VISIT LOCAL ARTISANS THEIR INVITING WORKSHOPS

IN THESE interviews we present goldsmith mario nokaj from lapidarium author jewelry, Dora Rubić from family run artisan fashion salon Dora, Velibor and Dora Zoričić from Koza handmade leather bags

LAPIDARIUM, MARIO NOKAJ

In Lapidarium you offer a complete spectrum of jewelry collections, starting from traditional to contemporary. What is your fundamental idea when starting a design for a new piece? What inspires you and how does your production process look like?

I think that the design should be of service to people in every aspect, even in jewelry. This is the guiding light I follow when starting the creation process.

On the other hand, emotions are the real creators of the final design because our jewelry is emotion. Inspiration starts with the person I am creating for and the symbolism of motifs, colors and materials gives the design its true meaning. To make just one particular piece of jewelry sometimes requires months of work or more. It all depends on the complexity of the piece, the number of elements involved, as well as materials and techniques that are used. If a design is highly demanding it can involve several experts in the entire process. The final product and our clients satisfaction is our reward.

Tell us more about Zlatni licitar collection?

The Licitar Heart is a traditional and integrated part of our culture and heritage. We took the meaning and what it represents and gave it a fresh and modern expression. We have a complete jewelry line called Zlatni licitar (Golden Licitar) featuring gold and silver heart pendants. They are a perfect gift to the loved ones. In the center of Licitar is traditionally a little mirror in which they see their self, so they are in the center of the heart, that is a message clear and deep.

Do you see yourself as an artist or a craftsman? How you perceive your profession in today's fast-moving world?

Maybe the word artisan is the best description, I combine art and craft to make a design, all together it's an experience for the customer and it's a satisfaction for me. The world is moving fast and we are following our customers through it. I witnessed the first gifts to girlfriends, engagements, marriages, births and sometimes deaths through mourning jewelry.

We are here for all our clients all the time, and happy to see that our work has been recognised.

DORA FASHION BOUTIQUE, DORA RUBIĆ

Dora fashion boutique is a 30 years old family run artisan shop. Can you tell us more about the history and the development of your establishment?

Our fashion boutique was opened 1986 by my mother

Mirjana Rubić, while she was pregnant with me. Maybe my destiny was already sealed then!

I have always been interested in fashion and I loved to spend time in the workshop and play with buttons, cloths, and sew clothes and toy bags. From the very beginnings great importance was given to the quality of the materials and the top design.

We were specialized in female clothes, mostly suits, costumes and silk shirts. I took the job over in 2012 when my mom retired.

Although my mum is officially retired, we are still working together and we are doing a great job of completing each other.

Her experience and some of my new ideas have turned out to be a great combination to preserve the tradition and this little crochet craft. We continue to do all the women's clothing, but with special emphasis on unique coats, trench coats and jackets for all seasons. Good material, high quality design and timeless style never come out of fashion. Our unique pieces are not consumable and can be worn at all times and combined in countless ways. As everything is produced in the workshop inside our salon, customer can see on-site where the item is designed, prepared, manufactured and who is creating it. Recently I notice that more and more people appreciate it, and are interested in special pieces that do not feel like clones. More often on social networks I see projects like Fashion revolution (#whomademyclothes) and labels "buy less, choose well, make it last" and I'm really happy because of it.

What can be found in your boutique at this time of year?

As always, you can find beautiful unique coats of cashmere, wool, alpaca... Perfect for this time of the year! My newest collection is called Planet D. Planet D is my imaginary, alternative world full of colors, untouched nature and the joy of living. Flora spreads joy and freshness, Fauna is playful and energetic, and the Universe is mystical, fascinating and moves everything in and around us. I created paintings with those three different motifs and applied them to natural fabrics, cotton and viscose, designing unique collection of raincoats, coats and dresses. I believe that in the past two years we all wanted to sail away to another world. A world where we can breathe fully and be free and that is the feeling

I wanted to share with others through my clothing line.

How do you see the fashion industry today and what are the aims in your artisan production?

Today, we are literally overrun with clothing that is massively produced from seson to season, advertised and sold worldwide.

KOZA, DORA & VELIBOR ZORIČIĆ

Can you tell us a bit more about Koza? How did you start creating leather bags?

For over a decade now my family has been making leather goods.

Our production started in our home and first shop we opened in

Istria (Poreč). The symbol of that region is a goat and that’s why we named our company Koza (goat).

In Croatia the goat is a noble animal because it is adaptable, witty and useful, especially for (in) that region. After Poreč we opened our second shop in the charming Upper Town, the place where we grew up and where we love to come back. The shop in Zagreb is interesting because besides being able to purchase bags, you can see how they are created. You can watch the entire process! We make bags on an old Singer machine and use high quality leather from Croatia. We combine high quality materials with simple cuts and color blocks.

Simple design, lightness and adjustable straps are some of the reasons why women choose our bags when they want an effortless, but stylish item.

So, the idea came from the family? Why leather bags?

The sound of sewing machine was always present in our home. Our mother is a very creative person and has been making clothes and bags for us since we were children. She taught us to work with variety of materials, but when we discovered leather we discovered a material that offered beauty like no other. We have a great appreciation for leather. Everything you make from it after some time becomes patina and adds value to the item.

How would you describe your products? Where you get your inspiration from? And how is it for you to work together as a family?

We are creating timeless pieces with a modern twist. Most of our products are color blocked and could be worn on multiple ways in different occasions. Inspiration starts from material and everything else follows. Working as a family comes as a natural process and everything is easier because we truly know each other.

Both of us have different tastes, so that is why we have a wide range of products. For example my brother loves natural colors and I love crazy ones. Let’s say that we complement each other.