Ani Ani- The interview.

Ana Sekelj and me

Hi everyone!
I had the amazing opportunity to visit the designer Ana Sekelj a couple of days ago in her store called Ani Ani Design Store. I already talked about her and her collections recently, do you remember? Anyhow, I thought it would be really fun to do an interview with her since I like her clothes and I wanted to see this beautiful store in person. She agreed and was really sweet and friendly during our little get-together. I  went with another blogger Nick (well, he's actually an ex-blogger, but I still kinda see him as one :)), who took these photos for my blog.
I also tried on this beautiful Ani Ani black dress, that I paired with her stunning neon yellow blazer. I think the outfit looks fab, don't you?!
I'm leaving you now to enjoy the pics and the interview! :)
xoxo S.

p.s. if you want to read the Croatian version, see this interview on CroModa HERE.
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Prijevod:
Pozdrav svima!
Prije par dana sam imala prekrasnu priliku posjetiti našu dizajnericu Anu Sekelj u njenom dućanu Ani Ani Design Store. Već sam pričala o njoj i njenim kolekcijama nedavno, sjećate se? Uglavnom, mislila sam da bi bilo baš zabavno napraviti intervju sa Anom, pošto mi se sviđa njena odjeća, a i željela sam uživo vidjeti ovaj divni dućan. Ona se složila sa time, i bila je stvarno draga i spremna na suradnju. Išla sam sa još jednim našim poznatim blogerom Nickom (on je zapravo ex-blogger, ali ja ga i dalje vidim kao jednog od nas:)), koji je slikao većinu slika koje vidite u ovom postu. Također, isprobala sam jednu Ani Ani kombinaciju koja me oduševila, a to je bila divna crna lepršava haljina sa neon žutim blejzerom koji me osvojio na prvi pogled, pošto sam opsjednuta sa neon bojama u zadnje vrijeme. Mislim da odlično izgledaju zajedno, što vi mislite?!
Ostavljam vas sada da uživate u slikama, i intervjuu koji sam ovdje objavila samo na engleskom. Razlog za to je što je ovaj intervju objavljen na CroModi, pa mi nije imalo smisla još jednom pisati hrvatsku verziju i u postu. Za hrvatsku verziju intervjua kliknite OVDJE.
xoxo S.

How come you decided you want to be a designer?
Ana Sekelj: ''I have loved fashion and design since I was a child. We were often late for lunch at my grandparents' house because I would decide at the last minute that I had to change outfits, or once more rearrange my hair accessories. When I was 15, I started making clothes for my friends and myself, and 5 years ago I opened a little store near the British Square in Zagreb.''

How would you describe your brand Ani Ani? 
Ana Sekelj: ''Each person has her/his own specific style. My mission is to make sure my vision fits that person, so that the woman can completely shine when she wears my clothes, and so her femininity, together with life experience, can be visible. My clothes are above all romantic and sophisticated, but in this difficult economy, I started thinking about timeless pieces, that you can wear during a couple of seasons, because more is less, and simplicity always comes first in Ani Ani collections. The details are also very important, since they take a collection to a whole different level.''

Me in Ani Ani dress and blazer

Which designers do you admire?

Ana Sekelj: ''I admire and mostly relate to Valentino, Carolina Herrera, Kenzo and Jill Sander. There are actually a lot more designers I also admire, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Armani, Michael Kors...''

Where do you find inspiration?

Ana Sekelj: ''The ideas are created in my head. Some ideas come as a consequence of something, like talking to a client and figuring out some things together, but sometimes it's just a need to create something wearable and modern, something I can't find in most stores in Zagreb.''

Is it difficult to be a designer in Croatia?
Ana Sekelj: ''That's relative... The way you present yourself to the public- that's the way people are going to think of you. It's much easier to be a well-known designer in Croatia with good PR, and when the most influential people from the fashion industry support you, but I think if you have a vision, you will succed anyways.''

Me in Ani Ani dress, blazer and a shirt-like vest that she 

invented (it doesn't have a name yet)

Which celebrity would you like to dress and why?
Ana Sekelj: ''The person I think can wear a lot of different styles and look good is Kate Moss. In my opinion, she is a real style icon, because everything she wears looks perfect.''

Is every promotion a good promotion?
Ane Sekelj: ''Of course not. If the context is negative, I think it's not good to be promoted that way, especially in the fashion business.''

What do you think about the fashion bloggers phenomenon?
Ana Sekelj: ''That is definitely something new and positive, because fashion bloggers sometimes have more knowledge than some of our ''fashion experts'', and of course, they can be very influential.''

Me in Ani Ani dress and blazer

What are your plans in the near future?
Ana Sekelj: ''My plan is to build Ani Ani as a high quality Croatian brand that the people will recognize also in the foreign market. We are currently working on a new piece of clothing that we want to launch in the international market. You will soon find out what it is. It's a revolutionary product.''

Who decorated your store?
Ana Sekelj: ''My boyfriend and I decorated the store, with a little help from our friends.''

Ana Sekelj

Whose work can we also see in your store, besides yours?
Ana Sekelj: ''The paintings by Matko Vekic and also the jewelry by Irena Vucinic and Ivana Bacura.

Can you describe your new collection a bit- the colors, the materials, the patterns?
Ana Sekelj: ''My new collection is above all timeless, wearable and subtly charming. That charm is unique because it's not standard; it's more special, parisian actually. If the person gets it, then my clothes will make her feel special. The materials are wool, silk, viscose, etc. Pastels like mint, pink, beige are very present in my collection, but neons as well.''

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