Who is Žan-Matjaž Flogie?
Žan-Matjaž Flogie, 22, is a fashion design student from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

I design clothes and always want to tell a story. Behind every collection I did, do or will do in the future I want to share my fascination with the world.

What are you doing, why do you do it?
I was very sensuous and shy as a child and never really knew how to verbalise my well-being, thoughts, emotions. That’s why I really liked art from a very young age  and slowly discovered that fashion was an area where I could express my dreams most. Up until this day that hasn’t changed. So fashion to me is dreams and desires that come to life in the form of clothes and the best thing about it is you get to wear those dreams and therefore fulfill your desires with them.

The Sugar coated collection was inspired by dreams and hopes for a better future. The dreams of escaping poverty, straitened circumstances and feeling of worthlessness. Much like the music video Flava by Princess Nokia, where the group of poor girls dream of living in the big city dressed in the finest clothes, going to all the expensive restaurants, bars, they feel empowered, beautiful and capable of doing whatever they want. I wanted to take this spirit of hope and create a lavish collection as if their dreams have already come true.

How do you create?
Fashion to me represents the form of expression. Whether through personal style or the creation of collections. I look at things, I observe, I listen, I try to understand, analyse and then interpret it in my own way. The beauty, the sensuality, the aesthetic. My work is always honest, you can see from collections the phases of my life. The happiness, unhappiness, new discoveries…. My inspirations essentially come from individuals. I believe fashion cannot exist without the individual. It is more than just meters of fabric sewn together. It is about how the garment makes you, the individual, feel and who you can become when you wear it.

What has been the biggest challenge so far?
The biggest challenge has been realising how fast the world of fashion truly is.

What would you consider as a breakthrough point for you?
I think the point where things have changed for me was when I got the long wanted opportunity to go and study abroad as an exchange student. I have studied fashion design at two European schools, one in Madrid and one in London, alltogether for 8 months. I got to experience new ways of approaching fashion and meet and talk to new people with different a sense of fashion, with different styles and backgrounds. It was an enriching experience and it gave me a wider perspective of life, art and fashion.

What are your plans for the future?
There is still so much I wish to discover and learn. I would like to enjoy fashion, be a successful designer and storyteller, make a change and leave a mark in fashion. However I think there is nothing more fulfilling than to be doing what you love for a living. And that is my goal.

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Editorial credits:

SUGAR COATED, an exclusive piece of evening wear depicting sweetness, tenderness, seduction and allure.
Photo: Samantha Kandinsky
Posing: Borjan Litovski
Design: Žan-Matjaž Flogie
Shoot at @fashiontextile_ntf