Designer quicky: FYODOR GOLAN

Last week we met at Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb, what is your impression of young Croatian designer's collections? Did you notice somebody special?

We think young Croatian designers need to pay attention to all the aspects of high fashion from show, details and quality finishing, and not forget that their creations are created for other people. Keep in mind who is it for. 

What did you like and what didn't you like about the organization?

We felt that this was very well organized event. It had good pace and we didn't feel any stress. It was both business and pleasure trip because just before we left we were approached by a buyer.

You spent couple of days in Zagreb - what do you think about fashion sense of Croatian women? We think women in Croatia are stunning and they should really show it more, have an edge and take more risks. Let’s see more of Fashion! We loved your choice of dress on the last night. 

(My choice of dress was of course Lei.Lou by Alex Dojčinović)

How does your creative process from an idea to execution works since you work in pair?

Does working together affect your private life? It’s a collaboration and mix of ideas, we love to explore opposites. But for the working process we do few things totally together but mostly we decide between us who does what and then we talk and see it from others point of view. A lot of working and a lot of talking. It doesn't really affect us because what we do is what we are and we are married. 

How do you comment when one said that your work has a strong McQueen influence? Is this a conscious decision or does resemblance has its root in similar schooling and cultural influencers? 
We know when designer starts to be out there they would be compared to someone, everyone went through it. Even McQueen was compared to genius Mugler. It’s a great honored to think of us that way because we know how much effort and time he put in his design process, and we do the same. The difference between us is in attitude and the feeling how we portray things. He was aggressive and there was always romantic side mix with dark side, with us it’s more about melancholy and strong women but from women's perspective and exploring differences things that not really go together, but it in our work they do.

Who is a woman who you create for, who is Fyodor Golan women? 
FYODOR GOLAN is designed for the global modern Women. Confident, sexy and an intellectual. She is not afraid to show both sides of her personality, she can have fire and energy, but she can also be gentle and emotional.

Your AW 2011/12. Collection is quit clean and focused, it has a perfect balance between couture elements and unique RTW collection - seems like many dresses are red carpet ready, who are the celebrities who wear your clothes? 
Thank you. That is our focus; we want to create perfect balance between Couture and RTW. For us Fashion without Tradition and moving along with new technology is not fashion, Fashion is not just creativity and its not art but its business as well. We constantly challenge ourselves only that way you can discover and achieve progress. We worked with Lady Gaga, but we would love to create for Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, Ronit Elkabetz, Renata Litvinova, Carey Mulligan and Emma Watson.

Where can one buy your collection around the world? Do you have intention ad capacity currently to expand to the bigger markets like - US, Middle East and China?
At the moment we are at the start of our business, but our collection is sold at Russel Street boutique in Hong Kong and at our website www.fyodorgolan.com with option order online. You can send us an email and we will reply quite quickly back to you.

What is the price range your collections are in? Are you happy with orders/sales of your last collection so far?

Our pieces price range is from £300 to £3000. By showing only once in London Fashion week we think that we have a substantial start and have a potential to expand to many territories.

We are very interested in reaching to American, Chinese, Middle East and Russian markets because we feel our style would work there. Keeping our uniqueness and variety we are interested to offer special pieces for certain markets. So wherever you go there would be something special. Hopefully very soon you will be able to find us in Zagreb.

What is your plan for the near future in regards to your collection? Would you like to expand to other segments? 
We just got chosen to be one of the 3 finalists of Fashion Fringe and to show there is amazing opportunity and support. We are always open for new challenges; accessories would be next step for us.

Images : Lucas Seidenfaden

Illustration 1 : Andy Bumpus

Illustration 2 : KELLYANNA 

You can watch the whole show bellow lovelies! I adore how music fits perfectly with the collection - fabulous!

A birth of an industry.

As you already know from my previous blog posts, I have moved back to Croatia about two years ago. Ever since, I have been curiously following how local fashion industry and designers function. All that I have seen was three separate fashion weeks – each pushing their own agenda, waking up couple of months before their event and falling asleep day after.  Basically, they functioned as an entertainment event organizing agency – without clear goal for the participating designer’s promotion or the clear plans for projects future, which consequently disabled them from attracting sponsors.

For the remaining of the year – designers “belonging” to each of the respective events attempt to earn some money by selling mostly not wearable and rather impractical pieces, which are often overpriced and not of a  particularly good quality. While others, who are the true and proven talents (based on their customer base and yearly earnings), have good quality, wearable pieces, and competitive prices and are actual media & customer magnets – act as drivers of the mentioned events, but do not get much out of the whole ordeal – as real industry buyers are not in attendance and showing their collections on these events gives them temporary PR exposure but rarely new customers.

However if the international buyers were in attendance, even the talented few designers, who have potential to have their collections ordered – do not have a production capacity to support an order of an even a small to medium clothing chains.

What have changed with existence of this new project – Fashion.hr Industry?

This year Fashion.hr group consisting out of: fashion portal, PR-marketing agency, organization team for three fashion events per year and trade show – Fashion.hr Industrija following each of the events (SS, FW & resort) have announced that they are attacking the root of the problem of local fashion industry with the industry motivating project objective of which is to connect all the dots – manufacturing & production – design – presentation (via shows) – PR/marketing and most importantly – sales & international exposure via bringing international buyers to local trade show. Project was named – Fashion.hr Industrija.

The idea and theory behind it is just what local industry needed which is why I am really proud and supportive of this young team. So big thumbs up!  However, when I have seen the start of the project execution, I had some doubts.

Partnering with local chamber of commerce, selected local clothing company production factories and selecting a decent pool of talented young designers to sign a yearlong contracts and produce capsule collections for mentioned clothing companies, were all good moves.

On the other side, many things stayed undefined and unclear.

For example, I think that it was not a good idea to have both fashion.hr fashion shows and trade show fashion.hr Industrija to run in parallel due to limited capacity of production team as well as designers who will be present for both, this way quality of the events might suffer.

In addition, it hasn’t been defined which and if any real fashion buyers will actually attend, will this trade show showcase the upcoming  Fall/Winter 11’. collections or a combination of the SS and FW 11’? Will regular consumers be able to attend and purchase the pieces they see on the spot?  What will happen if the buyers make orders from designers who did not sign contracts with local production factories as part of Fashion.hr Industrija project?

All in all, this move is definitely a good move and a move forward for Croatian fashion industry. It will motivate a natural selection among the designers collection, it will give designers insight into what market demand is and it will most definitely make them be more realistic in pricing. In spite of the fact that not all details are clear and polished, I really hope that from the first time around this project will be a success and that strong foundation will be built for upcoming fashion talents, local textile industry will be awaken and more jobs will be open for industry professionals in the future.

Designer quicky:Vjera Vilicnik - the fairy with the hands of gold

I am so happy to learn about this amazing young lady. Vjera's resume embellished with masters in fashion design from Italian school of Design, Instituto Marangoni - the incubator of fashion talent and degree from haute couture embroidery school Ecole Lesage, the last remaining house of haute couture embroidery dating from 19^th century which collaborates with fashion institutions like Dior, Chanel and Lacroix on their couture collections, as well as her experience working with labels like: Julia Smith, Abercrombie&Fitch, Meeting, Basso&Brooke, Saint Hill Couture, Roksanda Ilincic, Max Mara, Tom Ford and WGSN differentiates her from many other fashion spotlight hopefuls.

My first impression of Vjera was "Gosh her name suits her so well!" and my second was "Gosh her pieces are so gentle, classic, delicate and dreamy." 

Vjera started her label back in July,2010. in pursuit of a  constant quest for more beautiful, more intricate garments that are unique yet timeless. She treats every piece of her clothing as a precious part of the overall story creating beautifully hand crafted, meticulously finished and soul stitched wearable timeless pieces each embellished with a tad of couture.

Vjera Vilicnik seems to create with free spirited, happy, elegant, very feminine and soft but confident women in mind. As she saids: " The woman in my mind, my muse, is a woman full of contradictions, but they are not really opposed to each other." Read more here.

Vjera Vilicnik Spring/Summer 2011.

Vjera took time and was kind enough to answer couple of my questions:

Were you ever approached by any of the organizers of fashion events in Croatia and would you ever consider showing your collection on any of them?

 Croatian fashion scene is still new to me, and since I was a part of fashion studies in London, I fell much more at home here. I would of course love to show in Croatia too, but for now time doesn't let me focus more on that idea. I recently gave an interview to Fashion.hr so there is a chance there will be collaboration with them.

Where do you sell your clothes? Do you have a showroom,do you sell online or via multibrand boutiques?

I have an online shop as part of the website, and you can see the pieces at The Showroom, just of Marble Arch, London, which is a part of FASHIONCAPITAL.CO.UK, an organisation that helped me to with the start. I would love to have my own little boutique but that is something for the future.

Brandalley.co.uk and Brandalley.fr have had competition for young designers and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the winners, both with LBD and Perfect Blouse project, and so for a certain period of time you could buy the pieces on their websites too.

Are you ever planing to go towards mass production or would you prefer to have a smaller more exclusive stores in selected locations?

Because of the haute couture embroidery in my pieces, it is impossible to direct it toward mass market. The pieces sometimes take few days to finish, which of course, suits a smaller range. I would love to have the collection in a few selected stores, and keep the pieces unique and long lasting in making and quality as they are now.

What are the demographics of your customers?

The customer that wears Vjera Vilicnik, is a women full of contradictions, but they are no contradictions at all. She is a work force, and a gentle lover, she is a loving mother and she dances the night away. She is between the ages of 25-40, in search for something unique, long lasting, and classical with a twist, something that she can express herself with.

Do you have a "signature piece" and would you please indicate a price range of your pieces?

The signature piece is the carnation waistcoat. It is fully covered with handmade silk chiffon roses in shape of carnation flower, and for this season it is mixed with fine woollen balls for a more dramatic effect and mix of textures. It takes days to finish and hand stitch but it is also my favourite piece. The prices range from £80 for a simple t-shirts, go to £150 for short dresses and then climb to around £400 for long dresses or embellished pieces.

Please do visit Vjera's website to buy her clothes or view her collections at http://www.vjeravilicnik.com or her facebook fan page.

Vjera will show her latest collection at the Charing Cross hotel, Strand, London on Saturday 19th February 2011 as part of LGN Events off-schedule London Fashion Week catwalk show - A LA MODE. 

"God gave women intuition and femininity. Used properly, the combination easily jumbles the brain of any man I've ever met. "

Farrah Fawcett 

The future of fashion is 6 months!

Chanel

As Karl Lagerfeld said during one of his interviews, and I also trully believe so: " the future of fashion nis six months", which is more than obvious with ever growing market for resort and other mid season collections.

I have selected couple of signature pieces from my most liked Pre-Fall 2011. collections for you bellow.

Chanel show inspired by the lost culture of Byzantium is definitely targeting emerging markets of middle east, India and China as well as the royalties of mother Russia and United Kingdom. 

I love,love,love the filigree headbands, gorgeous embroidery and Chanel's staple - quilted handbags.

Fendi

Emerald and sapphire jewel tones, exquisit detailing and hand picked luxurious fabircation were staples of this La Dolce Vita inspired Fendi collection. I loved the knee lenght skirts, beautiful warm color tones and the transitional character of every single piece. Day to night wear indeed.

Diane von Furstenberg

        Diane was inspired by glamurous american 70's sportswear creating another working women collection, simplified with geometric print and pieces that match with each other easily creating fast, clasic and chic daily outfits. My favorite are knee high thick heel boots worn with matching or bright turqoise socks, warm transitional colors reaching from brown to emerald green, mustard and tuquoise. I also enjoyed the almost horse riding look alike hats, very cool.

Donna Karan

I must admit, when I saw the first photos of Donna Karan's Pre-Fall 2011. collection first thing I said was - hello Ralph! But than I continued to click and noticed more and more layering and said - Ok, Donna is back ;) The warm urban color pallet of military green and  grays) country side chic (made of luxury fabrics - satin, shearling and cashmere) indeed reminded me on classic Ralph Lauren look. 

My favorites were oversized shirt, hanging belt jumpsuit and satin gown at the end of the show.

Elie Tahari

Elie Tahari has showed a red carpet worthy collection with touches of fur to spice us the tailored look. I was most impressed with his dressy jumpsuits, simple but dressy skirtsuits and party ready accessories.

BCBG Max Azria

Max and Lubov Azria put together a collection inspired by "the blazing colors of Guy Bourdin's photographyof" (style.com's - Matthew Schneier) mostly long, loose dresses, all in very bright gem tones. I love the long semi sheer dresses as well as the asymetrical knee high ones all touches with spring's bright color lines.

Carolina Herrera

Carolina Herrera is always one of my favorites as it most coresponds with my personal style, so I daubt I can ever be objective in comments. She kept it simple indeed, working with comfy jersey, silk organza and satin all in frency gray with random pop's of color - my favorites were long red dress, box jacket with fur color worn with almost a sweat pants comfy wool pants, gorgeous flop detailing pencil skirt and trench gown. Love it!

Source: style.com

Party dresses by Max Azria for Hervé Léger

With this post I am starting my Pre-Fall 2011. season review. I have seen all of the shows and now I will need some time to figure out how I feel about the collections. ;)


One of the collections stood out for me, as we all know resort and pre-season collections are indeed becoming more and more significant not only due to emergance of new economies but also somewhat due to climate changes.


There is nothing more flattering (for perfect women's body) then Herve Leger bandage dresses spiced up with floral prints and even hand beading by Max Azria. 


The color palet and lenght were not to diverse ranging from mini to knee lenght, colors ranging from gorgeous military green which caught my eye to powdery pink. 
While the breading space is totally limited, with some dresses being accessoried with a shinny belt - overal collection is a safe sell to Leger's faitfull perfect body following ;)


Ahh, sexyyyy!...dear Santa please get me one of these!!!

Hit the gym ladies! :)

The future of fashion is six month.

~Karl Lagerfeld~

Fashion week rush

When somebody saids fashion week, which words come to your mind first?


If you asked me this question two years ago while I was still living in NYC I would say something like: 
double skinny Starbucks pepermint latte breakfast - Showroom Seven - get jewelry samples - run to Anna Sui - red bull lunch - blistered feet - can't catch a damn cab - pick up show shoes - run to Bryant Park for AM shows - rush to Rugby RL (no wait its my day off) - run to Universal Display to merchandise the collection - back to Showroom Seven's closet - go home to change for PM shows - afterparties -go home to change for work - get tripple Starbucks pepermint latte breakfast - am work at Rugby RL - repeat all


Today, day after Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb it is more like:


Jacobs instant coffee in my new Starbucks plastic thermo breakfast (0.5L) - get to gym before 9am - run to P&G office - get roll ups & promo products to a rent -a-car - call and coordinate PR agencies - set and coordinate promo areas on spot - follow up on media partners - squeez in all regular day work in 2hr time slot - change and beautify for the event - pick up Hungarian collegues - network with customer partners, consumers and designers - after party - am work - repeat all


So now I decided to implement some changes and actually sleep every night during Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb, at least couple of hours a night ;)


Stay tuned as I will write daily updates on most interesting shows!


Sleep tight divas! :)


Xoxo,

Croatian designers shopping nights powered by Dreft in Zagreb - report

Ahh what a fabulous night last night my dears!

Last night we had our first shopping nights out event powered by Dreft in Zagreb. The goal was to motivate people to buy Croatian Fashion designers clothing, to support local production, young talent and the local industry and to realize it is not all that expensive, when you look at its quality, ability for personal contact with the designer, having tailor made piece of clothing made just for you and on top always having an original designer to turn to when it comes to alterations.

I was really pleasantly surprised with craftsmanship and original ideas of the most designers I got to see. The 30% reduced prices are (as I hope participating designers realized yesterday) the realistic market prices for their pieces, as at this point they would not be cosidered unrealistically priced although still on the expensive side a bit. 

   I would say their business would go at least 20% up in volume instantly if they would keep their prices down permanently. The prices of their clothes are definite barrier to even enter their stores to an average consumer.

Also, I was actually impressed with their pleasant, positive and professional personalities, as well as their 'can do' attitude - here I am talking about Alex Dojčinović - who was most popular designer of the night, Ivica Klarić - already experienced designer and very cute, fun but very business savy although a bit immature duo ELFS.  :)

It seems like most designers were happy with how much they sold last night, media and celebs were also very interested in all of the fashion fuss behind the event and for the first time around, I think we could say all in all this was a good start! A good shake or slap on the face/kick in the but this industry needed in Croatia.

 Some things which could be better - was the preparation of designers, as some did came unprepared to merchandise and display their pieces, not all know how to talk to media and promote themselves and some still are overpricing their pieces to the point that even with the discount their clothes is unrealistically expensive for its quality and complexity. I hope those will wake up ASAP and realize that right now they are not being price competative at all and are pushing real mass customers away with that approach.

Here is what I got & tried on! :)

ELFS wool coat

    

ALDUK - Croco purse with fox fur 

     

multi-functional dress - Lei Lou by Alex Dojčinović

I hope to see more designers joining the event next year! :) 

You can see more photos from the event on my Facebook fan page!

Enjoy lovelies!

"The goal I seek is to have people refine their style through mine clothing 

without having them become victims of fashion.

~Giorgio Armani~

Shop the night away tomorrow in Zagreb!

Fashion's night out - Vogue's initiative which jump started the wave of late night shopping events has been traveling across the world announcing the Fashion Weeks world wide, inspiring and motivating people to enter the designer stores where the full luxury, unique feel only designer clothes has hits them as soon as they enter the store.
   
Finally we have such event in Zagreb. We are staying true to Croatian designers, driven by fashion enthusiasts from www.moda.hr fashion portal who have been unbiasedly following and supporting as well as educating Croatian designers on how to promote, advertise and sell, since this is not something which is obviously being taught ar Croatian fashion college. 


We are trying to revive Croatian fashion industry currently on life support. Rich with young designer talent while lacking modern production facilities, goverment support and business educated professionals with clear vision for the industry longterm. 


Here we go, bellow are some of the designers opening the doors of their boutiques, preparing supprise parties, jazz concerts and best of all 30% and up discounts on this seasons as well as on SS 11' seasons collections which are still hot from the runways!

I got my eyes on the Alduk chain purse with a fur detail, Lei Lou cream open back dress and a belt and ELFS skinny bow jeans.


Enjoy lovelies! :)

Foto: Goran Čižmešija

Styling: Jasmina Arnautović

Model: Ana Vukelić / Taliamodel

Make up: Nena Mrkonjić

Hair: Tajana Akalović / Evelin