WHERE IS OUR FASHION SELF-CONFIDENCE?

Prof. Lubomir Stoykov

Lubomir Stoykov – Editor-in-chief of “Fashion Lifestyle Magazine”

The roots of the Bulgarian national self-confidence are a wonderful phenomenon! A variable quantity that is hesitating between enormous amplitudes – once pumped up to end pride and one-upmanship in typical Bulgarian style, another time – shot up to humor inferiority complex, garnished with powerful outbursts of nihilism. Sometimes the roots of our national self-confidence are so healthy and hardy, deep and resistant that there is no other way any more, and sometimes these roots are so forceless and doddery, foolish and fragile that elapsed into passing depression, the Bulgarian starts to wail:”Dear mother, why you gave birth to me in Bulgaria!”...

Regarding our fashion self-confidence the things are almost the same. „We don’t have any fashion!”, „Bulgaria and Bulgarian fashion? This is nonsense!”, „Bulgarian fashion doesn’t exist!”, „There isn’t Bulgarian design!”, „I don’t believe in the Bulgarian fashion!” and what not can be heard and sawn in articles and interviews, said or written by pretended global believers, by called and false designers, by competent and incompetent journalists, by consumers, by buyers and by the most variegated audience. This of course isn’t rue. In the same time we have to reject categorically the other ugly excess – our pompous fashion boasting, the plenteousness of „haute couture houses” and the ubiquitous Bulgarian design narcissism and self-oblivion. At one more attentive and objective look it will be found to be that the hundred and maybe the thousand tailors and rather self-styled tailors, calling them selves „designers” are the consecutive example for imitation and fraud, for ridiculous hyperbolization for this that they are not. At one more attentive analysis, it will be found to be that the dozens and the hundreds fashion houses, studios and ateliers are workshops for fashion camouflage, and their owners are pure charlatans.

Together with all this, however, the phenomenon „Bulgarian fashion” exists and develops although contradictory. Our designers, managers, entrepreneurs in the area of the fashion industry, business and commerce with fashion merchandises and services gradually start to get free from their biggest weakness: lack of originality, marketing incompetence, bad communication and advertising culture, lack of competitive power etc. Powerful stimulus our fashion self-confidence acquires from the achievements of our newest generation designers abroad – Maria Doichinova, Bipone, Milena Dobreva, Ina Assa, Stanislav Petrov and a number of others. Quite recently with success presented in Italy three from the most famous names in the Bulgarian design and fashion business – Milka Alexandrova – Buchi, „Miró” and „Irida”. They deservedly received high evaluations in Rome during the culture holidays and the special evening of the Bulgarian fashion in the gardens of the Castle „Saint Angelo” (in the frames of the initiative „Sofia says hello to Rome”). Some years ago in the Russian capital with a great interest passed The days of the Bulgarian fashion in Moscow, where participated Virginia Zdravkova, Fani Papadopulu, „Irida”, „Modak”, „Junona” etc. A justifiable national pride excite the manifestations of Liviya Stoyanova and Jasen Samuilov, that are in the design team of the French house for haute couture “On aura tout vu”, the big talent of Vesselin Jordanov, who had work for fashion house „Gre” and for Lloyd Klein and for many others.

Among the vitamins of our fashion self-confidence are the successes of the Bulgarian light industry, the good results during the last years from the activity of the Bulgarian producers and exporters of clothing and textile, as the good presentation of our fashion companies abroad. Among them undoubtedly are „Markam” and „Etere”, „Agressia group”, „Denyl”, „Battibaleno”, „Capasca”, „Mystic Bulgaria” and many others. The whole activity of The Bulgarian association of the producers and of the exporters of clothing and textile (BAPECT) and the organized by it unique Balkan exhibition for clothes and textile, the so-called “BGate” also are among the serious stimulus for fashion self-confidence.

We remind these facts to those, who because of ignorance, unawareness, and why not because of malice and envy, nihilism and anti-patriotism reject that what really exists – the sustainable development of the Bulgarian fashion design, the new successes of the young generation fashion creators in the world and the definite – although in many occasions – furtive, movement in the native fashion circles, market and visual culture.

Read: 83871 times                                                  © Fashion Lifestyle Magazine, issue 14, September 2008