Vlada immigrated from the Ukraine at the age of 14. Growing up in Ukraine she was considered a child prodigy pianist.  Her arrival in the United States in the late nineties, signaled a significant change in her interests. Influenced greatly by her mother's hobbies which included knitting, sewing, and jewelry design, Vlada began her interest of the handmaid by making handbags, clothing and of course hats. At the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, she found a love for the imperfect. The items that were made by hand didn't have a perfect industrial era cut, so grew her love of the imperfect handmade item.