LISBON - INTERVIEW WITH LIDIJA KOLOVRAT

Dear Diane and Shaded Viewers,

Bosnian born artist, designer, healer and teacher Lidija Kolovrat is based since 1990 in Lisbon, Portugal. Her local studio is platform for sale, research, work and discoveries. Working womenswear and accessories since her early years in Zagreb, Lidija started showing her first entire menswear collection in march 2006 on the Lisbon Fashion Week. With a strong, innovative and crashing vision her menswear has been around for now almost three years. Intrigued by what will follow I invited Lidija for an interview with past, present and future perspectives.

Kindly,

Martin Kullik

INTERVIEW WITH LIDIJA KOLOVRAT:

- Your work is considered multidisciplinaire. How would you describe yourself?

I like everything, specially if I observe it entirely. I like to exercise the inherent nature that goes, flows and talks in objects.

- How would you consider your lifestyle?

Learning, going from stage to stage, place to place, idea to idea and that's my lifestyle. Squeeking, crying, experiencing.

- How about your twist?

In the moment you see the point I like to bring the opposite point. When somebody bores you, you decide to make as if it actually interest you. Things become playful and therefore brings challenge. You bring qualities of other people and give them something that they can appreciate, make a young and innocent toy that talks to your memory. What you do is what you are.

- Please describe your vision on menswear?

I'm creating my new consciousness. Design, fancyness, not over functional but it makes you work. Not just a piece that can make positions, it makes your body concious. A little bit of yoga. If somebody buys my clothes, it is like if somebody puts a piece of the best chocolate in his mouth and it goes to his memory. Creating a platform of unpredictability. You can have your coat but you can also take it off and give it to your neighbour. Don't just put on a nice piece of clothing. Challenge language and mood. A little bit of change in structure is advisable. Smart things. The attitude for design, you sharp and define.

- How would you picture/visualize the perfect man wearing your designs?

First, if he would be perfect he would be already perfectly dressed. I really like to feel the moment it happens that he becomes perfectly natural. What I see for me is done, then I need to go until I find a new source of inspiration and approach it.

- How came you are not as visible as people could expect?

I work more inwardly. The need of growing is also changing, there was a time where I didn't need a big audience, I was very busy in a circle where I could follow my own experiences and its close reflections. Exchanging work, feeding my learning.

- What is your target?

I am interested in developing projects that use marketing to spot the paradox.

- Would you like to aim Paris as show and business target?

I still didn't think of it very seriously.

- What's going on in your opinion in international menswear?

It is getting much more colourful.

- Can you handle fashion well?

I don't take fashion as my lifestyle, it is a expression. I try to find the right words, because I don't want to sound like a vegetarian. Fashion is a nice field where you can actually express and melt art, politics, human behaviour, social need and if it is for that i'm intrested to explore.

- Repetitive innovation or innovative repetition?

I like both.

- What have you been working on at the moment?

I'm designing something that maybe can make people happier.