What Did Dreft Fashion Week Bring?

The past Zagreb weekend was marked by fashion. The current season’s Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb kicked off with a spectacular fashion-theater performance by Toni Rice. With candlelight and an audience dressed in black, the Hvar native exceeded all expectations.

The theme of the funeral may have been shocking at first, but Toni proved with his creative story that fashion serves to excite and inspire us, while also paying homage to tradition and old customs.  The runway segment of DFWZ was opened by Austrian designer Eva Poleschinski/ep_anoui, whose knitwear further highlighted the summer collection recently showcased at Berlin Fashion Week. For several years now, the popular Ugg boots have reigned supreme on the fashion throne of the most sought-after winter fashion accessories.

A touch of Dalmatia, more precisely Dubrovnik, was brought to us by avant-garde Zjena Glamočanin with her spring/summer 2013 collection, where she played with nautical knots and stitches, combining black with strong fluorescent colors. Manuel Maligec is a name you will remember well. The winner of last year’s Dreft Next Generation young designers competition shone on the DFWZ runway with a debut collection inspired by Dreft black, delighting both the audience and the industry.

Nino Bollag presented himself to the Zagreb audience for the second time. The Swiss designer, who regularly participates in Paris Fashion Week, showcased a collection inspired by the search for home. Illustrations, prints, and simple cuts are the hallmarks of his spring collection. The highlight of the evening was provided by the darling of Croatian celebrities, Kristina Burja for Krie design, who remained true to femininity and wearable elegance.

On the second evening of Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb, the current casual collection of Sisley was presented, along with the colorful and playful Benetton, avant-garde jewelry designer Mladen Grubić, the brilliant Aba, and two international guests, the brand Superated and Steven Tai. Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb concluded in the best possible way – with an explosion of Croatian design.

The last evening was opened by the unassuming Iva Karačić, who shows season after season why she is called the queen of asymmetry with her collections. Comfort and creativity are the guiding principles in her design, and modern women simply adore her. Iva, like Aba Tomičić, who presented the previous evening, is increasingly serious about her pieces made from excellent materials, with a clear vision of who the woman wearing her design is. Iggy Popović found inspiration this season in photography and the eternal Dior. By the audience’s reaction, it is clear that he did an ‘excellent’ job. This time he opted for a different style from last season, after the classic combination with baseball jackets and rockabilly style, this season he paid tribute to Dior.

Natalija Smogor presented a men’s collection for spring/summer 2012. She is one of the few Croatian designers, if not the only female designer, who works exclusively on women’s or exclusively on men’s collections. Given her excellent knowledge of the male body and that men’s collections are her strong suit, she decided to focus on that part of the audience this time. The collection is completely black and, although not overly complicated, very interesting. It is also extremely wearable, which means it will surely find its way to men’s hearts very easily.

London designer Ada Zanditon, whose models are adored by young Lily Cole, showcased an interesting video campaign and a collection presented at the last London Fashion Week. ‘Tigress Reign’ is a video work in which Ada presented her vision of the modern woman. A warrior, a cool girl, but ultimately a lady who feels best in feminine clothing tailored only to her proportions.
Zanditon presented a beautiful and fearless heroine on the Zagreb runway, who is elegant even in the wild. The collection consists of dresses, sets, and sharply tailored jackets, inspired by the most elegant cat in the world – the tiger!

Ana Kujundžić has always nurtured her style, which consists of somewhat unusual treatment of materials, whether they are cut, sewn with threads, or joined from numerous strips. Her collections are true little works of art that represent eco-fashion. To conclude Dreft Fashion Week Zagreb, the never boring, always original Ivana Popović took the stage. With a fashion-film performance directed by Branko Schmidt, she proved that there is no one like her when it comes to unconventional fashion values. An erotically charged video transitioned to the runway where models performed mini performances to demonstrate that a woman feels best in clothing that makes her sexy and attractive to the opposite sex.