Brenna and Till met online in 2020 in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and shared an instant connection despite living on opposite sides of the globe. Both were in school at the time- Brenna getting her Master's degree in Illustration in Savannah Georgia and Till studying Material Science in a small mountain town in Lower Saxony, Germany. But they both managed to find hours and hours to talk each day, due to in-person classes being postponed at the time. After forming an incredibly strong bond over half a year, Brenna decided to make the crazy decision to move all the way across the world to be with Till and live out her childhood dream of moving to Europe. Though it was a bit of a culture shock at first, she came to love her European life with Till and the pair got married in a gorgeous palace in a fairy tale-esque German town, after only having known each other for a year. Somehow what could have been a complete disaster ended up being the best decision of Brenna and Till's lives.
After finishing her Master's program from Germany, Brenna was left to figure out how to make a career out of her art. She had done an apprenticeship for tattooing in the US several years prior and after being inspired by the beautifully tattooed people of Berlin, she decided to pick back up with learning on her own. After Brenna bought herself a tattoo machine and a massive supply of fake skin, Till was also intrigued by the craft and wanting to "just play around with the machine a little". But he found himself unable to put the machine down after starting. The couple spent countless hours researching, practicing and developing their skills as Brenna taught Till everything she knew about art and helped him to become rapidly better at it. Learning to tattoo quickly became not just a hobby for both, but a passion. After learning all they could from observing and practicing techniques, they decided to start tattooing each other. When that didn't end in disaster, they eventually started taking their first brave customers for just the cost of supplies. During this early period of tattooing, the duo each found their own individual styles- Brenna creating surreal and magical pieces with a dark-romantic aesthetic, and Till offering medieval and historical-inspired etching designs. After doing this for a while and only loving it more and more, Brenna and Till decided to take on tattooing full-time and founded their own private studio space in the heart of Berlin- the Velvet Aether.
Today they take customers from all over the world and make it their top priority to provide a comfortable, judgement-free and inclusive space to get tattooed. Unlike the many traditional walk-in shops that have left far too many customers with negative, uncomfortable and sometimes even traumatic experiences, the studio offers a cozy space where your needs are always respected and you are always the top priority. Beverages and snacks are always included, as well as the opportunity to take as many breaks as you would like, and the option for conversation or for a quite session with your own music or entertainment, as you would prefer. The goal is to ensure that (outside of the necessary pain of getting tattooed) you feel as comfortable and safe as possible and leave the studio with not only an amazing new piece of art on your body, but feeling happy and renewed from the entire experience.
