Can you offer valuable advice or recommendations for foreigners visiting or considering settling in Lisbon?
Try to be part of the local community and understand their culture, give and take.
Could you share insights into your ongoing projects, dreams, and aspirations within the fashion world?
Currently, we are working with different international platforms. We also took over a closed factory to build a project with tailoring skills. Besides fashion, I am currently working with natural medicines and hair products. We are in a phase of testing it - Kolovrat hair blossom. Hopefully soon.
How do you unwind and relax when not focused on client work?
I love travelling, dancing, listening to music, and socialising.
How does the vibrant cultural scene in Lisbon influence your creative process, and do you draw inspiration from the city's atmosphere and lifestyle?
I know Lisbon very well and have been following its changes. Our atelier is located in the heart of Lisbon in the most beautiful park, and we are the bridge between very local and cosmopolitan Lisbon. Inspiration can come from anything.
Could you share any collaborations you've had with local artisans or craftsmen in Lisbon or Portugal, and how has that influenced your work?
Over the past 25 years, different exciting people have passed by our atelier, collaborating with me in various ways. From creatives to pattern makers, locals and foreigners, I've been working with different people, which has allowed us to learn from each other. Over all these years, I have been collaborating with artists, architects, musicians, and filmmakers such as Salome Lamas, João Botelho, Sérgio Tréfaut João Garcia, Olga Roriz, and Emily Wardil, among others.
What role does technology play in your design process, and how do you stay ahead of technological advancements in the fashion industry?
I am low-tech and high-tech, so both techniques are equally present in my work.
Lisbon has a unique blend of traditional and contemporary elements. How does this duality influence your design choices?
Kolovrat is a contemporary and conceptual brand which takes inspiration from cultural heritage. For example, one of our most successful prints is about Portuguese Kings (Reis Amores Perfeitos), a collaboration with British-Portuguese artist Hugo Madureira. This print, called Royalty is the Best Policy, is about the Portuguese relationship with leadership, which is individualistic but has strong influences from the Christian religion. In a repeating pattern, it is markedly by formality to maintain rigour and power.
As a designer based in Lisbon, how does your work contribute to the global conversation around fashion, and what makes Portuguese fashion unique internationally?
From the beginning, we have been a sustainable brand. We see people as unique and special; therefore, most of our pieces are unique. We use a mix of techniques from tailoring to handcrafts and upcycling using deadstock and leftovers forever, which leaves a charismatic impact on each piece, bringing design to another level. At the same time, we design meaningfully; there's always a message behind it, and each print tells a story.
Lidija Kolovrat Atelier
www.lidijakolovrat.com
