By Amra B.
ENGLISH - HRVATSKI
The first time I spotted Neven Ciganovic was in a magazine, where he was at a party with countless of celebrities and designers. He effortlessly stood out because he did not look like anyone else at the soirée.
I later found out that Neven was the first celebrity stylist in Croatia; his career began in the 1990s when the name fashion stylist had not yet been coined. As a stylist, celebrities and fashion designers always surround him, and people religiously follow him on the red carpet and his globe trotting escapades.
Later, I followed Neven’s TV show when I visited Croatia, and I loved it! He has unbelievable charisma, is exceptionally witty and entertaining. His sense of style is always impeccable; and his varying looks always pleasantly surprised me. Neven does not follow trends; he creates them!
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| Neven with his friend Nikolina Pisek (TV Presenter) |
AB: How did you start in the fashion industry? At what age did you realize you wanted to make a career out of your passion for fashion and knick for styling?
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| Neven with his friend Nina Moric (top model) |
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| Neven front row at fashion week |
AB: You were the first celebrity stylist in Croatia. People in the fashion industry in Croatia and the region follow you keenly. Can you explain to the general public what a stylist does?
NC: I cannot claim with certainty if I was the first stylist in Croatia; however, I was definitely the one who was able to take this profession to another level in my country. I was successful because I was able to convince others around me about the significance of styling in different professions, especially those individuals who were always in the limelight. Additionally, stylists job is to help someone build their "visual identity." Stylists focus should be on helping individuals choose pieces that best represent and express their unique characteristics. The goal is for individuals to feel better in their skin and embrace their new image with confidence.
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| Neven with his friend Nikolina Pisek (tv presenter) |
AB: You lived in Los Angels; can you talk about your experience in the fashion industry in the U.S. versus Europe? How are they different?
NC: When it comes to stylists' work, there is no significant difference between the Unites States and Croatia. The biggest difference is the size of the market, which is much larger in United States (USA's population is 317 million and Croatia's is 4 million). United States also offers more variety of designs as the fashion industry is one of the largest in the world. Additionally, in the United States, there is also more competition amongst the celebrities to look good, and there is more demand for stylists to work their magic in differentiating once celebrity from the other.
AB: What was a difference in lifestyle you noticed in L.A. v. Europe?
NC: I believe that Los Angeles is genuinely different from any other place I have visited. People in LA lead different kind of life: they are more relaxed and simple. I believe that it is due to the wonderful weather that these characteristics have developed; there are almost 365 days of sunshine. The climate also has an impact on the mood of the residents of LA in a sense that they are more enthusiastic/positive. LA also offers many opportunities for stylists, and I believe that this is where the whole idea of "American dream" was born; you truly feel that you are capable of achieving anything if you are caught in the right place at the right time. We could perhaps call this phenomenon "luck," but I believe that luck will not carry us far unless we also pair it with charisma.
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| Neven with his friends (Croatia's models) |
AB: What is something that your fans do not know about you?
NC: I am well known in the media for always being eager to discuss a variety of topics. In my case, this willingness to be open has also proven to be quite positive: people's perception of me has entirely changed, and now I am enjoying recognition that is completely different from the one that how the media had initially portrayed me years ago. I am not sure if I had mentioned this before (perhaps I have), but people often perceive me as someone who dedicates a lot of time to his appearance. They would be surprised to know that I hate visiting hair or cosmetic salons, and I get quite irritated while receiving a massage or some other type of SPA treatments. I feel that this is often a waste of my time, and I don't like being too long in one place.
AB: What advice would you give to women about how to style themselves?
NC: I would advise all women to always consult with someone when it comes to their style. They can discuss their choices with a partner, a friend, or a stylist, but I believe that we always are more likely to make better decisions as a team. Every fashion experiment requires an approval of at least one more person.
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| Neven at Croatia's Fashion Week |
NC: There are many trends that keep coming back but they are always adjusted to fit in with what people are wearing today. One of my least favorite trends is women's ballerina flats; they never looked cool and are not feminine enough for my taste.
AB: You are always surrounded by celebrities, is there any one who stands out? Do they ever inspire you? If so, who is one person in the entertainment industry who has inspired you?
NC: When it comes to my job, it is quite usual for me to be surrounded with many so called "celebrities." However, I have always had a difficulty in perceiving people through their celebrity status. For me, they are just people who happen to have jobs that entail public appearances. I have never idolized anyone, nor have I ever sought examples in others. However, I do admit that there are many people who I respect and these people often serve as my inspiration. They do not necessarily happen to be celebrities.
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| Neven and his friend Iva Jerkovic (Croatia's top model) |
AB: Where does your source of inspiration for fashion come from? Is there one source or do the sources vary depending on the year?
NC: I draw inspiration from past occurrences; I tend to ponder many "what if"-s and that is how I come to my decisions. I believe that this is the easiest way for me to anaylze life; it empowers me to think that many of the mistakes I have made have been the result of my own doing.
AB: Do you have any upcoming projects that our readers should watch out for?
NC: My brain functions 100km/h, and I am always analyzing everything. I have millions of idea; however, people around me often surpress this creativity and tell me to "keep my feet firmly on the ground." Currently, my main focus is television; I am working with two different networks. I am also always hoping that my life will take me back to LA because I believe this is where many adventures still await me.
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| Neven with Miss Croatia (left) |
I would like to thank you for your time! We wish you much success in your feature endeavors, and we will continue to keep an eye out for your red carpet appearances and worldwide adventures! For a closer look, follow Neven on Twitter or on Facebook.
Style - chat s jedan od prvih Celebrity stilista u Europi : Neven Ciganović
Nevena Ciganovića prvi put sam primijetila u jednom časopisu gdje su bile fotografije sa party-ja koji je okupio mnoge poznate osobe i modne dizajnere. On se jako isticao jer je izgledom bio razlicit od drugih prisutnih.
Kasnije sam saznala da je Neven prvi modni stilista u Hrvatskoj. Njegova karijera započela je 1990. godine kada je pojam stiliste još uvijek bio rijetko korišten. Kao stilista uvijek je okružen poznatim osobama i modnim dizajnerima, ljudi ga vijerno slijede na pojavljivanjama na crvenom tepihu a njegov planetarni uspjeh i danas raste.
Kasnije, kada sam posjetila Hrvatsku, pratila sam Nevenov TV show i bio mi je veoma interesantan! On ima nevjerovatnu karizmu, iznimno je duhovit i zabavan. Njegov osjećaj za stil je uvijek besprijekoran a njegov drugačiji izgled uvijek me ugodno iznenadi . Neven ne slijedi trendove, on ih stvara!
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| Neven's campaign for ELFs (Croatia's popular clothing brand) |
AB: Kako su nastali tvoji početci u modnoj industriji? Sa koliko godina si shvatio da želiš svoju karijeru graditi na osnovu strasti za modu i svog smisla za dobar styling?
NC: Moram priznati da se moja strast za modom, ako je mogu tako nazvati, jer je to zaista nekoć i bila, razvila vrlo rano. Naime moji roditelji su uvijek bili velike estete u modnom smislu te su nas od malih nogu usmjeravali modi. Ja se sjećam da smo ja i sestra uvijek imali među prvima sve trendove koji bi se pojavili na tržištu. Iako potjecem iz dosta skromne intelektualne obitelji za lijepu odjeću se uvijek našlo novaca.
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| Neven with his friends (Croatia's models) |
AB: Prvi si stilista slavnih i poznatih u Hrvatskoj. Ljudi u modnoj industriji u Hrvatskoj i regiji slijede te sa oduševljenjem. Možeš li objasniti javnosti, za te ljude koji te prate, šta zapravo stilista radi?
NC: Ne mogu sa sigurnošću tvrditi da sam bio baš prvi stilista u regiji ali definitivno jesam prvi koji je tu profesiju izdigao na jednu višu razinu, odnosno uspio sam ljudima predstaviti koliko im je styling bitan posebno onima koji se bave javnim profesijama. Uglavnom stylist bi trebalo da bude osoba koja će nekome pomoći da izgradi svoj vizualni identitet te mu pomoći da taj svoj novi imidž ponese sa samouvjerenošću.
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| Neven with his friends (Croatia's models and starlets) |
AB: Živio si u Los Angeles-u pa da li možeš reći nešto više o svom iskustvu u modnoj industriji u SAD-u u odnosu na Europu? Da li postoje velike razlike te u čemu se one ogledaju?
NC: Što se tiče stylističkog posla ovdje i u Americi ne postoji bitna razlika osim što je tamo puno veće modno tržište te su sve te stvari koje su ti potrebne za stayling više dostupne. Osim toga tamo je i veća konkurencija među celebovima te im definitivno treba vise pomoći oko načina na koji će se među tim mnoštvom još bolje istaknuti.
AB: Koja je razlika u načinu života u LA-u u odnosu na Europu po tvom misljenju?
NC: Mislim da je Los Angeles potpuno drugačija priča od svega drugoga što se za život nudi u svijetu. Tamo je nekako sve više opuštenije i jednostavnije. Prvenstveno mislim da je tako zbog izuzetno dobre klime gdje je skoro svih 365 dana u godini sunčano što znaci da su ljudi odmah pozitivnje raspoloženi. Također tamo postoji bezbroj mogućnosti vezanih za posao te sam siguran da je upravo od tamo potekla ona konstatacija da ti se život može promijeniti za 100 stupnjeva samo ako se nađeš u pravo vrijeme na pravom mjestu. To bi mogli nazvati i srećom ali ta sreća ne vrijedi mnogo ako uz nju ne nosiš neku karizmu.
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| Neven and his friend Iva Jerkovic (Croatia's top model) |
AB: Za sve tvoje fanove i čitatelje Club Fashionista otkrij nešto što do sada nisu mogli saznati o tebi?
NC: Ja sam bar poznat po tome da uvijek otvoreno o sebi govorim po pitanju skoro svih tema. U mom slučaju to se nikad nije pokazalo negativno. Dapače, ljudi su me počeli percipirati potpuno drugačije od onog stava koji su imali o meni kakvog su ga prvobitno stvorili mediji. Evo nisam siguran da li sam to ikad negdje pomenuo (a mozda i jesam), iako ljudi misle da ja svom izgledu posvećujem jako puno pažnje, ja recimo mrzim posjete frizeru, kozmetičaru a mrzim i masaže i bilo koje oblike te vrste relaxacije. Meni je to jednostavno gubitak vremena i ne volim provoditi puno vremena na jednom mjestu.
AB: Savjet koji bi dao ženama o tome kako da izgrade svoj stil?
NC: Pa svima i ne samo ženama bih savjetovao da se uvijek oko svega a posebno stila, savjetuju sa nekim, bio to partner, prijatelj ili stylista. Neke zaključke je uvijek jednostavnije donositi u dvoje, odnosno za svaki modni izlet trebamo nečiju potvrdu ili odobrenje.
AB: Koja su, po tvom misljenju, dva trenda iz prošlosti koje primjećuješ da ljudi ponavljaju u svojm odijevanju?
NC: Postoji jako puno trendova iz prošlosti koji se vraćaju svake sezone ali se svake sezone prilagode trendu. Jedan od meni najomraženijih su svakako ženske balerinke, one mi nikad nisu izgledale interesantno niti mi za moj ukus djeluju dovoljno ženstveno.
AB: Uvijek si okruženen slavnim osobama Postoji li neka osoba iz svijeta slavnih i poznatih koja se
po bilo čemu ističe? Da li su slavni oni koji tebe inspirišu? Ako da, odaj nam ime tog celebrity-ja!
NC: S obzirom na moj posao normalno je da sam se tjekom svih ovih godina baš našao u okruženju nazovimo ih slavnih osoba. No meni ih je uvijek bilo teško tako doživljavati jer za mene su oni samo ljudi koji se bave javnim profesijama. Nikad nisam idealizirao nikoga niti sam u nekome pronalazio uzore. No moram priznati da su postojali i postoje ljudi kojima se divim i u kojima pronalazim inspiraciju ali nisu nužno iz svijeta poznatih.
AB: Odakle sve crpiš inspiraciju za svoj rad? Da li je to uvijek isti izvor energije i inspiracije ili se to mijenja iz godine u godinu?
NC: Inspiraciju najčešće crpim iz nekih svojih bivših postupaka. Uglavnom preispitujem sebe što bi bilo kad bi bilo i tako donosim zaključke. Shvatio sam da mi je tako najlakše jer tako jedino svu krivnju mogu usmjeriti samo na sebe.
AB: Da li Neven Ciganović uskoro priprema neke nove projekte na koje bi naši čitatelji trebalo da obrate pažnju?
NC: S obzirom da meni mozak radi 100 na sat, u mojoj glavi se uvijek nešto vrzma. Prepun sam ideja ali me ograničavaju ljudi oko mene i spuštaju me na zemlju. Momentalno mi je glavna preokupacija televizija, radim dva tv projekta na dvije različite televizije i nekako se uvijek nadam da će me put ponovno odvesti u Los Angeles jer sam siguran da me tamo očekuje još mnogo toga.
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| Neven with his friend Nikolna Pisek (Croatia's TV Presenter) |
AB: Željela bih se zahvaliti za vrijeme koje si odvojio za Club Fashionista!
Želimo ti mnogo uspjeha u tvojim budućim projektima a mi ćemo i dalje držati oko na tvoje radove za crveni tepih i avanture širom svijeta!
Za više informacija , Nevena možete pratiti na Twitteru @ NevenCig ili na Facebooku: https://www.facebook.com/cigi.privatno .
I LOVE HIM!
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