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A WEEK OF DREAMS

Aiming to present new ideas, energy and creativity of our fashion scene, a traditional event - Belgrade Fashion Week - took place from October 20th till October 27th, for the second time under the official title of Technomarket Europe Fashion Week. During eight days, fashion experts, fans and the largest audience were enjoying for the fourteenth time in a row new visions and ideas of both domestic and foreign authors. A "revival of authorship" - that is to say a larger number of authorship collections - is something that undoubtedly marked the most prestigious fashion event in Serbia and Montenegro. Thus was the original concept of Belgrade Fashion Week maintained. We saw dreams shaped into collections by 40 fashion designers at 26 fashion shows.

Our designers' creativity is by far beyond dispute - that is a pure and simple fact. Since its beginning, Fashion Week and its organizer, Fashion Studio Click, strived to give a chance for promotion of these capacities through "New Tendencies", a promotional program for undergraduates at and graduates from the Faculty of Applied Arts and young authors, whose first authorship collections saw daylight at Fashion Weeks. Many of those "young lions" that got their first chance at one of Fashion Weeks are today distinguished names on European fashion scenes. Aleksandar Protic is one of the most famous designers in Portugal, Danilo Zizic worked for the Department of Development of Costume National in Milan, Roksanda Ilincic is already an established name on London fashion scene. Slobodan Mihajlovic obtained an MA degree at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, one of the best fashion academies. Jelena and Svetlana Prokovic work successfully in Slovenia. After presenting her spring collection this year in Milan, Iva Stefanovic literally "skipped" two years at the famous Marangoni School, and is at the moment attending post-graduate studies.

Our designers' creativity is undoubtedly a fact! "But what we need", says Nenad Radujevic, FS Click's general manager, "is turning that creativity, already recognized by the world, into a very serious business strategy and a product competitive on the market. That said, we are going to work more on the project's business aspects", adds Mr. Radujevic.

Two main patrons of this season's Fashion Week are Belgrade City Hall, as well as the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Services from the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Both institutions have supported FW's intentions to present Belgrade to the world as a modern European city, open for collaboration, worth coming to and investing into. In order to make their statements more clear, FS Click has for many years been expanding collaboration with various foreign cultural centers, with the foreign media representatives and our embassies and consulates abroad, and is doing even more this time. In collaboration with the Consulate of Serbia and Montenegro i Trieste, Italy, an exclusive photo session was organized on various attractive sites in Trieste and Venice. The models wore garments by some of the Belgrade Fashion Week participants. FS Click traditionally maintains good collaboration with the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. The collections of graduate students, class of Prof. Doda Komad, were presented at a special fashion show.

Coca-Cola Light Night gives an international character to Fashion Weeks, and four designers presented their works within this concept. Suzana Peric, who works successfully on fast-growing German fashion scene, and three designers who graduated from the famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium: Jan-Jan van Essche, Urlike Ratz and Slobodan Mihajlovic. Roksanda Ilincic presented her own new ideas. Her fashion show at the previous London Fashion Week swept British audience off of their feet. From Slovenia we had V.O.O.D.O.O. - team consisting of Jelena and Svetlana Prokovic, and Slovenian designers Petra Grmek, Zoran Garevski and Natasa Persuh. Two brands, "Chicco", Italian brand for children, and "San Pellegrino", respectively, have also had their programs presented.

Additional program of the 14th Belgrade fashion week, included a Live Demo by "Evita Peroni" hair accessories, an exhibition of fashion accessories and a photo exhibition by Nebojsa Babic. The exhibition entitled "Italiana" included photographs taken in the area of Trieste and Venice for the purpose of this Fashion Week. Exhibition's set was the gallery of the Museum of Applied Arts, as it was for the fashion performance by designer Iva Stefanovic. FS Click, FW's organizer, is very proud of its newly established collaboration with a cultural institution of such magnitude. Their support is compatible with the belief that Fashion is Art.

It must be said that the French channel, Fashion Television (FTV), one of media sponsors is still broadcasting clips from the previous Belgrade Fashion Week in a special segment entitled "World fashion". This segment compiles shows from relevant world fashion scenes, and among them are our authors from the previous season's Fashion Week. In keeping pace with new technologies, FS Click prepared a special surprise for all fans of both fashion an technological innovations. Thanks to the collaboration with Mobtel, 063-network users with a GPRS-service have the opportunity to broadcast and receive images and sounds live from the sets of fashion events.

Sounds like a dream? Perhaps but … "Nothing has been achieved, without being dreamed about first!"

Exception - Darko Kostic

Exception - Giorgio Rossi

At the end of every Fashion Week impressions about new tendencies shown by designers, renowned fashion houses and young authors are summarized. A few people from our country's cultural, fashion and public scene, as well as guests from abroad, share their impressions about the 14th Technomarket Europe Fashion Week. The following people speak about this Fashion Week:

RADMILA HRUSTANOVIC, the Mayor of Belgrade:
The 14th issue of Belgrade Fashion Week, under the auspices of Belgrade City Hall, brought seven days of excitement, beauty, creativity, established and newly discovered talents to Belgrade. Our city has, through fashion, presented itself as a genuine European capital with a lot of beauty and originality to show. The existence of Fashion week sheds light to another, prettier side of our city and our country, showing that we are not deficient in either urban sensibility, or fresh ideas, or some peculiarities that make us who we are. Fashion, as a universal language, understood by all, is certainly one of the most attractive ways to present Belgrade and ourselves. The fashion week that just ended was, for what I saw, more interesting than the previous one, more exciting and I hope the next will be even better.

Francois Thiellet, managing director of FTV
I enjoyed a prolonged weekend I spent at Belgrade Fashion Week. A few months ago I visited this beautiful city that is full of good vibrations. I enjoyed my stay here. I have to say that I liked very much what I saw at FW. The presentation of Iva Stefanovic was interesting, as well as New Tendencies shown on Sunday by the students and Natasa Saric. The set in Sava Center is absolutely magical. I represent Fashion TV and I am very interested in what is going on in this part of Europe. Our viewers will be able to see what the fashion scene of Serbia and Montenegro looks like. Although your country is very small, it has many creative and talented people in the fashion business and I can say that they have all the chances of success and a great future. I have to say once more that I'm full of positive impressions of what I saw at Belgrade Fashion Week.

Dragana Bukumirovic, women's section editor in "Politika"
I am not an expert of Fashion Weeks, I don't attend everything, nor do I follow it from the cradle, but I work long enough so that I can say that this one is the best so far. Above all, an audience has been cultivated. People don't come only to see what they are going to wear, but to experience fashion as a way of communication and culture. I was most touched by Ulrike Ratz' and Natasha Saric's collections. They both design for modern powerful women. That kind of female energy is perfect. I don't know whom to marvel at most. When I saw Ulrike, I couldn't believe that something like that existed. That is an entire palette of garments from which a thousand of new collections can spring. A woman of such a strong imagination has to be asked to come here and make something new for us. Natasa Saric is also magnificent. Unfortunately, I wasn't thrilled by Doda Komad's collection. She is obsessed by visual form, and fashion is about communication, excitement. Great imagination doesn't need a lot of money. Young people, her students, have shown us that. For me, they were Fashion Week's peak. The new generation knocks on our door, and we will, very soon, with just a bit more money, make an international wonder out of Fashion Week. Everything starts from here. The city should support this happening. Milutin Colic used to, briefcase in hand, go from company to company asking for money, and thus, Fest was built. Nenad Radujevic has an amazing energy, and he will make an institution out of Fashion Week. He is a kind of person that pioneers things. And I have to say that I was profoundly disappointed by Darko Kostic. I don't understand who his target clientele is. But, it's all right, that also should be seen.

ROKSANDA ILINCIC, fashion designer:
It is great that Fashion Week, after seven years of existence, still lasts. I congratulate FS Click on that achievement! That is an event that, aside from giving highlights from our fashion scene, educates both designers and the audience and establishes Belgrade's taste in fashion. Participating in it, I've noticed that fashion is still very important as a part of culture, while it is more of a business abroad. I've always claimed that we are a nation that likes fashion; our people want to dress well and are willing to spend money on good clothes. That is why I think that fashion shows here are more of a social and a cultural event than they are abroad. In London, Paris or New York, they are happenings that mostly gather experts and sometimes people from show-business. People are categorized according to their affinities. And the rhythm of life is such that we don't have much time for something not closely related to our jobs. It is different here. That is something the Fashion Week has shown, together with nteresting collections and talented designers.

Suzana Peric - Nemacka

Roksanda Ilincic - London

Jan-Jan van Essche - Belgija

Ulrike Ratz - Belgija

Slobodan Mihajlovic - Belgija

Natasa Saric by PASSAGE

STIG - Sonja Kacar

CHICCO (Italija)

TODOR - S. Plazinici J. Markovic

TODOR - Predrag Neric

TODOR - Predrag Neric

Doda Komad

Doda Komad

TRIKOTAZA IVKOVIC
I. Najdanovici N. Pavlovic

TRIKOTAZA IVKOVIC
I. Najdanovici N. Pavlovic

V.O.O.D.O.O. - Zoran Garevski

V.O.O.D.O.O.
Jelena i Svetlana Prokovic

V.O.O.D.O.O.
Nataša Persuh

V.O.O.D.O.O. - Petra Grmek

SANPELLEGRINO (Italija)

MARCELLO - Fashio: Lidija StanojevicTrostjanski

KLUZ- Dizajnerski tim Kozara -
J. Mišovic

KLUZ- Dizajnerski tim Kozara-
J. Mišovic

MARCELLO Fashion:
Bojan Milisavljevic

MARCELLO Fashion:
Sonja Krstic

Modna kuca Ooops!

Tamara Radivojevic

Srdjan Vekic

Katarina Puzic

Jelena Vukosavljevic

Modni atelje ISIDORA S:
Vesna Stojkovic

Iva Stefanovic

EXEPTION - Giorgio Rossi

EXEPTION - Darko Kostic

Tanja Stevanovic, journalist
Fashion Studio Click shows season in and season out more maturity and an even more serious approach to business. I'd commend my favorites at this Technomarket Europe Fashion Week: the Belgians, Doda Komad, and I'm also very fond of Roksanda Ilincic's collection. I hope FS Click prepares surprises this nice at every Fashion Week that follows.

Luna Lu, television journalist (B92)
The strongest impression at this Fashion Week did I receive from the Belgians. I like different kinds of presentations combined, not only a show, but also a film, a video clip as a means of expression, that is something I like very much. At the previous FW that was Bogomir Doringer, this time Slobodan Mihajlovic. The Belgians have showed us what can be done with fabric, if only that could be worn. It is marvelous what they teach them at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. And I would even like to wear Roksanda Ilincic's dresses. If only my show hadn't started at 4:30 PM, I'd probably wear some of Ulrike Ratz' creations, so that I could look like an urban Mongol, but with the limits I have, I'd take a couple of items from Roksanda. I think it is necessary that this city have a Fashion Week, and I am also proud that it lasts for so long a time, and that the crisis had passed. The proportion of commercial and authorship collections is excellent. I don't attend commercial shows because I'm not interested in them, except for this underwear show that can be enjoyable to my viewers. I like to see how young people think with scissors in their hands. This was a good fashion week, one of the best.

ITALIANA - Photo exhibition by Nebojsa Babic - Museum of Applied Art

Nebojsa Babic, fashion photographer
Fashion Week was excellent. It is good that it is moving upwards season after season. The happening is gaining more and more quality. I always like to see foreign designers, our people who work abroad. I am glad to see them come to Belgrade and show us their collections after London Fashion Week, after Düsseldorf Fashion Fair. I believe that to be a great advantage of Fashion Week. It is educational for this environment, especially for young authors. A huge work done by Fashion Studio Click is behind all of this. At this Technomarket Europe fashion Week we saw a new generation of great models. I am more than glad to participate and assist in such an event. The commendable thing at this FW is the ability to see a difference in approach to fashion, from Natasa Saric, whose collection a complete work of art, to Doda Komad, Roksanda Ilincic, Suzana Peric. They have all shown completely different approaches, and in my opinion, that is the best so far. I also liked the Belgians, especially Ulrike Ratz. It is good that we saw different methods of presenting fashion, from the classical way by Isidora S, to the unusual ones by Slobodan Mihajlovic's video art. Congratulations to Fashion Studio Click, and keep on going. I Believe the next Fashion Week to be even better.

Marija Kranjc, fashion editor of "Bazar" and the president of "Bazart"-award jury
This Fashion Week was better than the previous one. That has already become a tradition. There were many successful collections among those shown, and they all deserved to be on this, the most important fashion event in the country. Thanks to the Fashion Week, our audience has the opportunity to see what our designers who work abroad and who were first promoted by FS Click, are doing. It shouldn't be forgotten that FS Click always gives a chance to young and talented people, and also that they make possible to make a comparison between foreign authors and ours. Collections shown by our companies who employ exceptional designers are also to be highly regarded. Many of those garments can stand side by side with designs by distinguished world names and brands. Moreover, thanks to FS Click's collaboration with FTV, the audience all around the globe will be able to see them. This is the reason why this event is so successful. We in "Bazar" decided, three seasons ago, to single out the most appealing ones at every Fashion Week. At the 14th TECHNOMARKET EUROPE FASHION WEEK the "Bazart"-award laureates are: designer Doda Komad, "Exception" fashion show, and models Marija Kurjacki and Vuk Vukicevic.