Nejc Šubic, a menswear designer, is developing the Volja brand as a locally-based design and production system, located in a studio at Trubarjeva 55 in Ljubljana.

After studying at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering in Ljubljana (textile and clothing design), he upgraded his knowledge as part of an Erasmus practical training at the Brachmann menswear brand in Berlin. His work stems from the exploration of contemporary menswear through the prism of local production, material responsibility and precision of construction. Volja operates at the intersection of modern design and craft practice – as a space where ideas are developed and realized in the same environment. The studio as a working and presentation space is the core of the Volja brand. It does not operate solely as a store, but as a space where design and production take place in close proximity to the user. The visitor gains insight into the way of working and the creation of collections, and at the same time can establish a more direct relationship with the clothing through fitting and adjusting models and materials. The collections of shirts, jackets, trousers and accessories stem from the heritage of workwear, but are developed through a modern design approach that emphasizes functionality, material quality and long-term use.

An important element of the brand is the concept of a “birth date”, with which each piece acquires its own time stamp and traceability. This approach does not function as a decorative detail, but as a way of thinking about clothing – as an object with its own lifespan, value and relationship to the wearer.

In 2017, he also founded the first Slovenian streetwear brand and collective LYC, which remains an important part of his creative environment and the local skate scene. This duality – between a more raw, subcultural expression and a thoughtful design process – also marks the development of Volja.

He presented his collections at Ljubljana Fashion Week, including the Every Five Years (2023) collection, and participated in various projects, exhibitions and events in Slovenia and abroad. His work today is marked by the search for a balance between sustainability, production reality and contemporary design expression, which remains closely tied to the local space. Volja today acts as a test of the possibilities of how a modern fashion brand can remain local, production-transparent and design-relevant at the same time.

@volja__
www.lyc.si
@lyc_______

Photo: Anja Smaka