I am always rewarded by a stop at BPB, this time for an introduction to the work - or the world, in this case - of Anja Dragan. Below are brilliant looks from MES DIX VIES, her 2012 BA graduate collection for the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. In her back and forth with Branko Popović she said that, “[The collection] was all about a new beginning. About a new world where everything is still bright and pure. A new world where our super-selves would live.”
I love what she did with the fabric for the following look. It’s as if her world is so new that the mud has just dried:
Looks by Serbian designers (from left to right) Ana Ljubinković, Ivana Pilja and George Styler. Backdrop art by BECHA, who collaborated with Ljubinković for the tenth issue of FAAR Magazine.
In an effort to learn more about the designers, I came across these wonderful video portraits from THE LOVESTREET:
I love Styler’s portrait for its experimental film vibe:
Particularly impressive is Ljubinković, who helped take over an abandoned section of downtown Belgrade to co-found the Belgrade Design District:
Representing Serbia in London, Pilja told Fashionela she hopes that, “…Ana, George and I will open the doors to creative people from our country, with the message that originality always finds its wayâ€. No doubt it will.
Many thanks to Branko Popović for introducing me to the work of Ali Abdulrahim. His graduate collection, REVELATUS, showcases outstanding embroidery skills and striking silhouettes.
Influences include Magritte’s The Return of the Flame, clergy vestments and the typical Maasai color palette. Abdulrahim moved from Ghana seven years ago to pursue his studies in Belgium, graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts of Sint-Niklaas in June. I look forward to seeing more from Abdulrahim, as his own label, apparently, is forthcoming.
More photos of the collection and a chat with the designer at BPB. More on REVELATUS here.
