmanship from all over the world.
Niyona, artisan of contemporary creation.
It is an attribute that reappears whenever the concept of craftsmanship is raised: “excellence”. For Niyona, this is the driver that fires a perpetual need to excel.
Leather craftsmanship is traditionally partitioned into trade guilds: sheathing, saddlery, leather goods, trunkmaking, marquetry, gilding…: Niyona brings them together in a unique, multi-disciplinary workshop. While the leather artisan masters a range of gestures that respond to immutable codes and techniques, Niyona converts them into creative tools to give an interpretation of a project, to translate it and shape it.
Niyona, a studio with a multidisciplinary approach, decompartmentalises the research and development, the leather trades and expertise to offer its clients the experience of craftsmanship excellence that embodies their creative vision.
At Niyona, craftsmanship and creation are a common cause.
Tirelessly search for excellence in know-how and surpassing oneself
The range of techniques, materials and finishes proposed by the workshop is extremely rich, especially since it allows itself the leeway to shake up the established perspectives or venture into unprecedented collaborations, revealing its creative approach. The ultimate goal is to offer the best possible appearance.
Embody the versatility of leather and the variety of its trades in one workshop
Leather, a multi-faceted material, is an integral part of the thinking around a project. Noble and versatile, we approach it with tireless curiosity, in search of perfection. The studio maintains an intuitive and emotional connection to leather when manufacturing each piece. Niyona’s know-how was forged from its beginnings by the desire to master all skills, distinguishing itself from the traditional organisation of leatherwork into trade guilds.
Return creativity to the centre of the artisanal production process
Building bridges between disciplines plays a part in amplifying the design aspect of each project. The studio allows itself to transpose a technique into a new context or divert it from its initial use, to exceed our clients’ expectations. At Niyona, craftsmanship fuels creative thinking to better grasp everything that the material has to offer.
