Marko Marosiuk - fashion & costume designer from Serbia

Please introduce yourself to our readers. (Who are you, where do you come from and what is your field of specialization?)
My name is Marko Marosiuk, and I come from Serbia. I graduated from the Academy of Fine Art, and I am a fashion and a costume designer.

What inspires you in general?
Love stories inspire me mostly, I just need to have a story in my mind and then I make up characters. Also I am very inspired by historical costumes, Renaissance, Baroque, etc. I must not forget my divas - my favorite singers and actresses; they entertain me and inspire me, make me cry, laugh. I identify with them and love them; just feel like they make a huge part in my creative process and everyday life.







What is it like to be a young designer in your city/country?
To be a young designer in Serbia, or a designer in general, is definitely challenging, since we are such a small and poor country, where most of the people have absolutely no fashion sense, and people are still not that use to buying designer clothes, but at the same time there are young people who are making changes and extremely talented, and  people who do want to be different, so the designers who make beautiful clothes can have their publics and customers, so it’s not all bad.

What place/city do you find inspiring?
I know it’s a little bit of a cliché, but I find Paris most inspiring. I have been there just once, but ever since I dream about it and I completely fell in love with it, and just watching photos and videos of Paris makes me feel like I am there, and living my own fairy tale.

What is the concept behind your latest collection?
My latest collection is inspired by a story about kingdom where there are only women, who live lonely lives, but they are still glamorous and feminine, sensitive, emotional or even melancholic. But since there are no men, they also play a role of protectors of the castle, so I wanted to create a look of strong and powerful woman as well as feminine and girly. I had an idea of them all living in the castle and I was designing clothes for each character, for example, a queen, a princess, a knight, a queen’s counsel, etc.

Describe your collection/creation in three words
Feminine, elegant, fairy tale

Did you always want to work in field of fashion?
I was in love with clothes since I first fell in love with a Barbie doll. Now I am pretty certain that Barbie had a huge impact on my life and my creative process. At first I was designing dresses for my dolls and it became such a passion that I was sure that is what I want to do with my life. Later, I fell in love with movie actresses and singers and I wanted to make dresses for them. I loved fairy tales since I was a child, so I kept the idea of a princess in my mind every time I think about a woman. Therefore my answer to this question is definitely a yes.

Do you have a muse? If yes, who is it and why?
I have so many muses in my life, and they all play such an important part of my art. One of my biggest inspirations since I was little is Madonna. I think she represents power, strength, courage and a huge love for making art. I am crazy about her stage presence, songs, videos and costumes. I am also deeply in love with Charlize Theron, she is just the most beautiful woman, graceful, glamorous and elegant. She is extremely talented and I can see vulnerability and strength in her at the same time. I must not forget Beyonce who owns a face of an angel, voice of a goddess and always makes powerful performances.

Who is your favorite fashion designer?
My favorite fashion designer of all time, and since forever, is John Galliano. He is the man who makes fairy tales become real, tells stories in the most magical, spectacular and glamorous way. It’s not just about the clothes; his every show had so many details that were just perfect. The whole atmosphere was pure magic, and those huge gowns that he did for Dior are just beyond this world.

What is so far your greatest experience in your 'fashion' career?
I think my greatest experience in my fashion career would have to be my first fashion show. It was also the most stressful thing that had happened to me, but at the same time I learned a lot and it was extremely exciting.

What is on your music list while you are making your collection?
I was listening to Florence and The Machine a lot while I was making my collection. Florence is so magical and I love all her songs and especially the lyrics. Actually, the idea for my collection came out while I was listening to her song ‘All This And Heaven Too’. I listen to lots of Beyonce’s ballads, mostly her version of Ave Maria.


In your latest work, you want to show women’s warriors as well as their emotion. How do you translate it in the collection?
I wanted to show their strong and warrior side through strong forms of jackets, and using solid material, and to emphasizing the shoulders. For their emotional side, I wanted to show through transparent materials of skirts and dresses and I wanted them to be lighter and flowing, but since they are a part of royal family, every silhouette must have details.

We see that you make really nice illustrations. Do you find inspirations from the illustrations?
I just love drawing and I have been doing it since forever. I love drawing pretty people who are mostly just my muses. Drawing actually calms me down and it is the easiest way of expressing both me and the love I feel for them. I am always a fan of comics and how comic characters look like. I guess that is one of my inspirations and the way I like to do my illustrations.

We have noticed that you have worked on costumes. What do you think is the connection between costumes and fashion?
Costume design and fashion design are extremely similar　since it all comes down to designing clothes. Nowadays high fashion is so present in everyday life and designing high fashion is just like designing costumes for theatre. But I guess when you do ready-to-wear collections, you have to think about clothes being wearable. On the other hand, when you design costumes or high fashion you have more freedom to experiment with form and material.




Photo: Dusan Milovanovic & Jelena Radosavljevic Zen Works