“Per me una donna è come fosse un dipinto: i suoi occhi, i suoi movimenti, la sicurezza in sé stessa compongono una bella immagine. E i vestiti che disegno è come se fossero le cornici, marcate e geometriche, di ogni dipinto. Rimango convinta che gli abiti non debbano sovrastare la naturale bellezza di una donna: al primo posto c’è lei, il fascino dei suoi occhi, delle sue mani, il suo sorriso, solo dopo vengono gli abiti. Ecco perché la semplicità gioca un ruolo fondamentale nel mio progetto.”

Un modo di vestire che si esprime senza enfasi o esagerazione, una estetica dell’assenza, dello scarno, una ricchezza data dalla essenzialità quella di Sanja Cirjak, fondatrice del brand 19.02. Originaria di Zagabria, un trascorso da attrice teatrale e un amore per Londra che la porta negli anni ’90 a trasferirsi in quella città fonte per lei di grande ispirazione.

“Sono sempre stata attratta dal movimento punk e dal loro modo di vestire alternativo, fin da quando, ancora ragazzina, avevo visto una foto di quei ragazzi londinesi. A Zagabria era tutto così diverso, la gente così limitata nelle proprie scelte. Dell’aver vissuto per due anni a Londra la cosa che più mi aveva colpita era che tutto sembrava realizzabile e i giovani creativi potevano dare vita ai loro progetti. E’ lì che ho capito quello che volevo fare nella vita.”

Nel 2001 quando fa ritorno a Zagabria Sanja incontra Victoria, una donna il cui stile la attrae fin da subito e con la quale crea il brand “Madame de Mode”. Nell’animo l’idea di dare spazio alla propria inventiva e creare abiti non influenzati da mode o tendenze.

“E’ stata una vera e propria immersione nella storia della moda. Victoria era molto interessata al Rinascimento invece io guardavo agli anni ’20 quando le donne indossavano abiti, camice e pantaloni. Lei aveva un imprinting più teatrale, io più minimalista ma, nonostante questo, insieme funzionavamo bene. Per otto anni, tra alti e bassi, abbiamo portato avanti il brand: un negozio nostro, la partecipazione alle fiere locali e frequenti viaggi a Parigi per presentare le collezioni.”

Nel 2008 la decisione di trasferirsi ad Atene per ragioni di carattere personale e ancora il desiderio di dare voce alla propria creatività con un nuovo progetto dal titolo 19.02, in onore della propria data di nascita. Forme minimali che si manifestano nei colori del nero, del bianco, del blu e del grigio e che amano l’utilizzo delle righe. Tutti temi ricorrenti di collezioni semplici e lineari che sanno esprimere in maniera decisa il loro concetto di bellezza.

“La donna che indossa i miei abiti è una donna indipendente, sicura di sé e sofisticata. Sa quello che vuole, è disinvolta, rilassata e allo stesso partecipe attiva della vita metropolitana. Non è schiava delle tendenze e ambisce a indossare pezzi unici e diversi. Perciò la filosofia del brand va nella direzione di soddisfare le richieste e i bisogni di questo tipo di donna, avendo cura di ogni singola individualità.”

Il Made in Greece, come elemento distintivo e fondante, diventa sinonimo di qualità e trasparenza. Una scelta coraggiosa che aspira, nonostante la difficile congiuntura economica che attraversa il Paese, ad affermare il valore del brand non solo all’interno dei confini nazionali ma anche nello scenario internazionale.

“Contemporaneità per me? E’ sinonimo di libertà. Libertà nelle scelte, libertà di creare il proprio spazio e possederlo. Libertà dagli obblighi e dalle costrizioni che la società impone. Libertà di essere chi siamo.”

Desidero ringraziare per la cortese intervista Sanja Cirjak, fondatrice del brand 19.02 –  Facebook – Instagram

Orecchini, Aumorfia 

Foto di Elisabetta Brian 

19.02, A TASTE FOR UNDERSTATEMENT (English text)

D: Sanja, can you tell me who is the creative mind behind 19.02? I’d like to know something about you, your bio, your education and your interest in fashion.

S: After I was graduated from high school my love for theatre pushed me to become an actress. However after some unsuccessful attempts at the end of 90s I decided to go to London, a city that had always been an inspiration to me. When I was a little girl, I once saw photos of punks in London. Since then, I had been always attracted by the punk subculture of the city and the images of punks with their alternative clothing style stayed long time in my mind. It was much different in Zagreb, people were more limited in their choices. Already at that time, I knew I am going to spend some time in London, and I did everything to make it happen. After living in London for two years, I was fascinated by the fact that young creative people could just start their own business. Everything seemed so possible! So it became clear to me what I wanted to do next in my life. However, I could not afford to study in a college in EU and in 2001 I had to come back to Zagreb, my hometown. In Zagreb I was lucky enough to find and attend a course of an Italian school Callegari. After one year of studies I get a scholarship for the next year. This is when I met Victoria, who attracted me with her great sense of style. Victoria was about to start her own business and she offered me to join her. Together with her we open our studio in the centre of Zagreb and bring our ideas to life. I learned a lot from Victoria: she was more experienced in this industry. Our main goal was to create clothes, that have nothing to do with trends and fashion. That is how our brand ”Madame de Mode” was born. We would go together through fashion history books and do research. Victoria was more keen on Renaissance and I was more into 20s, where women were wearing suits, shirts and trousers. She was theatrical and I was minimalistic, but surprisingly it worked out great for us. Our Madame de Mode lasted 8 years with ups and downs: we had our shop, we would participate in local fashion shows and fashion trades in Paris.

D: How did you develop the idea of creating your own fashion brand? And what does the brand name “19.02” mean?

S: In 2008 I finally make the decision to move in with my boyfriend who lived in Athens. I was still part of Madame de Mode, however it was hard to keep up with the business from such a distance, so when in Athens I started my own company and called it 19.02, which is in fact my birthdate. In 2013 I become mum to a little girl Fedra and took break for about three years. I came back to business only last year.

D: Can you explain which is the philosophy of the brand? Your aesthetic research and the women you aim to wear.

S: The 19.02 woman is an independent, confident and sophisticated woman. She knows what she wants, she is relaxed and at the same time actively involved in urban life.  She is not a trend follower of course, and always aims to wear something different and one of a kind. And this is the philosophy of the brand actually; to meet the demands and the needs of this woman, to take care of her individuality!

D: An overview on shapes, fabrics and colors. Black/white dichotomy.

S: When it comes to shapes and colors I give preference to minimalism and bold designs. Black, white, blue, grey, stripes are the colors that you will always see in my creations. They are simple, clear and at the same time strong enough to express the beauty I have in my mind.

A woman to me is like a painting: her eyes, movements, self-confidence form a beautiful image. The clothes I design is like creating strong, geometrical frames to these paintings. I do believe that  the clothes should not distract from seeing the woman’s natural beauty: on the first place it is she, with her beautiful eyes, hands, smile and only after, the clothes. Therefore, the simplicity plays a major role in my designs.

D: Made in Greece: a strong well-defined choice about production despite the financial and social crisis.

S: The Made in Greece is a very important factor to my brand: it ensures quality and transparency. The country is in a very difficult economic situation right now, indeed, however, I strongly believe that with well organized and structured strategy 19.02 can survive this economic turbulence and gain its solid place in the industry.

D: What does contemporary mean to you?

S: Contemporary to me is the synonym of the word freedom. Free in your choices, free to create your space and to owe it. Free from everything that society puts you in: no obligations, just be who you are.

D: Next steps for the future. How are you planning to develop your project?

S: My future goals concerning 19.02 is to build new relationships and be surrounded by interesting people: people who would like to work together and contribute to the brand to make it stronger. And my aim is to create strong enough collections that can be sold in Greece and worldwide.