NIKA TOM | FASHIONCLASH Festival 2017

Meet Nika Čuić, the designer behind NIKA TOM, from Zagreb, Croatia. She is  26 years old and she holds a degree in Fashion Design and Costumography, and also economics. What she loves the most about being a fashion designer, is that she can be herself. At the moment she is involved in the making of her FASHIONCLASH collection and she is also preparing for an exhibition in Zagreb, as well as designing costumes for a short movie. If you want to check out Nika's and other amazing collections, be sure to buy the tickets to the festival here.

What does your brand represent?
My brand NIKA TOM represent the extension of myself. First of all, TOM stands for my mothers shortened family To continue, my work represents me, respectively, my mind, feelings, thoughts and everything that an individual can't describe with words I have always had a need to express that in one way and, by set of circumstances, had always been surrounded with a sewing machine, fabrics and all sorts of materials helped me to achieve that.

What are so far your main achievements in your career? 
I have participated in lots of shows and exhibitions during two years period, and one of the most notable was Berlin Alternative Fashion Week. I was also a part of the Designers Profile in the Mays issue of British Vogue- page designed with the intention of showcasing a range of upcoming designers.

What are your biggest struggles as a young designer/artist?
Lack of financial resources, technology, materials.

How would you define fashion?
I wouldn’t really define it. Every individual speaks and does for himself, respectively, creates something which he or she finds accurate. You can really communicate with clothing, and I think that is the goal here - to speak out.

What fascinates/inspires you and why?
Literally everything! I always have a different inspiration, but there always has to be a reason and connection why did it happen. These inspirations are often connected with my personality, surroundings, everyday situations, emotions, people, art , music…

What do you want to communicate with your work in general?
I want to transfer my ideas and stories through clothing. The goal is to achieve perfect imperfection, meaning a set of rules that you made by yourself and that are not so common but with its wrong unexpected details they become perfect .

Can you tell us something about the project you will present at the FASHIONCLASH Festival? What do you try to communicate with your project?
The project I will present is named 'Peripeteies'. It deals with balance between reality and the inner one made in our thoughts and felt through emotions. The question is what is real and how to delineate it from the mind of a self and is this real just a confirmation of our expectations and beliefs. On the other hand, the mind is living its own reality which is created by interconnectedness of yourself with lived experience, it is a gateway between the finite and ad infinitum. Letting the mind communicate with the reality enables a possibility to create its own reality which is then known only to ourselves. The mean is to represent both worlds, many realities on the same piece and let them connect together. Since the mind of oneself is hard to be grasped with words and expressions, my goal is to express it through clothing and in that way to explore the possibility of functionality of this balance.

Why have you decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival?
I decided to participate at FASHIONCLASH Festival because  it focuses on supporting emerging young designers and gives them the opportunity to experiment with fashion and create something unconventional.

FASHIONCLASH is already working on future themes. What are the topics you find interesting?
Topics that interest me are people, their relations, human body, mind and what can be produced with it.

Does fashion makes sense to you?
Most of the time not, because it had gone to extremes of consumerism, rapidly changeable trends and uselessness. On the other hand, communicating with it, expressing yourself, making something different, long-lasting and with good quality does make a lot of sense.

What are your thoughts on making ‘fashion’ more environmentally-friendly?
I think every individual also has to think and work towards sustainability as much as he or she can for the benefit of the unity.

What are your thoughts on the senses in relation to the human body?

Clothing is in a close relation to the human body because of its tangibility. Body feels the fabric and decides whether it will accept it or not. When they match, they become one. Clothing and fabrics shape the body reacting differently on each person. Clothing serves the body's appearance and also helps a person to express themselves. 

What senses are engaged in your creation process? 
I am using my emotions, intuition and (sub)conscious through every step of the process. Every single sense is engaged , mostly touch and sight as feeling the fabric and seeing its result when its created.

If you want to find out more about Nika and her brand, please check her out at Not Just A Label and Instagram.