George Styler presents “Captivity”

1. Please introduce yourself to our readers. (Who are you, where do you come from and what is your field of specialization)? 

My name is George Styler and I was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but I’ve spent most of my life in Belgrade, Serbia where I currently reside. 

I graduated from College of Textile - Design, Technology and Management in Belgrade so I have a diploma in apparel design and textile design. I have been working in the fashion industry for over 6 years and I designed clothes for men and children. I’ve also worked on fashion collections for many famous fashion brands and the time has come for me to launch my own brand – George Styler. 

2. Tell us a little bit about the concept behind your collection? 

The title of my collection is “Captivity” and it is in fact the message of freedom and paying attention on just how important that message is for the animal world as for the people; national, sexual and religious minorities and all beings whose freedom has been taken away.

A bird is the symbol of freedom and in our society a parrot is kept in a cage. My inspiration came from looking at the parrot, his vivid colors and his form. In this collection, I am in fact admiring the differences in this world and I cannot understand those that have a problem when someone is different. Therefore, I didn’t want to concentrate only on one style. 

In my collection you will find the most versatile styles from punk to jacquard knitwear all the way to ethno. With this I wanted to show that it is not important where someone comes from and that in every nation there is something interesting. 

3. This collection seems to be very socio-critical. What made you go in this direction? 

In a modern society, people are often prisoners of social networks, media and prejudices without being aware of it. A bird in a cage is the best example of modern slavery and the inability to its basic right which is to fly free. We live in the world where hate still exists among people, where we are divided by social class, a world in which people mock each other's differences. By using cages and wire elements, in my collection I want to demonstrate this robbing of freedom and what would it be like for a man to become someone’s decoration without the possibility of flying – the right to freedom. 

The collection is rich with punk elements like chains, studs and spikes which symbolize a bird’s beak and claws. Punkers are known to be fighters for freedom and rights so their style fits in to my story well. But this is not the only style I plan to show in this collection. 

 

4. Are all your collections concerned with a critical background or is this your first work were it plays a central role? 

Until now I mostly did commercial collections and fashion shows for many brands, and I have received multiple awards. This will be my first independent collection, but I also plan to draw attention to many problems in the society in my future collections. At FASHIONCLASH I noticed that many designers have an artistic approach to fashion and therefore it is the right place for expressing original ideas, opinions and attitudes.

              


5. You have used a large variety of materials? What can you tell us about that? (What do they represent?)  

My collection consists of many different materials because I wanted to present different species of birds as well as differences in the human society because the differences are what makes our world special. This collection could have shown this theme a bit realistically by using real feathers or fur, but I don’t believe animals should die just for the sake of fashion. I dedicate this fashion line to them. 

What I find interesting are the shoes called “opanak” that are designed and styled especially for this occasion and are originally a part of the Balkan traditional foot wear. Some of the shoe models have traditional beaks which resemble bird’s beaks.

6. If you were to define your collection in 3 words which ones would you choose? 

Avant –Garde, futuristic, ethno.

 

7. How do you personally define ‘Fashionclash’ or ‘a clash with fashion’ for yourself? 

In fashion everything that had to be invented was invented a long time ago. What keeps fashion fresh are new ideas and new materials. The most important things are - concept, quality and message and that is what FASHIONCLASH appreciates most and what differentiates it from other fashion events. I am happy that FASHIONCLASH exists because it gives the opportunity to young designers to show their creativity. At FASHIONCLASH, art comes first, and not just money, celebrities and disturbed systems of values that usually follow the fashion world.

Pictures by Damian Trawicki 

Model: Jey Wilson