Dovile Riebschlager: Transforming Fashion Into Wearable Art
- Heart Of Hollywood Team
- 19 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Heart Of Hollywood Magazine is proud to present an exclusive interview with Dovile Riebschlager, the visionary designer behind DoviArt. Born in Lithuania and shaped by a lifelong passion for fashion, Dovile’s journey reflects resilience, creativity, and a deeply personal connection to her craft. With a background in textile engineering and art, she merges technical precision with artistic intuition, creating designs that transcend traditional fashion and enter the realm of wearable art. From early childhood creations to avant-garde runway pieces, her work captures individuality, emotion, and innovation—inviting each wearer to feel unique and unforgettable.
HOH Magazine:
You discovered your passion for fashion at a very young age in Lithuania. Can you take us back to those early moments and share how your love for design first began?
Dovile:
I cannot pinpoint the exact moment when it all began, but a huge influence was the trips with my grandmother to her seamstress. The fabrics, the mannequin, the fittings, the basting — I still remember those white threads punctuating luxurious floral fabrics. That experience was very rare in a Soviet-occupied country, and I was lucky to be an exception.
At the ripe age of five, I discovered the magic of transforming a person’s image through clothing. Even my own outfits were custom-made. Since then, my sketchbooks were filled with drawings of princesses in gowns. I could spend hours perfecting an outfit; entire sketchbooks were dedicated to the same gown until I was finally satisfied with every detail.
HOH Magazine:
By the age of nine, you were already creating paper dolls and designing outfits for them. How did those early experiences shape you creatively?
Dovile:
Those experiences gave me two important things: first, children loved my drawings, which was a huge boost to my confidence. Second, and perhaps most unexpectedly, I realized that I could actually get paid for my art — an almost unheard-of concept in that system at the time.
HOH Magazine:
You began sewing at thirteen and described the experience as “magic.” What do you remember most about creating your first dress?
Dovile:
Creating my first dress involved overcoming the fear of cutting a pattern into fabric and trying sewing techniques I had only seen in photographs from Burda magazine. It was another miracle that I even had access to one and could actually read the German instructions. Through that magazine, I learned about Karl Lagerfeld, among many other things.
The slow emergence of shape, along with the patience and concentration involved in the sewing process, felt almost meditative. At the time, I had no idea what meditation was, so I simply described it to myself as magic.
HOH Magazine:
You hold degrees in textile engineering and art rather than a traditional fashion design education. How has that background influenced your creative approach?
Dovile:
It influenced my process in a major way. For me, fashion is art, and the medium I create in is fabric. Fortunately, I know that medium extremely well from both a molecular and artistic perspective.
My engineering studies taught me how to construct things, troubleshoot problems, and even where to begin a project, and I am very grateful for that. Any gap I may have from lacking formal fashion education can easily be bridged with those skills.
It also gives me the confidence to be more daring with my designs because I understand how to construct and select the right materials to bring ideas from my imagination into reality.
HOH Magazine:
In the mid-1990s, you experienced early success with a children’s collection and a juried fashion show. What did those opportunities mean to you?
Dovile:
To be completely honest, I had no idea what had just happened or how my designs had been selected ahead of creators with formal education and established fashion designers — at least in my eyes.
It was an enormous confidence boost because, at that time, fashion was only a dream, and I had very little understanding of how the industry actually worked. I genuinely remember thinking, “What just happened?” and “How do I move forward from here?”
That experience later gave me the courage to rebuild everything in a foreign country. I already knew what creative success felt like, and that became my foundation.
HOH Magazine:
You later moved to Chicago to learn English, putting your fashion career on pause. How did that decision shape your personal and professional journey?
Dovile:
This is a difficult question because the departure date on my plane ticket to Chicago was the exact same date I was supposed to begin working with a German company as a lead textile designer.
I try not to dwell on “what if” scenarios. Yes, perhaps my life would have been easier or financially more secure, but I would not be as strong as I am today, and I definitely would not have my beautiful daughter.
Being forced to rebuild yourself in a foreign country is an enormous obstacle course, but I believe it can also be more rewarding. It is like comparing a ten-mile hike through fields of flowers to ten miles climbing through mountains — both are beautiful journeys, but one changes you more deeply.
HOH Magazine:
You’ve described your creative process as something that “just happens.” How does an idea evolve into a finished DoviArt piece?
Dovile:
I can be walking, talking, reading, or watching YouTube when an idea suddenly strikes me. Usually, it begins as a shape or feeling that gradually acquires form.
The next step is documenting the idea — usually in a sketchbook or on a random piece of paper. Yes, I still sketch everything by hand. If the idea is strong enough, it evolves into a collection.
Then comes the internal process where I mentally construct the garment. This can take hours, days, or even weeks as I rehearse different methods of turning the idea into reality.
Once I determine the best approach, I transfer everything into my technical sketchbook: flats, pattern shapes, measurements, fabric calculations, structural support, notions, and details.
After that comes execution — and although I call it “easy,” it certainly is not. The fabric is manipulated, painted, dyed, pleated, quilted, or enhanced with appliqués until the piece finally feels complete.
HOH Magazine:
Your work is often described as wearable art with avant-garde elements. How would you define the essence of DoviArt?
Dovile:
I have a very distinct mind, and naturally many things that emerge from it carry that same spirit.
When I restarted my fashion career, I worked in solitude for months. I intentionally avoided watching what other designers were doing because my goal was to develop my own visual language and artistic voice.
I never seek inspiration from other designers’ work. Today, however, I study great designers because I am curious about what made them remarkable and how they achieved their breakthroughs. The difference is that now I feel secure in my own creative identity.
HOH Magazine:
Your designs experiment with texture, transparency, and thermal memory fabrics. What excites you most about working with these techniques?
Dovile:
Every time I begin the thermal manipulation process, I do not know what the final result will be. I am surprised every single time, and that unpredictability is incredibly exciting.
I love transparent fabrics because they can be layered to create movement, texture, and organic color variations. You never know the exact color you will achieve — only a general tone — and I find that mystery fascinating.
Nature itself is never uniform, and these techniques mimic that beautiful unpredictability. You understand the general principle, but the endless variations continue to excite my imagination.
HOH Magazine:
How do you balance artistic expression with the needs and vision of your clients?
Dovile:
Working with a new client begins with a discovery meeting where I evaluate how adventurous the person is, how much their comfort zone can be expanded, and how much of my creative flamboyance can be adapted.
If I sense we are not a good match, I would rather lose the client than lose myself artistically.
HOH Magazine:
You’ve said that designing makes you feel alive. What emotions do you hope people experience when wearing your creations?
Dovile:
The answer may sound sentimental, but it is completely true. I LOVE fabric from the very first touch — otherwise I will not work with it. I LOVE every manipulation process, every straight seam, every aligned pattern, every drape, every tiny detail, every perfectly sharp or rounded corner.
I LOVE the entire process of creation.
Naturally, I hope the wearer can feel that energy. I am also deeply concerned with freedom of movement, so I want people to feel both liberated and empowered.
One client once told me, “Your dress activated me.” That meant everything to me.
So ultimately, I want my designs to communicate love, freedom, and activation.
HOH Magazine:
Your designs are meant to make people feel unforgettable. How do you approach self-expression in today’s rapidly changing style culture?
Dovile:
Today’s style culture is incredibly confusing — microtrends, ultra-fast fashion, unattainable luxury brands, and everything in between. Trends move so quickly that everything becomes a blur, and in that environment everyone ends up copying everyone else.
Even when people try to stand out, they often stand out in the exact same way.
I decided that the only solution is to be as true to myself as possible. In my opinion, that is the only real path toward personal style.
HOH Magazine:
What message would you like to share with Heart Of Hollywood readers?
Dovile:
Life is very short. Do not waste your time worrying about what other people think. Most people are too busy dealing with their own lives anyway.
Instead, find what makes you happy and do it often. Wear fun clothes. Stop chasing trends and instead develop your own style. Invest in quality rather than quantity.
No matter how busy you are, take the time to check on at least one person — if not every day, then at least every week.
And finally, be glamorous in everything you do. Shine no matter what. Darkness is afraid of light, so shine!
Contact: Dovile Riebschlager https://doviart.fashion
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