Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

Ana Šekularac, as featured in the image above, is a British fashion designer of Serbian origin, notable for her structural designs inspired by the Renaissance Period and modern dance.

Before setting up her eponymously named label, Ana attained a Masters degree in Fashion Styling at the prestigious Instituto Marangoni and then studied Fashion Illustration and Womenswear Pattern Cutting at the London College of Fashion.

Ana Šekularac is known for her attention to detail as well as the innovative structure and impeccable fit of her garments which is all the result of an incredible craftsmanship that goes into each and every piece. All garments are made in her fashion atelier and hand-finished by trained head seamstresses under the eye of the designer.

Her distinctive designs have been worn by the likes of Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Tolula Adeyemi, Princess Jelisaveta Karadjordevic, Victoria Beckham, Shingai from the Noisettes, Cheryl Cole and Camilla Rutherford etc.

I was honoured to interview the designer for Mariankihogo.com.

1. Hello Ana, Thank you for this interview. Having used your designs for my styling, I know just how architectural the structure of your work is. Is this a design signature and what would you say is the ethos of your work?

Hello Marian, I am very happy to finally meet you!
Yes, since the beginning, I have always been inspired by modern architecture, amongst others, Zaha Hadid, and this is also reflected in my work. My designs are three dimensional and they are structured in so far as a single jacket of my collection can consist of up to 20 pieces of different shapes and sizes coming together to create the perfect silhouette. My objective is to create a feeling of comfort and versatility, but at the same time emphasize the inner strength of a woman.

Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac autumn winter 2010. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

2. Who is the Ana Šekularac muse, what kind of woman do you design in mind for?

My muse is Carine Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue. I love how she looks, how she moves, she is very chic, and represents for me a woman who is strong, intelligent, and a bit mysterious yet when she likes something she shows it. She lives for what she feels passionate about and for what she believes in.

3. Could you kindly tell us about your new autumn/winter 2010 – 2011 collection? What inspired it?

There are many inspirations. It started with the knight’s armour in the Italian renaissance period (protection), the muscles in our body (strength, protection & movement) and the structure of a diamond. All this expressed through the movements of a woman where you can really see her feelings, emotions…the real her!!!

Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac autumn winter 2010. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

4. Your designs have been worn by royalty and Victoria Beckham, one of the most famous women in the world. Is there still anyone specific you would like to see wear your label?

…..any woman for me is one of a kind, so there is no limit……….

5. Your palette season after season seemingly includes black, and a signature scarlet red. Is this intentional?

Yes. Black and Red have been my signature colours, ever since my first collection – black is mysterious, strong, rational, the shadow, cool. Red is passion, love, light, warm, intense – so with these 2 different colours, you can paint ones emotions. I am always drawn to these colours and then every season, I introduce a new colour that expresses the feeling of the moment, like for instance AW2010 light white silver.

Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac autumn winter 2010. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

6. What would you say has been your biggest achievement to date as a designer?

My biggest achievement is to follow what I believe in, to be true to my design signature and the vision I have. So many people want to change what you are doing so it is very important to be true to oneself. I do not believe in trends; that is very commercial, I believe that great designs are innovative at their time but also timeless, like the Yves Saint Laurent Smoking suit- outrageous at its time (1966) and a timeless classic today.

7. How would you like to see your pieces worn?

Oh I love to see them worn and I like to be surprised. My pieces can be worn in many ways, either very elegant, timeless, modern or you can wear them with jeans, your boyfriend’s jacket, sneakers. My designs are made to become ones own and to be worn anyway one likes. All depends on who you are and how you feel at the time you are putting them on and leaving the house.

Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac autumn winter 2010. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

8. If my readers wanted to buy a piece from your autumn/winter 2010 -2011 collection, which piece would you suggest?

That is like asking a mum which child she likes the best…. I love them all and each piece in any of my collections has an important role to play as without it the collection would simply not be the same. Like in a band or orchestra, even when you take out the triangle, the song they play will not be the same anymore and who can say if the bass or the guitar has a bigger role to play…. What I can tell you however, is that the pieces that have received the most attention are the hand knitted Silver Knight Wool Jumper with Silk Thread, which I am very happy about, as every single thread is positioned by hand so a lot of work goes into this piece. And the “Diamond Dress” sporting a skirt with a multi coloured silk organza ‘mosaic” that reflects the structure and facets of a diamond.

9. How important is experimenting with structure in your work?

It is extremely important to develop the silhouette, to keep it fresh but I do not experiment with structure for the sake of it. For example in architecture, the structure of a building is extremely important as it holds the building both on the inside and also on the outside, for a building to be part of its environment and surroundings. But most importantly, the building has to be safe and to serve its purpose; it has to be a pleasure to see the building, to enter the building and to live in it. At its best, structure contributes to all these points and makes it possible.

It’s the same with the structure of clothes, it makes clothes beautiful, special, and interesting and allows them to become part of the life of a woman and to play an important role: to assist her in communicating with her environment, to show her strengths, to comfort and to protect.

10. Three words synonymous with an Ana Šekularac design?
Architectural, Inspiring and I leave the last word to you and your readers. I would love to know what you all think….

Photo Credit: Ana Šekularac. Courtesy of Ana Šekularac.

I would firstly like to extend my kind thanks to Ana and her team for the interview.

Ana’s work is truly timeless; it cleverly mars the lines of the innovative architectural and the elegant.

I like that she attempts to draw out the wearer’s sense of self through her forays in silhouette play.

I am inspired by her choice of her muse; Carine Roitfeld does embody strength, chic, spirit and intelligence. I could totally see in her in Ana’s designs.

I look forward to seeing Šekularac’s future collections.

What are your thoughts on her work and this interview?

Please visit her site to see more of her work here.

Labels: Ana Šekularac, Ana Šekularac autumn winter 2010, Ana Šekularac fashion designer, Ana Šekularac interview, Focus on

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