Columbia is full of hidden gems, and Hedda, located in North Village Arts District, is the best one yet. Owned and operated solely by creative entrepreneur Heather Ripcse, it is stocked to the brim with hand-crafted and thrifted pieces that promote intentional consumerism.

While many of Hedda’s items might skew on the higher end of a college student’s budget, they are worth more than the asking price for their high quality material, creative value and vintage aesthetic. 

Although its storefront is filled with simple, clean pieces, Hedda is not minimalistic. Instead, Ripcse emphasizes clothing with a purpose. While small-scale, everything is sewn, painted and thrifted to tell a story.

Ripcse said that Hedda’s utilitarian-chic approach to fashion is due in part to her family history. Descended from Hungarian immigrants, she grew up appreciating beauty combined with functionality from a young age.

“We had a sewing machine in the family living room,” Ripcse said. “Growing up, my mom always let me play with it, and I just kind of had a mind for that. I would make myself clothes to wear to school or do things for friends.”

When developing a brand image, Ripcse said her inspiration came from several places. First was ‘60s Italian and French cinema, but she also cited Kintsugi — a Japanese technique that pieces together shattered pottery with lacquer and gold. This concept, she said, is interesting because it takes broken things and makes them beautiful again.

Wanting to stray away from mass-producing, Ripcse opts instead for unique pieces. Some of her self-proclaimed best finds include a $2 Burberry trench coat, Longchamp handbag and mother of pearl clutch. 

“There’s so much excess, and a lot of this stuff just winds up in landfills [since] it’s pretty disposable,” Ripcse said. “[I] try to preserve some pieces that are already out there that are beautiful and made to last a long time.”

While many of Hedda’s goods are locally sourced, Ripcse also sews and paints garments in-house. Through tops, hair ribbons and pinafores, she said she likes mixing-and-matching versatile, long-lasting clothes customers can feel good in. 

The Hedda Collection, available in limited editions, consists of clean cuts and muted colors that perfectly encapsulate the brand’s traditional approach to everyday apparel. Many of the shirts are layer-friendly and easily pairable with different colors.

This love for fiber also inspires the way Ripcse looks at materials. In fact, she plans on potentially working with a friend who develops natural dyes from foraged materials. This start-to-finish process might also incorporate woven or boiled fabric to produce finished goods.

As a small business, Ripcse said the word is spreading slowly. However, in her little nook, there is no doubt that something special draws in a wide variety of customers. 

“It’s kind of off the beaten path,” Ripcse said. “I just hope it adds to people’s experiences kind of funneling into this unexpected little world and getting [them] excited about clothes.”

In the meantime, Ripcse said that a good way to support local artists is by participating in the First Fridays Art Walk, a free event where businesses in the North Village Arts District will be open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month.