5

After tucking my daughter Astrid into bed, couch potato mode kicks in and nothing sounds better than watching television with a nice glass of wine. Or two. But when I heard that Slovenia was to launch its own fashion week, the idea of leaving the flat suddenly became much more attractive.
One of the things I usually enjoy most about most about fashion weeks is the number of different venues. In Slovenia's case, the Philips-sponsored fashion "week" actually lasted two days and was held in only one location, Kino Šiška Centre for Urban Culture. But with its capacity for large crowds and its history of playing host to numerous cultural events, it was a fine choice of venue.
Upon entering the event hall, there was a surprise. The catwalk was horizontal and covered the area where the audience normally sits. No vertical extension of the stage here. With runway and seating at the same level, the experience for visitors was much more intimate than the norm.
The stage concept was the brainchild of Den Baruca, who was in charge of art direction for the entire event. His aim was to convey the idea of having solid ground for building a successful story. Visually this was conveyed with stacked white cubes, or "building blocks" if you will, from which models would emerge to walk the runway. Each designer had his or her own custom backdrop projected onto the cubes creating a 3D effect. These backdrops were accompanied by selected music to support each designer's individual story. In my typical eagerness to see relations between fashion and art, I loved these visual effects and thought that they created just the right mood for the show.
The audience was treated to a varied collection tastes and styles. There were the more feminine collections, like those of designers m*faganel and Nina Šušnjara. Designers with a novel and whimsical approach garnished the runway with details like brightly coloured pom poms which decorated different pieces in their collection (Almira Sadar and Niti Niti). Well coordinated clashing hues and colourful, hand-woven statement necklaces adorned the catwalk for "street couture" designer Sanja Grčič. There were also the more minimal and deconstructionist collections of Zoran Gorevski (Squat), Akultura, and Nataša Hrupič, whose appealing use of sharp contours and clean lines pleased the modern fashion enthusiast.
There was no lack of talent to be had at Slovenia's first official fashion week, and the only thing seemingly missing were buyers. Some would say Slovenia is too small to attract considerable attention in the fashion world, but I am a firm believer in the "if you build it, they will come" philosophy. If a small country like Slovenia can excel in sports, technical achievements, and have internationally recognised and respected artists and musicians, why can't it also gain more recognition in the fashion industry? I eagerly and optimistically look forward to the next fashion week and to once again have a good reason to bid a temporary goodbye to television and wine.

Hannah Mancini is an American singer, songwriter, and a fashion enthusiast known for her sense of style on and off the stage