PETJA ZOREC AW20/21 CASE 2805
Petja Zorec, emerging Slovenian based Menswear designer stocked with Wolf&Badger and Not Just a Label, talks exclusively to The Pink Prince about her latest collection and gives her opinion on the impact of fashion going completely digital.
TPP: Hi Petja, how are you doing?
PZ: Hey Lewis! Can’t complain, thank you! 😊
TPP: How’s life treating you post lockdown?
PZ: Slovenia is slowly turning back to normal, self-isolation was part of my everyday life even before the pandemic!
TPP: Have you been doing anything creative with your time?
PZ: I’ve had some down time. I’ve gained some new skills in the kitchen (was really bad at it!), found a new obsession in plants, arranging flowers, finding the perfect vase. Mundane living at its best.
TPP: Congratulations on the new AW collection btw, I had the chance to use some pieces in a shoot before the lockdown came into effect and I really loved the colours, textures and use of different fabrics you have incorporated. Tell me more about your inspiration behind this collection?
PZ: Thank you and THANK YOU!
Fall 2020/21 »Case 2805« collection's concept is based on the theory of many layers of an individual, which finally form one's uniqueness. Each layer represents a person's period of life, illustrated with different colors and translucencies. We are also shaped by the experience, represented with a line - dictating further decisions and directions. The sum of the layers shows us the colors of our current self, the line created pattern.
TPP: Your trousers in particular always have such a statement shape and fit. Is there any specific reason behind this signature PZ style?
PZ: I’m not really sure. Could be some sort of childhood complex, could be the masculine part of me, could be the need for functionality, free movement. Since I started studying, trousers were the piece I liked designing and sowing/analyzing most. I was also unsatisfied by what the market was offering.
TPP: What was the idea behind the lookbook campaign?
PZ: The idea was to present one's everyday life. From pretending to be tough, being sincerely vulnerable at home, seriously contemplating the past, making a coffee, smoking. It was about the beauty of the banal.
TPP: As a designer, what did you miss most during lockdown?
PZ: Having very limited acces to fabrics.
TPP: What impact do you think the pandemic will have on how you work as a designer in regards to future collections?
PZ: All of a sudden, it wasn’t that important how one looks like for others, it was mostly about how they feel within themselves (mentally and physically). Also, paying more and more attention to functionality of every detail. Wearability is extremely important.
TPP: What advice would you give to other young designers who may be struggling in these bizarre times?
PZ: Maybe, just don’t start another fashion brand for the sake of it. Don’t think about making huge amounts of money. Think about how much you really need for a good life quality. And also, what others need.
TPP: What are your thoughts on digital presentations and virtual runways?
PZ: I am afraid of the lack of tactility. But technology will develop in this direction as well. I can imagine, soon we will be able to feel something that isn’t actually there.
TPP: Name one thing you won’t take for granted in the near future when life returns to some form of normality?
PZ: Having a cozy, warm home. Having people I love and who love me in my life.
TPP: As a designer what made you focus on menswear rather than womenswear?
PZ: Firstly it was because I thought men were more precise in terms of what they want fashion wise. Then I realised women want menswear as well. So I focus on menswear and visualize women in the same garments. It works.
TPP: Finally if you could sum up 2020 in one word in regards to the fashion industry what would it be?
PZ: Inevitable!
Follow Petja Zorec and find out more about her latest work and previous collections at www.petjazorec.com
Words by Lewis Robert Cameron
Photography by Dino Kuznik
Model Aleksa Terzic at Immortal Model Management