Aelisheva
Interview with “Sanja” Zivka Jovanovic and Alyse Radenovic of Aelisheva
aelisheva.com
DIY City Mag: How did you get started as a designer?
Sanja: From my early years I played alone with my stepmother’s dresses and her beautiful scarves, I lived with my father and my stepmother, she sewed at home – they were master artists, a Capricorn and a Pisces. At that time, I enjoyed all fairytales (about princes and princesses) in Paris where I grew up. When I was 15 years old I sewed a dress for myself by hand because I did not have a sewing machine, I knew how to sew naturally. The union with a partner, that began with Alyse, for I had never until that time had a partner - it happened at the right time for me, because I had already had enough working and technical experience, and I wished for a liberated and unrestricted work. I graduated in fashion design in Paris, I work in the theatre and I have worked on numerous films (like in my fairytales). I then turned to something which is only inside me, deep feelings which told me to do this no matter what may be, for the first time I was not afraid, simply occupied with a natural feeling of satisfaction when I work these pieces with her and I do not worry even a little about the future because there is no need, simply I know that it is good and that it will be good.
Alyse: I sewed dresses for personal use when I was young, then in my mid 20’s I was unhappy with my regular jobs so I decided to sell the dresses I made instead, I walked along the sidewalks in New York for a long time looking for the right place but didn’t find anything appropriate. Then one night on my way home, the man who ran Xuly-Bet (Fragile) on Orchard Street smiled at me for no reason, so I decided to sell there first. Then I worked in that general milieu for a while, but it didn’t take long to see the formula was flawed. Anyway I put it to the side until I met Sanja, we were both in Belgrade at the time, she had been the missing essential part, the greater part, of the whole endeavor and she is brilliant. And I knew that when I saw her, I wouldn’t do fashion without her and it’s her show and our show and I am happy. I then took our new brand to the internet, mainly because I was living in the Mississippi Delta at the time, and it went pretty badly at first, dealing with unreliable agencies. And then, having the better part of our catalogue copied by a major brand, but I contacted them and in the end we had a moral victory, although the brand did not openly admit wrongdoing, they did fire the offending ‘designer’ and they did not ever do it again. Anyway, nonetheless, year in and year out we continued to work, to perfect, to invest our love, time, resources towards making a better and better product, and now we are recognized in our own way. And we continue to bring our work to women of all ages.
DIY City Mag: Tell us about your techniques, we see you hand make and hand-appliqué your dresses, this must take quite a bit of work. How important is it that your pieces be unique and original?
Sanja: These kinds of pieces require a great deal of handwork and for that reason they are all one-of-kind, because it is extremely difficult to make them exactly identical.
Alyse: As Sanja said, they are only one-of-a-kinds because of the type of work that is required, so the pieces can be very similar but never exactly the same. To answer more directly, I guess we value our work for what it is, and it is made to very high standards, and it simply wouldn’t and couldn’t be the same product if it were produced in any other way. I guess there is nothing essential to them being originals other than that - the method. If a different type of product was called for, then the method would be different.
DIY City Mag: How long have you been selling at Smashing Darling? Do you find that selling in online boutiques extends your customer base?
Alyse: We started there about two months ago and I appreciate the convenience, flexibility, and terms they offer. Something like the quality and suitability of a dress for any customer is for obvious reasons by nature still difficult to convey through the internet, but the environment is rapidly developing. It is good to have works online for many reasons, including connecting us to people who appreciate our work.
DIY City Mag: Any advice for other indie designers starting out in this business?
Alyse: Every individual and every circumstance is so different that it is very hard to give general advice; I guess this is mainly aimed at young women who, especially when starting their own independent design businesses, are probably hearing too much advice already, so I would just say to only take the advice which truly applies to your unique situation, and in general just to use common sense because there is nothing about this work that works very differently from the way anything else works
