Cro a Porter and Wella Fashion Week are traditional events on the Croatian fashion scene. Opening new chain shops like New Yorker and Zara has given the most important thing to Croatian shoppers – cheap shopping.
Sephora was opened, French cosmetic chain owned by LVMH which is filled with the latest designer beauty products. Cosmetic products signed by Calvin Klein are here. It seems Zagreb is becoming a real little fashion centre.
Take a look HERE at events that have marked Croatian fashion in 2007.
BEAUTIFUL WITHOUT FUR Following the footsteps of world celebrities that took their clothes off for PETA campaigns, Croatian model Fani Stipkovic undressed for the campaign of `Friends of Animals` association called /For Croatia Without Fur`. The nude model and dog Sauri found themselves on jumbo posters throughout the country, raising awareness of all of those who find a piece of torn fur fro ma dead animal to be a fashion expression and a symbol of prestige.
I-GLE AT THE CENTRE OF FASHION Six years ago telegraph.co.uk ran a story “All eyes on Croatia”. What caught the respectable world media`s eye was I-gle [Croatian for sewing needles] trio at the time. And they did not stop at that. With marking their 10th anniversary, designer duo I-gle today have more than one reason to celebrate. One foreign phone call from an agent who saw the creations of Natasa Mihaljcisin and Martina Vrdoljak-Ranilovic on clients, walking in the streets of London, one symbolic `I do` and I-gle (made in Zagreb) mark is on hangers next to Yamamoto and McQueen in the legendary London shop Harvey Nichols. Go Girls!
ELFS – PARTY BOYS BRING JOY TO THE CATWALK Young designer duo ELFS sees fashion as fun and this is, it seems, exactly what the Croatian fashion scene lacks. Next to their trashy style, Ivan and Alex offer a real little party on the catwalk, which includes granny Slavica strutting her stuff down the runway or Belinda Bedekovic, who delighted the audience at Cro a Porter with her virtuoso sounds. This is a duo that is talked about after their collections are presented, a duo whose next collection and accompanying shoe is awaited with excitement. Go boys!
CAT WHO DESIGNS Fashion Cat has become a real cat when he designed his own collection in co-operation with Linea Exclusive. Of course, it was worn by famous Croatian kitties and followers of fashion guru Marko Grubnic. After this collection, the media and critics started writing, fashion experts got talking and the Cat said: “I got everything I wanted – media attention. And even the collection is selling well”. Meow!
LEONARDA GOES WHERE THE LIGHT LEADS HER Rumours about a cold war between two Zagreb fashion weeks never stop and Leonarda Boban only added salt to the wound. Viktor Drago turned off the lights at last season`s Cro a Porter out of protest as Iris Androsevic was wearing Leonarda`s collection, allegedly, due to private reasons. But it seems Leonarda took it personally. Not only did she lodge in an appeal at Cro a Porter, wearing a T-shirt with a sing `Don`t turn off the lights`, but she changed her destination at Zagreb Fashion Week, turned on the lights and shone like a start at the ending show. She changed her destination, but she still managed to stay a step behind this season with her holiday dresses that stood apart from the spring/summer collection. It was still Cro a Porter in spirit.
IF YOU PAY FOR `EM, SHOW `EM Clearly, breasts were what popped out most on Croatian runways this year. There is no creation to draw more attention than the “twins”. This was obviously the main ammunition for certain designers in the fight to “be noted”. The models had not problems showing what they had paid for, silicones, and the designer`s name was in all the media. Everybody is happy! The silicone average was knocked down by Nives Celzijus who, showed her milk-pumped up “curves”.
FUTURE DESIGNERS Upcoming young hopes under the reins of Faculty of Textile Technology professor Nina Rezek have marked the year with numerous fashion events. Fashion wardrobe was a real little warm place which every visitor craving a trip to fashion land could visit, and costumes of famous Hollywood divas which their student`s have made are still talked about. Apart from respected world experts being in the jury, famous Japanese fashion designer Hiroko Koshino put in a guest appearance, who even exhibited some of her creations at the Museum for Arts and Crafts in Zagreb.
FIGHT FOR FRONT ROW It is important to be seated in the front row – is the motto of Croatian fashion shows. Regardless of how important you want to feel at Cro a Porter, you would surely give your seat to Severina. Namely, the sexy singer turned up in an extra short little dress (or perhaps a tunic) by Linea Exclusive and showed to the public how to moon the fashion scene with – panties” This time, the media wrote more about Severina`s black lace panties that the poor designers who worked hard at their collection the entire season. And Severina didn`t even say which designer signed the panties.
QUIETEST APPLAUSE FOR THOSE WHO DESERVE IT MOST Even though cleavages got all the attention, this year Zagreb Wella Fashion Week attendants had a chance to see collections by respected international designers: IDIZ BOGAM – Jacqueline from Belgium, TXELL MIRAS from Spain, LUU ANH TUAN from Vietnam, CLAUDIO MERAZZI from Italy, LOUIS DE GAMA from Great Britain, RENATO BALESTRA from Italy, AGATHA RUIZ de la PRADA from Spain (in the photograph) etc.
FASHION CENTRE First Home of Croatian Design was opened in Zagreb`s Tkalciceva St., an ideal space where Croatian designers have a chance to sell their creations. What are you waiting for?
