Designer quickie: Dominika Mandić

Through some of my work projects I had an opportunity to meet Dominika. What I particularly like about this young lady is that she is extremely hardworking no matter what job it is, she is aware and realistic about situation she is in, she plans ahead and has clear goals of where she would like to be. Although still a bit inexperienced she has a natural drive, talent, look and fighter mentality, she has proven to swim well in local media and fashion environment which will enable her to reach across Croatian boarders as well. 

Dominika has applied for local upcoming fashion student competition called Modni Ormar and has participated in recently held Dreft Next Generation young fashion designer contest where she made gorgeous illustrations for her ocean inspired collection however the contest called for Fall-Winter one which prevented her for progressing further in the competition. I hope she will still manage to produce this collection as I would love to see it come to life!

Here is what Dominika had to say...

1.   When did you realize that you want to become fashion designer and why?

Since I was 9 I wanted to be a fashion designer. It might see as cliché but once, my mum's friend was babysitting me and we were watching Fashion TV, I was hypnotized with what I saw and I loved it all instantly, 2 days later, I was still fascinated, I simply asked for a pen and a paper and I started to draw, as the years passed, my fascination with fashion only grew bigger and bigger.

2. On which fashion design contest did you participate so far?  

Recently I participated in Dreft Next generation contest with collection inspired with sea creatures shapes and forms, next I will participate in 7th edition of fashion student contest  Modni ormar, finals are scheduled to be held in November 2012.

3.   Who are your role models when it comes to fashion design?

I have a number of designer figures I see as role models, I differentiate them according to generations. First, there is naturally Coco Chanel and Christian Dior, then their successors Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano, then Eli Saab and finally never forgotten McQueen.

When it comes to Croatian designers I love the work of Adela Kliškić and Nikola Barbir because I find their talent unreachable!

4.   What were your inspirations for the collection you applied with on Dreft Next Generation contest? How would you describe this collection and are you planning to produce it?

I got inspired for this collection while listening to Gorillaz album Plastic Beach and thinking about set contest topic which was – Dreft Black. Simple blackness is too simple for me. I am always searching for the background story; this is how I created collection inspired by sea shapes damaged by oil spill. I am planning to produce it as soon as I will be able to fund the production.

5. You are currently attending TTF (Croatian fashion design college), do you feel that this school is preparing you well enough to become independent profitable fashion designer and why?

TTF definitely has amazing professors who are experts in their fields and know how to transfer that knowledge on us – students. Also, I think that our school is amazing inspiration source and provides additional knowledge for those who are proactive enough to seek for it. I don't think that anyone in school can prepare you for the real life and showbiz environment.

6.   What is your opinion of Croatian fashion industry today?

The way I see it, in comparison to the rest of the world, I see it as a big joke. We are very small and irrelevant in global context, but everybody seems to consider themselves a big celebrities. It seems like famous designers, models, stylists and starlets are made over night. I feel like most of the people in the spotlight in fashion industry in Croatia have no background to support their status, this is why I would love to move abroad as soon as possible.

7.   Other then attending fashion school what other jobs do you do?

I used to work in Stilist magazine as a stylist, now I am writing Fashion ID column on fashion portal – La Couture. I look for people who dress differently and I interview them about their personal style. Soon I am planning to start working on cooking & styling project with Mr. Rene Bakalović but this project is still in development stages. Naturally, I am working on my upcoming collection for Modni Ormar in November.

8.   Do you think that fashion designer can make a decent living in Croatia?

I would say no, but since currently we have so many fashion designers, I seem to be wrong.

9.   What are your plans after graduation?

After finishing my undergraduate degree here at TTF in Zagreb, I would like to enroll in graduate school in Amsterdam, then, if I will be lucky – masters in London. I am planning to network and build connections in Western Europe and then decide where to settle. For now, the one thing I know for sure – I don't want to stay in Croatia.

10. What kind of women do you see as the buyer of your clothes?

I would like to enchant women of all ages, those who like to dress feminine, but feminine with the twist to it, women who are not scared to be different, to walk in high heels all day and are not intimidated of the admiration looks they will get walking down the street when wearing my pieces.

I want to design for women who will not settle for classic skirt and dress shirt, those who dress for themselves exclusively, not for those who use clothes to attract men.

11. How do you see the influence of the social networks and bloggers on fashion industry today?

I am terrified more than anything to talk about this topic, hehe. I do respect foreign bloggers who are professionals and make money from their blog, those who really help young designers with promoting their work. In Croatia, I respect street style blogs and blogs constructed as fashion news.

     I ignore and dislike bloggers who dress something new every day and publish dozens of photos of having coffee with their friend, I consider those to be a self promotion sites. In Croatia, most of the blogs are like that.

12. What are your immediate plans for the future?

Next in order is upcoming fashion student contest Modni ormar which will take place on November the 15th, where I was selected as one of the 16 finalists to show their collections. This is the first opportunity for me to show what I can do; I am doing my best to create the collection as perfect as possible to most tiny detail.  I hope this collection will be a success and create more opportunities for me.