Portrait AVA - part 1/4

Hey everyone!

We're kicking off a mini Operose series where we’ll be introducing our workwear and the amazing people who have been part of the journey—whether by offering hands-on help, support, or encouragement—and who have, as a result, had a garment named after them.

Our hope is to shine a little extra light on these individuals while also giving both new and longtime followers a deeper insight into Operose and our designs.

Over the next few days, we’ll be diving into AVA and everything about these pants, before moving on to the next model next week. Stay tuned!

Our very first model is called AVA. In the beginning, we hadn’t yet started naming our designs after the women in our lives, so AVA’s story will instead introduce Operose and explain why we decided to create workwear specifically for women.

The story itself isn’t all that complicated. After renovating two houses back-to-back—one in Jämtland and the other in Värmland—I realized that there simply weren’t any work clothes that worked for me. I preferred wearing leggings or worn-out outdoor pants over the poorly designed work pants available on the market.

When I eventually moved back to Sörmland, I decided to do something about it. I gathered a group of women from different professions, all of whom had faced the same challenges with workwear, regardless of body shape. They shared their experiences with the clothes they used, described their ideal work pants, and later tested the first prototypes I sewed. After multiple fittings, trials, and adjustments to the pattern, the AVA model finally took shape.

AVA is still around, even though we have gradually adjusted some details based on feedback from you, our customers. She is my personal favorite to wear when working in the garden or renovating at home, and we will be sharing more about her in the coming days.

/ Johanna, founder of Operose.