Hrvatsko dizajnersko društvo / Croatian Designers Association

“I think that designers still have to put an effort into bringing awareness to the public and their clients about understanding our profession and the benefits that design engagement brings. One of our problems is the fact that the market is small and that makes certain production challenges too complicated or unprofitable. Culture and self-initiative projects have always pushed Croatian design, and I think that will not change, but I also hope that better connectivity will remove the borders and that designers with quality solutions will be able to reach the wider public.” – INTERVIEWED BY: Ora Mušćet

“Experiments often depend on designers’ individual engagement and their efforts to provide conditions for themselves because they cannot necessarily rely on a well-developed institutional or industrial context. The domestic fashion scene is small and perhaps relies too much on local fashion weeks as an essential model of legitimacy. We lack more independent initiatives, collectives and new forms of association and networking on the wider fashion scene. There is also a lot of room for online experimentation, and this context is currently weakly or superficially present in the domain of local fashion design.” – interviewed by: ORA MUŠĆET

“Digital design in the world is undergoing major changes and designers are required to be much more involved in the current problems of society. I think this can already be seen in the employment process of top companies, and it will certainly be even more pronounced in the near future. Designers from smaller, more conservative backgrounds, such as Croatia, will be in a weaker position. We can counteract this to some extent through a wider education and self-education, with the aim of increasing empathy for as wide a circle of people as possible. The core of design as a discipline is empathy, and empathy is nourished by new ideas, knowledge and experiences.” – interviewed by: ORA MUŠĆET

“There are two of us in the Bachrach & Krištofić tandem. We wanted to express different states and ideas with photographs. Mario behind the lens and me in front of it – I could have been anyone. Back then, changing identities or roles was not just for the camera, it was a part of everyday life. I wore men’s suits and ties, wore intense dark makeup, wore tulle and nylon clothes. In our own way, we wanted to say that all these roles, the people who are a part of us, are equal. Self-referentiality points to one’s own situation, the subject.” – interviewed by: Ora Mušćet

“The head is full, and the hardest part is stopping ideas and redirecting them. You have to give up some, separate the important from the irrelevant. Then the first guiding thread comes up, an aha moment happens. So the blink starts with a slogan or a movie in your head. I am inspired by organic forms and the world around me. Designing a space is a way to create a unique sensory environment that acts seamlessly and cohesively. It is a unique micro-universe that creates an impact on its users and can bring happiness, peace and inclusion. I often imagine the interior as a continuation of the urban fabric that connects the environment with its interior, creating a visual connection between the external and internal space, respecting the elements of the natural environment. ” – Interviewed by: Ora Mušćet