Highlights from the 14th Edition of Ljubljana Fashion Week
Discover the collections from the 14th Edition of Ljubljana Fashion Week
Ljubljana Fashion Week 2023, held from October 2nd to 6th, marked its 14th edition at Centre Rog, featuring over 30 Slovenian designers, exciting collaborations, and comebacks like Sari Valenci and Dejan Petrović. Sustainability and self-acceptance were key themes, and the event unveiled a significant milestone with the announcement of the LJFW retail shop at Centre Rog, promoting ethical fashion. In the ever-evolving landscape of the fashion industry, Ljubljana Fashion Week 2023 served as a powerful symbol of the sector's dedication to fostering positive transformation, celebrating diversity, and pushing the limits of style. This remarkable event left an indelible mark on its attendees, solidifying Ljubljana's standing as an emerging force in the global fashion arena.
Here are our highlights of LJFW:
M.FICTION: A Glimpse into the Lunar Future
Opening the official schedule of LJFW was M.FICTION. A Slovenian fashion brand founded by sisters Mateja and Mia Aleksandra Lukač, embodies independent, modern, and rebellious fashion that defies tradition, expressing a passion for fabrics and shapes through innovative material combinations and styles. This season M.FICTION envisioned a post-apocalyptic future on the Moon.
Made in Anselma: Crafting Eco-Friendly Clothing from Vintage Materials
Made in Anselma utilises handmade, eco-friendly clothing created by local artists and designers in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Their collection entitled ‘Leftovers’ celebrates craftsmanship and reuses scraps of fabric and materials to create modern, exotic, and rich pieces that evoke nostalgia and blend old techniques with patchwork and new looks.
ALMIRASADAR X PETJA ZOREC: Unisex Urban Clothing
The collection was created as a collaboration between the brands Almirasadar and Petja Zorec. The unisex collection of urban clothing represents the connection of two different identities with a starting point in the history of sports, movement, nets and networking. The collection is the result of our conversations about clothes, changes in fashion, movement and sports, relationships, the past and the future... and the connection of our identities, Petja's urban pieces and Almira's handwork.
Tanja Vidic: Redefining Knitwear with Unconventional Materials
Tanja Vidic, a Slovenian fashion designer and recent graduate of The Swedish School of Textiles, specialises in experimental knitwear that challenges traditional methods. Her work, titled "FORMERLY KNOWN OBJECTS," repurposes everyday items like kitchen hardware found in second-hand stores into wearable art. Her unconventional approach adds intrigue and provocation to her designs, prompting viewers to reconsider the familiar objects in new ways and question the dynamic between knitted textiles, the body, and foreign objects.
Nataša Hrupic: Textile Forms Inspired by Introspection
Nataša Hrupic, a technical assistant at the University of Ljubljana since 2011, garnered recognition in 2018 at Belgrade Fashion Week, earning the second runner-up title in the Fashion Scout SEE competition. Her latest collection reshapes clothing shapes with planar elements, using various materials to create spontaneous textile forms that bridge her vision with the human figure, inspired by personal and professional introspection.
Tanja Uvera: Celebrating Human Diversity through Knitwear
Tanja Uvera specialises in creating unique knitwear pieces that blend original patterns and colours, often inspired by nature's diverse colouring and textures. Her "Beautiful People" collection is a tribute to human diversity, embracing anarchy and punk as part of everyday life, featuring unconventional colours, sharp contrasts, and raw twill ribbons as fashion accessories, resulting in a range of unique and punk-inspired garments.
KISS THE FUTURE: A Journey Through Time and Style
KISS THE FUTURE, a fashion label in Ljubljana, Slovenia, founded by Tanja Pađan, draws inspiration from science fiction, urban culture, cinema, and Rococo style. Their collection, "Future Youth," explores questions of space and time, offering a youthful, colourful, and optimistic take on fashion with elements of dystopia and utopia. All garments in this collection are crafted from old unused deadstock fabric, reflecting a sustainable approach and a connection to previous generations.
JKH Identity: Folklore Meets Contemporary Fashion
Julija Kaja Hrovat, known as JKH Identity, merges Slovenian cultural heritage with contemporary women's fashion, combining folklore-inspired prints and quality materials in her "CHAOS" collection, blending Pagan and Christian influences, emphasising sustainability, and drawing from frescoes at the Holy Trinity Church in Hrastovlje for a unique narrative that ushers in a new cycle and a new year.
SARIVALENCI: Marie Antoinette goes to Work
Sarivalenci is a Slovenian fashion label celebrating youth cultures, their salvage and emancipation. The Marie Antoinette in an Office (S/S 2024) collection plays with the contradiction of exaggeration from the Rococo period at the French court and the seriousness and uniformity of business-office clothes. It is a humorous, sexy and campy answer to conservatism.
Draž: Mastering the Art of Knitwear
Draž, a family-owned knitwear company with over three decades of experience, prioritises creativity and quality throughout their design process. Their latest collection, titled Blossom, showcases techniques like two-coloured lace, raised-relief knit-purl jacquard, pleated knit-purl jacquard and an outstanding innovation in the form of eight-coloured jacquard, which calibrates eight different colours to bring the resulting fabric as close to the richness of natural blooms as possible. Draž also incorporates floral motifs inspired by local Slovenian gardens, and for the first time, they used AI to enhance their creative process, resulting in visually striking yet soft creations.
BEYOND THE CATWALK: SLOVENIA AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION
It is no wonder a picturesque country like Slovenia is producing incredible talents as seen at its latest fashion week. With fairytale landscapes, preserved and clean environments, architectural charm and cultural heritage, Slovenia is a hub of inspiration that allows creatives to connect with their environment and express emotion. Arguably, one of Slovenia’s and Europe’s top must-visit locations is Lake Bled. Nestled in Slovenia's Julian Alps, Bled is an abundant source of inspiration due to its captivating natural beauty. Its majestic mountains, enchanting forests, and iconic Bled Island with its Church (the Pilgrimage Church of the Assumption of Mary) and Bled Castle create a spellbinding scenery that fosters creativity and relaxation through its tranquil waters. Coupled with cultural significance, outdoor activities, seasonal changes, and unique elements like ‘Pletna’ boats, Lake Bled continues to inspire people worldwide for artistic pursuits, contemplation, or simply admiring nature's splendour. A visit to Bled Island offers the chance to immerse yourself in the enchanting "Legend of the Sunken Bell." As you ring the mystical Wishing Bell and make a wish, you become a part of this age-old tradition, adding your hopes to the tapestry of dreams woven throughout the island's history.