Between February and June this year, the Fashion Incubator offered 15 selected fashion designers: lectures by domestic and foreign experts in the field of fashion and entrepreneurship, individual consultations with mentors, and networking events with Lara Bohinc, Nataša Čagalj, Sanja Grcić, and Lucija Sila Kejžar.

The program directly responds to the needs of the Slovenian fashion sector. It enables participants to combine creativity with entrepreneurial competencies, develop collections into marketable products, and establish conditions for the long-term, professional, and competitive development of their brands on international markets. Within the framework of educational workshops and the mentoring program, participants collaborated with internationally recognized experts in the fields of fashion and entrepreneurship, including: Uroš Belantič, Lara Bohinc, Tjaša Bračko, Paola Brandi, Nataša Čagalj, Anžej Dežan, Marta Giralt Dunjó, Nina Dremelj, Anže Ermenc, Sanja Grcić, Lucija Sila Kejžar, Aleš Pustovrh, Angela Lukanovich Rupprechter, Almedina Ramić, Melinda Rebrek, Rok Stritar, Tina Gorjanc Šafhalter, and Andrea Varga.

At the final event, the Fashion Incubator – Final Showcase, which took place at the MAO in early June, participants presented their new collections and progress in developing brands and business models to an expert committee, interested public, media and industry representatives.

This year’s participants were:

• Anika Opara (ÆMONA),
• Brina Vidic (BRENCHA),
• Domen Sedej (Ghost Town),
• Hana Tavčar,
• Julia Kaja Hrovat (JKH identity),
• Jona Bednjanec,
• Tanja Pađan Pohleven (Kiss the Future),
• Lan Krebs,
• Monika Colja (M N K C L),
• Zala Hrastar (MORJA),
• Nika Močnik,
• Nika Ravnik,
• Ula Weiss (ulaweiss),
• Nejc Šubic (Volja)
• Petra Grmek Green (Workhorse wear).

The expert committee, led by the renowned and internationally established fashion designer Nataša Čagalj, awarded all participants in the program co-production funds in the amount of EUR 2,500, which the designers will use specifically for the creation of a lookbook and presentation at LJFW. It also selected three designers from among the participants – Nika Močnik, Nejc Šubic (Volja) and Brina Vidic (Brencha), who will present their new collections in the London showroom I.DEA PR between July and August, also during London Fashion Week. Designer Ula Weiss received the Center Rog Year-round package, which provides access to the production labs at Center Rog.

Photo: Anja Smaka