Showing posts with label Slovenia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Slovenia. Show all posts

Francesco's Travels: Table of Contents

Balkans/Eastern Europe
BulgariaSurviving in Sofia: Part 1
Basically Bulgarian: Part 2
The Turkish Touch: Part 3
One for the Ladies!
The Cultural Heritage of Petar Petrov
Greece apaptform—Where Greece Meets Japan
Macedonia Marjan Pejoski & Kokon To Zai
RomaniaGypsies, Vampires, and Rozalb de Mura
SerbiaThe Dominant Strength of Serbia's Dejan Despotović
SloveniaSENS, Feeling the Touch of Slovenian Class!
TurkeyTurkish Anyone?
Mediterranean Isles & Coasts
Intro The Mediterranean Isles of Italy
Western Europe
BelgiumMoutonCollet: Sometimes Silence is Silver
Veronique Branquinho & the Antwerp Six...or Seven?
PortugalSalsa Jeans Adds Some Spice to Bread & Butter Berlin
SpainToledo—the City of Three Cultures
Italy
IschiaIschia: Roots on a Rim
MacerataElia Maurizi & "Who Is On Next"
NaplesIschia: Roots on a Rim
PompeiiFrom the Ashes of Pompeii
San Marino San Marino: Still Paving the Way
SardiniaWelcome to Cagliari
When in Sardinia, Eat as the Sardinians...and with them!
Nora: from Phoenicia to Carthage and onto Rome
The Nuraghic People, "Su Nuraxi" & UNESCO
Sardinian Nuraghis Rock!
Tharros: Nuraghic Foundation
Tharros: from Phoenicia to Carthage & onto Rome
Bauladu—Country Living in Sardinia
Oristano: Its Musuem & Festivals
Alghero—Sardina’s Little Catalonia
Antonio Marras—the Designer from Alghero

Sulcis—the Why to it All
The Nuraghic “People of Bronze” Come Back to Life
Russia
Former USSR My Romance with the Color Red
Cracks in the Berlin Wall
Shifting Gears: from China to Eastern Europe
Calm, Cool, and...Calamity?
Munching in Moscow
Siberia Hayam Hanukaev Sets Russian Fashion Week Free
North America
PhiladelphiaMatthew Izzo Presents Wrath Arcane at 1st Friday
Philadelphia Fashion Week—a “First” Definitely Not to Be Missed!
China
BeijingHappy Chinese New Year!
Designer Chi Zhang's Northern Capital of Fashion
My SojournMenswear—Not Just Fashion: Focus on China
A Culture Vulture at Heart
Trained by Trains

"Trained" Foriegn Experts
First Impressions
Social Divide
Chomping around China
When in Rome....
Workers—Another Kind of Army
Guizhou Minorities in the 80's
Miao People—All about Fashion
Zhuang Fashion
Yao Men, Yao Women—the Differences Pervade Them All
The Song of the Dong
Yi Fashion
Southeast Asia
Thailand

Bangkok, Menswear & Darwin's Beagle

SENS, Feeling the Touch of Slovenian Class!

I remember the first time I drove into Ljubljana, Slovenia, way back in 1995—just 4 years after the country had gained independence. I had the feeling that I was in the Balkans, but I also had the strange sensation of being surrounded by Austria.

Not to be confused with Slovakia, Slovenia is a country that borders Italy, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, and the Adriatic Sea. Now an EU country, Slovenia has been part of the Roman Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Hapsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and lastly Yugoslavia.

Slovenians are a Slavic people who settled the area about the 6th century AD, and they speak Slovene—a Slavic language that uses the Latin alphabet.

The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana, which is a crossroads of Germanic, Latin, and Slavic cultures, owning an architectural mix of Baroque and Art Nouveau styles similar to Salzburg, Austria, and boasting a vibrant cultural life.

A year before my first visit, in 1994, designer Zlata Zavašnik took upon herself the challenge of entering the formal menswear market, which was dominated by major clothing producers. With limited finances, she dove into production, naming her brand SENS, “senses” in French, highlighting the aesthetic emotions that arise from the senses of touch and feel.

With virtually no advertising—but merely an emphasis on intriguing designs, colors, and materials—SENS menswear was soon filling the shelves of various Slovenian stores.

Selection of materials at SENS adheres to strict compliance with eco standards, while the rights of workers are respected through fair wages.

SENS—the touch, feel, and emotions of where great empires have crossed paths!



Slideshow 2009 s/s collection Copyright SENS.
Photo top right by Ziga, Public Domain at Wikipedia.