St. Pete dollmaker headed to New York craft convening

What does the haute couture of Hermès have in common with the humble craft of dollmaking?

The common thread is Emilie Hernandez, owner of Mani Mina Studio, a bespoke live embroidery and custom dollmaking studio based in St. Petersburg. Her artisanship has gained her international acclaim, two book deals and a spot at the upcoming Nest x Hermès American Craft Convening.

The invitation-only convening will bring together US-based makers Oct. 8-10 in New York City, to connect with fellow artisans while learning practical business knowledge to scale up their brands.

In conjunction with French luxury brand Hermès, the conference is hosted by Nest, a 20-year-old organization dedicated to “connecting the people, artistry and impact of craft” through initiatives like artisan accelerators in Africa and online skill-building classes.

Being a dollmaker wasn’t really in the original plans for Hernandez, a trained clothing designer born in Paris. When she moved to New York City 20 years ago, she established a children’s custom clothing brand that was met with considerable success, but the special request of a client shifted the entire path of her career.

“What happened is that one of my customers asked me to create a doll. She was like, ‘Can you make a doll?’ And I’m like, ‘I’ve never done one .. let me try!” explained Hernandez with a laugh.

“And I made a doll that was matching one of the clothes I designed for her daughter. Just like this, my whole life was transformed because I discovered an artform that I knew nothing about. I was completely hooked and really fascinated by all the possibilities of dollmaking.”

Hernandez dove headfirst into the craft, weaving her skills in embroidery, design, and sewing to push the boundaries of traditional dollmaking. Orders quickly poured in. Hernandez was even invited to exhibit her Frida Kahlo and David Bowie dolls at a show at the Brooklyn Museum.

Rather than limit herself to one craft, Hernandez found a way to bring all of her artistic passions together in a unique business model. In 2022, she opened the first and only dollmaking studio in New York.

“I created a concept that doesn’t exist in the U.S., the Make-a-Doll Party. It’s for children and adults, and it’s custom,” said Hernandez.

“During those parties, kids get to personalize, customize and create their very own doll. They leave the party with a doll of their own, and it’s centered around craftsmanship, creativity. It really encourages every participant to unleash their creativity. I give a lot of tools and tips and tricks, and I use a lot of really simple techniques to allow anyone, even people without any crafting experience, to create a doll.”

Another life twist brought her to St. Pete in 2024, where she decided to expand her brand, opening a branch locally and expanding her offerings to include live embroidery (think custom-monogrammed products) at weddings, corporate events and the like. The dolls, formerly the stars of the show, are now just a part of the experience.

“You know what? My brand is not dolls. It’s about personalized keepsakes. So it’s about turning events or moments or people’s stories into a personalized heirloom that is really special. So that’s what my brand is now, and the dolls are just a part of it.”

In a world that feels perennially online, Hernandez believes that Mani Mina Studio offers a much-needed space for people to come together and create rather than consuming fast (and often disposable) fashion.

“But the idea is to connect people, so people get together to create. It’s really about creating beautiful objects that don’t end up in the trash, but something that has your story, that has your voice, your personalization, your monogram, maybe your grandma’s name,” she elaborated.

“It’s all about really creating objects that have people’s story in them.”

Learn more about Mani Mina Studio at https://maniminanyc.myshopify.com/.