Poppy Milk Magazine by Alexandra Balisova

OI POPPYMILK

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THE art of CRAFT spring/issue n.1 Art Direction ALEXANDRA BALISOVA Interviews/text MARTIN BELEJ

Cover ART DIRECTION ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING ALEXANDRA BALISOVA PHOTO AGIENCE MAEVE HAIR & MUA KATARINA MIZOVA MODEL ALEXANDRA REHUSOVA Costume from Slovakia Blouse ADA.etno.art

CONTENTs

holy! yojiro kake LIEKELAND ALEXANDRA THE GREAT YKRA JUNAK SPRAYFUN FILM POSTERS

Body Asos Skirt Diesel Hat form Nepal Accessories stylist’s own Clogs stylist’s own

HOLY!

PHOTO SHAREEN AKHTAR EDITING NADIA TAN ART DIRECTION ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING NAYOUNG LIM/NADIA TAN ASSISTANT TATIANA TRUFANOVA HAIR & MUA DAIVA KAZLAUSKAITE MODEL DEV @ D1 MODELS

T-shirt Eternal Child Pants from Malaysia Clogs stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

Cape Ioanna Kourbela Shoes Alexandra Balisova Flags from Nepal

Cape Ioanna Kourbela Dress All Saints Bag from Malaysia

Dress Danielle Scutt Vest MIJI BY MIJI Earring Asos

T-shirt Eternal Child Pants from Malaysia Clogs stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

Cape Ioanna Kourbela Dress All Saints Bag from Malaysia Shoes Alexandra Balisova

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NAMASTE

YOJIRO KAKE

INTERVIEW MARTIN BELEJ

What led you to become a designer? Before I was 18, I had been living in a world without fashion at all. I did not know anything about fashion or design. However, I was interested in observing people around me and what clothes they are wearing according to their own tastes. As time went by, this interest became stronger and I started to admire the fashion world gradually. That is why I decided to go to the fashion school in Osaka and start my life as a fashion designer.

What is your favorite item to make? Any items have their own charm for me to create, but if I had to choose one, I would say it is jackets. Making jackets makes me more excited because a jacket is a traditional item to symbolize fashion, so I feel very interested in destroying the traditional item in various way and creating new.

What are your inspiration sources?

Could you walk us through the design and production process of your clothing? To begin with, there is a theme, an image or one thought from my private life that I would like to express throughout this collection, though things might not be so clear at this stage. Then the first step of design can start, whatever I want or feel at that moment based on the theme is all put in file. After brainstorming and research, the second step of design can then be developed deeper and inspired broader. Balancing between the creativity and the business aspect, I can narrow down the selection and start to collect materials and modify the patterns. However, I do change my designs often, no one knows how the final outcome will be like, including myself. For me, it is always an enjoyable experience to see unexpected errors happening in the process.

My designs are usually around contemporary arts or movies, for my passion toward it. Issues, from personal life to the whole world, often spice up my ideas. But for me, the key to inspiration is the people who are sentimental and emotional, like a mysterious dream without an answer, which could be seen as a positive effect in terms of work. They are like the blender mixing all my thoughts into confusion, this is an inspiration for sure.

Do you think contemporary fashion is open to traditional cultural influences? I do believe it is a creative way to amplify an interesting thought.

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You used to be employed as a designer and pattern maker for a private company. What are the perks and challenges of being a freelance designer? In Japan, I once worked at a company as a patternmaker and a designer as well. During this period, I cherished my work, but the one thing I came to realize is that everything is aiming toward profit and nothing more. This thought made me think forward - to study fashion once again but outside of Japan. So here I am, graduated from Polimoda at Florence, Italy. Why did you decide to focus on womenswear? Any future plans for menswear collections? To express something about my inner part deeply, I have made a decision to focus on womenswear. Since I am a man, if I focused on menswear, there would be a risk that my creation might be ostensible and concrete based on my preference. However for womenswear, I can make designs more abstract and emotional from the point of view of the opposite gender. But in the near future, I would like to try to make a menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection when I feel ready for that.

For me, it is always an enjoyable experience to see unexpected errors happening in the process.

What is the biggest achievement you hope to accomplish? The biggest achievement for my brand would be to have a catwalk for a haute couture collection in the future. However, before that, I need to find a way to connect fashion and business realistically without losing my creativity for the future collections. This is the first step and the biggest achievement for me at this moment. How to survive in the fashion industry would be the important issue, which I need to face in the long term. Andafter I make my brand grow more in the right direction, I would like to have an emotional collection on a catwalk with a clear purpose and full of surprises. I will keep working for that. Can you describe the archetypal woman that wears your designs?

What would you be doing if you werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a fashion designer? Since I was a child, my interest has always been drawing and making cartoons instead of studying and doing sports. So If I was not a fashion designer, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure that I would have become an artist such as a painter or a contemporary artist or a cartoonist.

Since my brand does not have marketing activities, there are no particular archetypal women in my brand at this moment. I would like to make archetypal woman as I continue making new collections. This is because I am trying to randomly find a particular unique market rather than targeting an existing market. On the other hand, a woman who thinks that fashion is showing her emotion or establishing their own style by wearing different clothes every day could be the archetypal woman for my brand because I will continue to make collections with emotional elements which are sometimes delightful, sad and dark, light, heavy, feminine, manlike, etc. so I would be happy if any parts of my collection can be one of their expression items in their life.

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ART DIRECTION ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING ALEXANDRA BALISOVA PHOTO AGIENCE MAEVE HAIR & MUA KATARINA MIZOVA MODEL BARBARA B BAEZ

E E G U F E R N O I H S A F credits credits

Dress Yojiro Kake Shoes from Slovakia (Lendak)

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Outfit Yojiro Kake Front embellishment Bora Aksu Boots Jil Sander Socks Falke

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Outfit Yojiro Kake Boots Jil Sander

Dress Yojiro Kake Shoes from Slovakia (Lendak)

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Outfit Yojiro Kake

Trousers Yojiro Kake Blouse Yojiro Kake Vest Flor De Vida Ibiza Boots Jil Sander Crown Veronika Dadajova

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Outfit Yojiro Kake Front embellishment Bora Aksu

Outfit Yojiro Kake Boots Vintage

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Blouse Yojiro Kake Trousers Yojiro Kake Vest Flor De Vida Ibiza Crown Veronika Dadajova

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Outfit Yojiro Kake Front embellishment Bora Aksu

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LIEKELAND INTERVIEW MARTIN BELEJ PHOTOS LIEKELAND

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How did you become an illustrator? I was always drawing when I was a kid, I grew up in a small village called Kaatsheuvel in the Netherlands, and sometimes my father and I would drive to a bigger city to buy some coloured pencils. When I was young I already knew I wanted to do something with drawing, so I studied graphic design. After those studies I went to the art academy, were I studied illustration. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when it started professionally. Which artwork of your own are you most proud of? I think the new works are always better, but after a while I also do not like them anymore. So for now, I like my new work, the 4 new postcards that will be online in the beginning of next week.

Could you describe how your typical workday looks like? It depends of the weather, I love to work in the garden and in the summer I choose the best time of the day to work in my vegetable garden. And the other hours I am illustrating, cooking and looking at my cat.This day I went first for a walk in the woods, than go for a shower and made myself (and for Dave also) a green smoothie. Now I am behind my computer, answering my emails and make some orders. And I think after lunch I will start drawing, by the end of this day I have an appointment with my printer in Eindhoven, he is printing all my paperwork on very beautiful ecological paper. And then I start cooking and most of the times in the evening I sit with my cat and Dave in the living room, drawing or working behind my laptop.

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Who is your favourite illustrator?

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I do not really have one favourite illustrator, but the first one I really adored was Sandra Juto. She made such beautifully styled images and pictures, I loved everything. She also showed her house on her website and how she lived, I was very inspired by her and her wonderful work.

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How does it differ when you create your own work and when you do commissioned work? I love to do both, I really like to work of my own and make pictures that are inspired by my house, my friends, the food I make and my garden. But when I do commissioned work, I make illustrations about articles I have never even thought about. That can be very inspiring for my own work and for new illustration techniques.

whole illustration is sad. So after those difficult things in an illustration, I can start making patterns, relax and listen to a documentary while drawing. How did you develop your signature style? Was it a conscious process?

I always used to draw people around me and things in my parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; garden when I was little. Then when I went to primary school my teacher told me that they invented photography for that. So I stopped drawing people. I How do you come up with all the patterns you use in your illustrations? used to make illustrations of animals and food illustrations, but when I love to draw patterns! When I start I went to the art academy, I was learning again how to make portraits. with a new illustration, there are I loved it so much, particularly always parts of it that are difficult people and animals, living a lovely life to make, like the face of a person, together. because when they look sad the

FRANKIE MAGAZINE

You can see the creativity process like an apple tree. Do you ever experience a creative block? If so, what is your solution? Yes, I do, I think it is normal, but I do not like it. A very good friend told me once; you can see the creativity process like an apple tree.In the spring season it is preparing its â&#x20AC;&#x153;new projectâ&#x20AC;? in the flower buds. No one sees what it is preparing, but it is working very hard. That is when you have new inspiration as an artist, you are experimenting, think about the project, making sketches and doing research. Then it is summer and the apple tree shows what it has been doing all the time; it is showing its beautiful flowers. That is when the artist shows their illustrations or artwork. After that moment, in the autumn, the flowers are changing into apples, and that is when the artist can sell their product, or there is

a publication about the artwork. And in the winter the apple-tree is reflecting, looking back after the lovely apples it has been giving and preparing itself for a new spring. I sometimes forget the last part after the publication (autumn). I start again with the spring, never take the reflection period, and than I start having that creative block moment. So that is when I have to go to my garden, make food for friends and relax. From those moments I get my inspiration. What is your advice for people who think they cannot draw? I think everyone can draw, I make very detailed illustrations, but I love the very basic illustrations from other artists. Also childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illustrations are very wonderful, so I think if you like it, then start drawing, it does not have to be perfect, rather not.

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Alexandra the great

LOCATION MUZEUM ORAVSKEJ DEDINY ART DIRECTION ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING ALEXANDRA BALISOVA PHOTO AGIENCE MAEVE HAIR & MUA KATARINA MIZOVA MODEL ALEXANDRA REHUSOVA

Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd Blouse from Slovakia ( Myjavsky kroj)

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Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd Blouse from Slovakia ( Myjavsky kroj)

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credits Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress creditsLibor Komosny Ring from Nepal Boots Vintage

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Skirt Puojd Blouse from Slovakia Boots Vintage Hat Bollenhut (Schwarzwald)

Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress Libor Komosny

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Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd

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Outfit from Slovakia Blouse ADA.etno.art Shoes from Thailand

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Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd Blouse from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj)

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Skirt Puojd Blouse from Slovakia Boots Vintage Hat Bollenhut (Schwarzwald)

Dress Agnieszka Osipa

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Outfit from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) Shoes from Thailand Accessory Agnieszka Osipa

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Dress Agnieszka Osipa

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Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Accessory Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd Boots Vintage

Skirt Puojd Blouse from Slovakia Hat Bollenhut (Schwarzwald)

Outfit from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) Accessory Agnieszka Osipa

Headpiece Agnieszka Osipa Accessory Agnieszka Osipa Dress Puojd

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Skirt Puojd Blouse from Slovakia Hat Bollenhut (Schwarzwald) Boots Vintage

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Outfit from Slovakia Blouse ADA.etno.art

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YKRA INTERVIEW MARTIN BELEJ

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Photo Gabor Somoskoi

What was the process of building your brand? We started out with printing t-shirts, but when I realised that everyone I knew was making T-shirts, I wanted to switch to a more complex product, one that not everyone could make. I thought of shoes and clothing first, and ended up working for a shoe brand. After seeing how it was run, I realised I could do much better, and sat down to create a prototype backpack for carrying my skateboard. I wanted something that was original, and creative. I love the Bauhaus movement, so that was a great source of inspiration. From creating the Matra Mini two years ago, everything just kind of happened very fast. We have gone from sewing every bag for our customers in front of their eyes in our workshop in the basement of Budapestâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coolest bar, the Telep, to being present in some of the coolest stores in the world, like Voo store in Berlin, Merci in Paris or Beams in Japan.

We love life, and nature, and want everyone to do so as well.

FROM BUDAPEST WITH STYLE

What is the YKRA logo based on? The name sounds very Japanese, and to supplement this the logo is a painting of the rising sun above a mountain, and this is of course a wink to Mt. Fuji, as well as a very simple message of who we are and what we believe in. We love life, and nature, and want everyone to do so as well. I think our success is very much influenced by the simplicity of our logo. You instantly sort of know what it is right away.

What does the name YKRA mean? Nothing, we invented it. It was a visual and auditory choice, it sounded and looked good. It just popped up in my head, and I knew right away it would be perfect for a brand. The choice was very intentional, but it took 3 years before it turned into what it is now.

How long does it take to manufacture a single rucksack? If I make it, then too long! I can make one in about 5 hours, but I am not a professional, so these days we manufacture it step by step, kind of like in car making. We get larger and larger orders and to be able to cope we have to grow. This makes production more professional, and the quality superb. It also makes the time it takes to make a bag shorter, but as we make lots at the same time, I could only guess.

Photo Gabor Somoskoi

The backpacks are influenced by the 70’s design. What are in your opinion the handsdown best and worst clothing items or accessories of this period?

Well, this was the period of plastic. I think the appearance of plastic in fashion changed everything. A generation ago, people were used to going to a tailor for a suit. Then someone invented polyester and all of a sudden you could have the most awesome colours cheaply. It was in a sense a democratisation of colour. For this reason some of my favourite items and most hated are also plastic. I love the 2-3 colour combination polyester coats used for sports from the USSR to the DDR! If you know what people in the eastern block wore for skiing in the 70’s - 80’s, that for me is the alpha and omega. I grew up with this style and I am a huge fan and advocator. I think bellbottoms, leather vests, nylon shirts and all that stuff was horrible. Another favourite is the old-school 4 wheel skates with the same 3 colour combinations.

How old does an average YKRA backpack live to be?

It is hard to say. We use natural materials only, and different type of usage can lead to very different lifespans. We have been making them for two years and our quality in the beginning was not up to our standards of today, so those didn’t last very long. We constantly improve on our designs, so the average lifespan has been expanded considerably. I know people who have had their backpacks for two years, and besides the signs of use it’s in perfect condition. We’ve also had people destroying bags very quickly. Right now I would say, that two years is a minimum with normal care and use, but I think in 10 - 15 years a lot of people will still have their backpacks faded and used but still on their backs. That’s our goal by the way, this is why we use natural materials, aging is so much prettier than with plastic! The way leather ages is beautiful.

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Photo Geza Talaber

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PHOTO MATEJ HAKAR

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You have produced several exclusive bags in collaborations with other designers. How does such cooperation work? Well our biggest collaboration to day is with Henrik Vibskov and they are great to work with. We look up to them as a brand, and also as an artist. It is great to work with someone who is stirring up the otherwise sometimes quite boring fashion world. Since we don’t consider ourselves so much a fashion brand as an outdoor lifestyle brand, it is a great opportunity for us to get noticed. We have also recently done a small cooperation with friends at Kele Clothing, one of the coolest up-and-coming brands from Hungary. At first we weren’t even sure it was possible to make the bag they imagined, but once we got down to work, it turned out to be one of our favourite bags, featuring a knitted top. That is something I have not seen elsewhere in this fashion. In general, we carefully select the collaboration to create something special. We look forward to working with other unique brands that share our creative visions.

Do you have plans to broaden the YKRA product portfolio? Yes, we have. For next season we will be introducing two new models, the MATRA and the OLYMPIA, to complement our widely successful MATRA MINI backpack, and in the coming seasons we wish to broaden our product line-up to include more backpacks and accessories. At the same time it is very important for us that we stay true to the brand, so we are not in a rush to push products just for the sake of selling more stuff. I believe in a world where quality wins over quantity, and hope that YKRA’s future is safe with this philosophy. We’d like to keep YKRA concentrated on what we are good at, and that’s vintage styled, quality backpacks. Which limited edition backpack design was your favourite and why? There are so many! I love them all. The Kele bag is the most special for me, but I also love the new design for next season by our favourite Hungarian graphic designer Levente Csordás who created an awesome new print that will probably be a huge hit.

Photo Aron Erdohati

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junak PHOTO ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING ALEXANDRA BALISOVA MODEL VIKTOR BALIS

Hoodie Puojd

Jumper Puojd Trousers from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) Hat Vintage Boots Vintage

Vest from Slovakia (Myjavsky kroj) T-shirt Puojd Hat Vintage

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Hoodie Puojd Trousers & belt from Slovakia Boots Vintage

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Vest from Slovakia (Myjavsky kroj) Trousers from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) T-shirt Puojd Hat Vintage

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T-shirt Puojd

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Shirt from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) Jeans All Saints

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Shirt from Slovakia (Myjavsky Kroj) Jeans All Saints Bag Vintage Boots Vintage

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INTERVIEW MARTIN BELEJ PHOTO ALEXANDRA BALISOVA STYLING ALEXANDRA BALISOVA ASSISTANT MARTIN BELEJ MODEL NELA FILIPCIKOVA

NELA THE EXPLORER

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SPRAYFUN Can you tell us something about your professional background? I studied fashion in Paris, in Duperré, followed by a year of internships in different structures, for example in a photographer agency, or a textile embellishment company. Then I expanded my education in the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Antwerp.This school teaches its students to be independent designers, to make their own choices, so having my business was the following step. Mika and I have been love since I started my studies, he was involved in many of my works, so we both naturally run Sprayfun, I take care of design and communication, and he handles the technical and business parts. What is the idea behind Sprayfun? Sprayfun is a creative studio focused on fashion and textile, thinking of fashion as a wearable art, textiles as blank pages that can tell stories. I design collections, collaborate on different projects, and realise commissioned creative works. Sprayfun is my signature. I use ecoconscious materials and techniques for my hand-crafted designs. With all my attention to deadlines and professional results, I keep Sprayfun central themes up to freedom, art and fun. Is Sprayfun open to collaborations with other artists? Collaborations happen according to whom I meet, and whom I enjoy working with; they are not necessarily artists, they are just beautiful people.

How did the idea to apply graffiti on textiles come about? Do you have a favourite graffiti artist? I have always been inspired by coloured walls and street characters, two of my favourite artists are Os Gêmeos that constantly inspire me. I chose fashion to bring poetry into the everyday life in some ways, it is what graffiti does, and I just married both together. Graffiti is an art form heavily linked to urban areas, yet your designs seem to draw from natural motifs. How do you achieve the balance between these two contrasts? Graffiti and street art are a direct intervention of an artist in his environment; I do the same on fabric, which is my surface. I admire the murals challenge, but I am not a street kid, I am a nature addict, I like wildness, creatures and naked bodies, and as they need to be dressed, I design some fashion. You have recently launched your first full scale collection. How is it different from your previous works? My first collection OMO for SS14 was my jump into the fashion schedule. This is the “rendezvous” I’m giving once a year during summer presentations. What can we expect from your future collections? My other projects inspire my collections, and make Sprayfun grow into the studio I dream of: multidisciplinary, happy and colourful.

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Graffiti and street art are a direct intervention of an artist in his environment

Outfit Sprayfun Hat Vintage Binoculars Veronika Dadajova

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Outfit Sprayfun Magnifying glass Veronika Dadajova

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Top Sprayfun

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Dress Sprayfun

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Outfit Sprayfun Hat Vintage Binoculars Veronika Dadajova

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Outfit Sprayfun Backpack YKRA Magnifying glass Veronika Dadajova Boots Vintage

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Dress Sprayfun

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Dress Sprayfun

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Outfit Sprayfun Backpack YKRA Magnifying glass Veronika Dadajova

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MARKETA ROUBICKOVA SMRT KRASNYCH SRNCU LENKA SIMECKOVA BARON PRASIL KAMILA VEJROSTOVAAMADEUS VERONIKA KUBESOVA ZAHRADA

f i l m p o s t e r

Marketa roubickova

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LENKA SIMECKOVA

VERONIKA KUBESOVA

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Roman Luknár Marián Labuda st. Zuzana Šulajová Jana Švandová

Film Martina Šulíka

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Kamila vejrostova

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Physical manifestation of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singularity & rare glimpses of magic

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