The second of the two Slovenian major fashion installments, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Ljubljana opened (and closed) its doors last weekend showing what the local and regional designers envisioned for the upcoming seasons.

This season the focus shifted from recognised brands onto young, up and coming designers showcasing their take on the future of fashion. Cilka Sadar and Tjaša Zalar showed their debut solo collections and joined previous Mercedes-Benz Fashion Award winners Kaja Julija Horvat and Sari Valenci on Friday along with other young talent.

Saturday was filled with more established designers from Slovenia and abroad. Matea Benedetti closed the show with a touching fashion performance showcasing collections for fall/winter 18 as well as spring/summer 19.

This was a great season for men, with almost half of the collections including menswear. There was something for everyone from classic garments, minimalism in block colours to oversized shapes and sportswear. Womenswear, on the other hand, is betting on print, texture and light, flowy materials.

As well as being visually exciting some designers addressed socio-political issues in their work and presentation from sustainability, gender and national identity. We would love to see even more people speaking up in the future and using fashion as a platform for generating conversation!

 

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Text: Anze Ermenc

Photo: Manca Kocjancic