Marjan Pejoski & Kokon To Zai

I love it when talent is harnessed and unleashed, rather than restrained! And so it is with Sasha Bezovski and Marjan Pejoski, who founded a new line of fashion and music boutiques called Kokon To Zai.

In addition to their own labels—KTZ and Marjan Pejoski—Kokon To Zai provides a springboard to both well-known brands and the works of emerging designers.

As you may recall, Marjan rose to fame when Bjork walked down the red carpet at the 2001 Oscars in her infamous “swan dress”—a Marjan Pejoski design!

Marjan Djodjov Pejosk was born 1968 in Skopje, the capital of Macedonia, formally part of Yugoslavia—a landlocked country neatly nestled between Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Greece, and Serbia.

Although my history with Macedonia only dates back to the early nineties, Skopje is a fascinating Southeast European city with a 4,000-year history that shares with me a common thread of Roman ancestral heritage.

Before the Romans, however, the region had been incorporated into the empire of Alexander the Great, also known as King of Macedon.

Next, an outpost of Rome and then a Roman colony, Scopje (known as Scupi) existed several centuries as part of a Roman province until it was handed over to Byzantine. Hence, today the major religion is Orthodox Christianity.

What many fail to realize is that Slavic tribes entered the Balkan Peninsula later around the 6th century AD. So similar to several surrounding nations, the language of Macedonia is a Slavic language that is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.

I remember the first time I pulled into Skopje. I had taken the ferry from Brindisi, at the heel of Italy, to the port of Patras in Greece. When I drove about Skopje looking for the home of my national distributors, I was amazed at the kaleidoscope of ethnic diversity: Albanians, Roma and Vlach Gypsies, Turks, Serbs, and Bosnians.

Throughout history, Skopje has bestowed on the world many famous people like Byzantine emperor Justinian I, football legend Darko Pančev, and Mother Teresa.

Now, another figure rising to international fame is designer Marjan Pejoski.

Photo 2009 a/w collection Copyright Kokon To Zai.

Slide show 2009 a/w collection Copyright Kokon To Zai.

Gypsies, Vampires, and Rozalb de Mura

Romania—the northern Balkan country on the Black Sea—is home not only to Romanians but also to thousands of Gypsies and over a dozen displaced minorities like Germans and Hungarians, who predominantly live in Transylvania (Latin for ‘on the other side of the forest’).

Historically, Romania was home to the Dacians, a branch of the Thracians. For those of you who saw the film, gladiator Spartacus was a Thracian! In 106 AD, however, the Roman Empire conquered the Dacians, pummeling their kingdom into a Roman province; hence the name Romania and the Romanian language, which closely resembles Latin.

I first arrived to Romania in 1995 when I was European director for a multinational corporation. I immediately developed an affinity to the Romanians, given the similarity of the Italian culture and language. To my surprise, however, my Romanian rep turned out to be an ethnic German living in Transylvania!

Before arriving to Romania, my only exposure to Transylvania was the Bram Stoker tale of Count Dracula. Fortunately my ignorance vanished when I learned that the tale was partially inspired by a true historical figure—Transylvanian-born Vlad III Dracula—otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler, who reportedly murdered 20-40 thousand people by impaling them on a sharp pole.

My Romanian rep kindly filled in other gaps of knowledge, such as how her German ancestors migrated to the area as early as the 18th century when Transylvania was annexed by the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. As for the Hungarians, they had long dominated the region, since the 10th century.

So, welcome to the world of Oláh Gyárfás, the ethnic Hungarian designer who lives in the mountains of Transylvania, in a small village near Miercurea Ciuc. Olah Gyarfas founded his label in 2006, basing it on the fictional baron, Rozalb de Mura.

Rozalb de Mura collections can be described as very "trans": Transylvanian—a mix of Hungarian and Romanian ethnicity; transgendered—a mingling of masculinity and femininity; transdisciplinary—a platform for artists, musicians, and writers; and transpersonal—a journey from reality to the mythical.

Of the fall/winter 2008-2009 collection, Rozalb de Mura writes:

“Olah Gyarfas wrapped himself in the mystery and austerity conveyed by the sheer blackness of an all black lot. In a conscious gesture, all pieces have been immersed in a black viscous liquid, and then brought to surface bearing the lobe-like traces due to the solidification process.

‘The Thing’ has the appearance of several lobe-like frozen flows of some viscous lava. According to its aspect, the specimen could be the result of an eruption. Inexplicably, it tends to manifest alternately as a black, porous ground mass or as a smooth and undulating shiny-black surface.

Some unspecified force within it spreads an eerie glow, which is definitely not due to the reflection of light onto the microscopic crystals of various totally unknown minerals, as it had been suggested. It is, we dare say, beautiful.”

Stay tuned for more in the next few days on this promising designer of Transylvania!

Photo upper left Sumuleu Ciuc by Locketudor, Copyright by Wikipedia.

Slide show 2008 a/w collection, Copyright by Rozalb de Mura.

The Dominant Strength of Serbia's Dejan Despotović

Back in the early 90’s I lived and worked in a Balkan country for 4 consecutive years, after which I was promoted to direct activities throughout the entire region for another ten. During this period, I fell in love with the Balkans and its cultures, cuisines, genres of folk music, histories, and languages.

Home to Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, and Muslims, as well as to variations of Latin and Cyrillic alphabets, the Balkan peninsula is a kaleidoscope of ethno-linguistic diversity. So, what countries constitute the Balkans?

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Yugoslavia, which has since become Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, (disputed) Kosovo, Slovenia, and Serbia. All have either joined or are in the process of acceding to the European Union.

One common thread that ties these nations together is the domination of the Ottoman Empire, which endured up to six centuries for some countries, diffusing Turkish culture, cuisine, rhythms, religion, and language throughout the region. In fact, the term Balkan is a Turkish word that means “a chain of wooded mountains.”

One of the most fascinating Balkan countries is actually one that has received quite a bum rap in recent years: Република Србија or the Republic of Serbia. Most Serbs are Orthodox Christians; they write with the Serbian Cyrillic alphabet ; and, when they see you, the say "Zdravo, kako ste?!"

Today I would like to introduce you to Dejan Despotović from Serbia—a 22-year-old designer who was born and grew up in Belgrade where he lives today.

As a student of Belgrade’s textile high school, Dejan was already designing for hair fairs and television shows, winning prizes like the Silver Doe Award at the Belgrade Fashion Fair. After graduation, he continued his studies of textiles and apparel design at the College of Design, Textiles, and Management in Belgrade.

Dejan launched his first individual collection at the age of 20 in both Berlin and his hometown, Belgrade. For the following two years, he was nominated best young designer by Pantene Beauty Awards, taking 1st prize for young designer at the Nokia Awards Fashion Selection and the Black & White competition at Belgrade Fashion Week.

Dejan is currently a stylist for the Serbian edition of Elle Magazine. He recently presented his first menswear collection, which was inspired by stylized religious symbolism, the Gothic period, and the music of Belgian composer, Wim Mertens.

The dominant theme in Dejan’s men’s line is “strength.” He explains that this menswear collection is for “strong men—men with a strong sense of self and strong individualism.”

Basing the collection on clean simple forms and strange details, Dejan writes, “On my jackets, for example, you can see golden flies. I also love scarves and knitwear—in upcoming collections, there will be more of them for sure. The silhouettes are slim."

Photo top right Skadarlija, Belgrade, by Zoran Životić Public Domain Wikipedia.

Photographer: Marko Sovilj
Model: Florian Pessenteiner @ Larapixie Talent Agency
Hair/make up: Dragan Vurdelja
Styling: Dejan Despotović @ Larapixie Talent Agency
Clothes: Dejan Despotović

Turkish Anyone?

You've probably begun to figure out from my play list that I share a deep appreciation of everything Balkan: the people, the music, the cuisine, the history, and--yes--the rakia. I lived and worked in the region for many years, and I speak several languages fluently, such as Bulgarian.

It's no coincidence that these countries share so much in common with their southern neighbor, Turkey, which ruled the Balkans for up to four centuries during the Ottoman Empire. Now, many of these countries have become members or candidates of the European Union.

I met Metin Öztürk several years ago for the first time at his headquarters formerly called RCR Touch'n Feel and located in Merter, one of Istanbul's three major fashion districts.

When I walked into the showroom, I immediately felt a close affiinity with the feel of the collection. Although Made in Turkey can mean just about anything, Metin explained to me that derives much of his inspiration from Italian fashion and designers.

He designs his collection in such a way that you really do want to touch'n feel. As you can see by the photo, the look is refined yet very virile. Priced medium to high and of a very good quality, RCR was one of the collections that I featured in my showroom in Italy.

Turkish anyone?

Photo copyright by RCR Modus Vivendi.

One for the Ladies!

Although this is mostly a discussion and news group on men's fashions, once in a while I like to feature an unknown brand or designer of women's clothing.

Today, I would like to present to you Tanya Rashkova, the designer par excellence of the Bulgarian fashion house, Enita.

Tanya is definitely on the avantgarde for her success in combining classic styles to trendy looks, for which she was conferred the title "Best of Bulgaria" for women's fashion.

I met Tanya back in 2004, in her hometown, Veliko Turnovo, an enchanting Balkan city with a 7000-year history that is nestled on the steep hills of central Bulgaria. Not only does Tanya design womenswear but she runs the manufacturing plant and numerous boutiques throughout the country, as well.

Tanya explained to me how she obtains all the materials used in her creations from suppliers of Italy's most prestigious brand names and, thus, are characterized by profound colours and lucid materials of high quality.

Needless to say, Enita was one of the lines that I carried in my portfolio years ago when I had my showroom in Italy.

Ah, to return to the good ole' days!

Photo from Enita Fashion House.