A KALTBLUT exclusive. The creative director and photographer is Nika Ilić. The model is Timotea Topić. Costume Designer, all fashion and styling by Nera Gržin. The designs of Nera Gržin delve into shaping garments using red hues, employing unconventional materials and eschewing traditional tailoring for innovative forms. It seeks to convey the rebellious essence of red through a fashion collection, highlighting textures and sculptural elements. The outcome merges theoretical insights with experimental techniques, yielding fresh forms and a distinct aesthetic.
GINECEJE PROJECT MEANING
The “Gyneceum” emerged as a covert realm of female strength and camaraderie in ancient Greece and Rome, where women fostered creativity, solidarity, and resilience away from patriarchal constraints. This hidden sanctuary embodies the timeless essence of empowerment and serves as a poignant muse for modern fashion, celebrating the enduring spirit of women throughout history.
ABOUT NIKA ILIĆ
Nika Ilić is a 26-year-old Croatian artist and photographer living and working in Zagreb, Croatia. Her work is mostly centred around contemporary art focusing on black and white photography and a pronounced style that deviates from traditional portrait and editorial photography techniques.
After freezing college, she received a Canon Scholarship (Canon Student Development Programme) where she worked on the Portraits of Hvar series: Exploration Of Light and Shadow under the mentorship of Jason Eskanazi (Wonderland) and Sabiha Cymen (Magnum Photos, Vogue).
After starting the “Visions” series featuring a fairytale-like, nostalgic and somewhat uncomfortable portrayal of female characters in modern times; she began to be published in international magazines and exhibit her work on a global scale.
ABOUT NERA GRŽIN
Nero is a multidisciplinary artist with a background in fashion who creates wearable sculptural pieces often referencing body-related issues.
Combining sculptural, installation and performative art, work is commonly displayed about the body, most likely worn on it, transforming the wearer into a live sculpture. Dealing with body-image issues, women’s sexuality and taboos created around it, Nero confronts societal contradictions and sparks conversations around normalising the love and acceptance of women’s bodies, challenging biases and eventually aiming to resolve body-related stigmas. Within feministic topics, strong capitalistic and consumeristic symbols permeate the visual expression forever reminding us of their unbreakable and interdependent bond with patriarchy.
Combining ideas of equality and sustainability, materials used often vary from typically traditional, hand-knitted pieces made from wool, to completely discarding classical textile methods and opting for non-textile materials such as bathroom mats, plastic bags, plastic covers, toys, etc. Everyday objects are transformed and brought into new existence of a higher value, rather than being discarded and consumed by time. Nero often embraces a challenge to build wearable art from everyday objects that embody the logotype craze of the consumption-driven society today.
The creative director and photographer is Nika Ilić @nika.ilic98
Costume Designer, all fashion and styling by Nera Gržin @n3r__o www.notjustalabel.com/nero
Talent/Model and Beauty: Timotea Topić @timoteatopic
