Dear Shaded Viewers,
Finding her namesake label in 2010, Jovana Filipovic started her creative journey with the aim of making clothes for real women. Drawing upon femininity and elegance, her collections bring out the strength in women, making them feel safe and protected under her perfectly tailored suits and constructed ready-to-wear.
Jovana and I met a couple years ago while pursuing our master’s degree at Polimoda, Florence. We both felt that we needed to start a new chapter in our lives and made a rapid decision to move to Italy. Along the way, we developed a beautiful friendship and made incredible memories which we will treasure forever.
When the pandemic hit, everything changed. We both felt lost again and decided the only way we can move forward is to support each other and take this time to learn from one another. With that being said, it gives me great pleasure and pride to share my collaboration with my dear friend Jovana Filipovic for Fall/Winter21 collection titled Lucid Dreams in Torn Realities.
Lucid Dreams in Torn Realities comes as a reaction against the devastating effects of the pandemic, illuminating the act of dreaming and highlighting the importance of youthful imagination.
The collection takes its name from lucid dreams, a state of dreaming in which the dreamer, though asleep, is aware that he is dreaming and the term torn realities comes as an interpretation of the destructive nature of the pandemic, pulling people away from each other, their desires and nature.
Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the Japanese Anime Paprika, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui’s 1993 novel, the collection focuses on the women’s wardrobe, studying the essential pieces with a youthful essence. With a total of 19 looks, the collection brings a unique story, narrated and retold in the way of a form, idea, message and print.
Rose prints take their references from Alice’s encounter with royal gardeners who are painting the white roses red. They act as an illustration for escapism, rejecting nature. The rhinestone accessories include chokers and bracelets imitating thorns and roses.
Pleated blue skirt made of pure silk comes in the color of Walt Disney’s famous night blue, as a reminiscence of youthful innocence, growing up with stories of wonderlands and fairytales. The red half-cape cotton shirt includes prints of re-written versions of Disney’s most well-known tales, transporting the stories to reality to illustrate how torn life can seem when the act of dreaming is abandoned.
Emphasis to the feeling of warmth is present in the velvet pieces, the robe surrounds the body as if it’s being awakened from a dream. Women’s tailoring protects and covers, while strong defined collars express strength and order. An element of playfulness brought by length and styling is portrayed throughout. Slits give a subtle twist with glimpses of written messages, colors and skin peeking under, studying elegance. Chains accessorise the looks to juxtaposition naivety, used as a symbolic reference to being attached and grounded in reality.
The collection will be available for purchase starting September 2021 at https://www.jovanafilipovic.com/
To see the full collection, go to: https://jovanafilipovic.com/AybukeBarkcinFW21
To see more of Jovana Filipovic’s work, go to: https://www.notjustalabel.com/jovana-filipovic or https://www.instagram.com/thejovanafilipovic/
