Morningwitch Studio began, by absolute chance, in 2017/2018 while I (Polina) was still studying Illustration at Pratt Institute. At the tail end of an emotionally fraught 5 years and thoroughly burnt out from forays into first architecture and then concept art, a chance placement into a product design class changed the trajectory of my life for good.
There was something truly magical about making physical goods with my own designs and patterns. The very first thing I ever designed in this realm was a plush toy of a fruit bat with my own pattern on the belly and inner wings, and it
Some of the first patterns that went into MWS were done for my senior design thesis class, and the little brand really got its footing through selling at cons. I had attended anime conventions since early high school with andrea, and being able to sell at them and meet all of you was nothing short of incredible!
polina
the founder & designer behind MWS.
polina spends most of her time thinking up designs and illustrating new patterns.
outside of work, polina can be found scampering around in state parks/nature preserves, watching birds or tending to their vegetable garden - where they are desperetly pleading with the heirloom tomatoes to stop catching diseases in the humid northeast summer.
they also enjoy video games & reading - anything sci-fi/fantasy is a good time.
kaitlin
office manager extraordinaire.
as office manager, kaitlin keeps the day to day operations running smoothly - she packs all of your orders and answers your emails!
outside of work, kaitlin enjoys: hanging out with her cats tony and razz, drawing & painting, cooking, reading & playing video games (kaitlin: "write that i enjoy getting my ass kicked in dark souls"), and watching scary movies.
when she's not sending off your orders "with a kiss", kaitlin can be found trying out whatever new vegan restaurant nyc has to offer with polina and andrea.
andrea
resident stray cat.
while not technically a part of MWS operations day-to-day, andrea has been a deeply integral part of MWS since its inception - even accidentally naming the buisness when, in 2017, she gave polina, on the hunt for a new tumblr username, an old one she had saved.
since then andrea has been a pillar of support for MWS, even helping out with the occasional modeling! If you've ever visited us as a convention, you've definitely seen her there.
she loves the ocean and folktales, and in her spare time can definitely be found reading some kind of romance novel. andrea also has her own "sister" brand and does art as well! check her out below <3