Hand embroidery artist & stop motion animator

I’m Mariia Kostyleva, embroidery artist and stop motion animator working at the intersection of textiles, storytelling and motion. Currently I live in Hamburg and create embroidered clothing, jewelry and custom-made pieces. Elbe Stitch Lab, my small label, grew out of a lifelong fascination with textile art and the atmosphere of Northern Germany.

I specialize in hand embroidery and visible mending, blending traditional techniques passed down through generations of women in my family with an experimental approach. My work values detail and quality, but embraces imperfection — it's expressive, tactile, and intentionally human.​

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Alongside my textile work, I’ve also been practicing analog photography for over 15 years. That long-standing engagement naturally led me to explore stop motion animation — a medium that allows me to bring motion and narrative into texture. I use it not only to express my own ideas but also to help other artists and brands tell their stories in a tactile, visually compelling way.​