LAVA - ZORA ROMANSKA

Zora Romanska is а painter and graphic designer, born in 1978 in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Growing up with the brush in her hand she started as a painter, after being a student in the School of Fine Arts in Sofia, than student and afterwards teacher in the Accademia delle Belle Arti di Brescia - Italy to become a designer of real art-à-porter hand labored out of leather.

“I have been panting all of my life but after all these years I started with some experiments to find out that the leather is the material that helps me better express myself and my ideas as an artist. The leather gives a feeling of a real touch and naturalness and that’s how my jewellery and accessories complete every woman and man wearing them no matter their age and style. I want to experience without limiting myself in a specific style. I want to create wearable pieces of art and make them internationally recognizable.”

Zora personally executes each piece of her collections with her own hands. Her influence has always been art - painting and sculpture. Nature, human mind and perception, shapes and different colors - everything is art and all take place in the creation of ZR pieces, whether they are jewellery, accessories or clothing. The philosophy of the brand aims to open the eye of the beholder to see and feel art and its beauty in everything that surrounds us.

ZR collections are transformations, they are interpretations of nature - the lava, the rock, the sand, a constant search of new forms, silhouettes and shapes. All of the pieces are entirely unique, handcrafted, labor-intensive unique. No two are completely alike.

Coming from a visual arts background how do you find yourself in the world of fashion that can be very superficial and money focused? How do you find comprise artistic freedom and running a business? And how does the country you come from affect your work and business? I myself come from Poland and I remember how much "catching up" we had to truly become part of the EU. 

I am an artist by my soul and by education. After an incredibly good Influence from the National high school of Fine Arts in Sofia, I went to study at the Fine Arts Academy in Italy in the late 1990s. I was so well prepared that I was even bored at first. The interesting part came from what surrounded me and the differences in culture and lifestyle. You can imagine Bulgaria not even 10 years after the fall of communism and Italy, which was in its absolute full bloom.

We are living in a very fast time, what is new today, tomorrow is already old and gone. To keep up with fashion, coming from the art world only enriches me, social networks, technical skills and marketing strategies are part of the business that is inevitable. There are no boundaries and I don't like to set myself ones. The leather as a material challenges me all the time, and as seen in my more iconic pieces, they turn into leather sculptures. Huge inspiration of mine from the beginning was Vera di Molos and Nike di Samothrace. So to get back to the question, through the fine arts, I entered the fashion world seamlessly, without realizing it, I made a business that I run with the freedom and ease of a person of art. Luck and the right people accompany me as well.

Working with leather the way you do will always "scare" some potential buyers because of the fetish, S&M connections. Even if you went far beyond the typical fetish gear. Have you ever experienced that kind of problems? How would you describe the "market" for your designs, the customers ...? And what are your thoughts on the fetish scene and aesthetics? Do you find it inspiring?

Leather inevitably gives this association, in which I see nothing wrong. Even more, it amuses me and provokes my imagination for something not typical. To be honest, my first emblematic pieces were inspired by Louis 16, the jabbot, cuffs, but of course from leather. Nothing fetish, but a lot at the same time, right? I still imagine the white wigs and my leather corset, cuffs, jabbot. It's funny and interesting, isn’t it?

Much of my work make people to fantasy, they can be used in many ways and can be worn in many ways. I use a lot of ties that you can use an accessory in all sorts of places :) my accessories are adaptable to both the style of the wearer and the function. I'm excited by a woman with innocent clothing and an expression to put on a provocative, leather, big accessory, much more than one BDSM.

Fashion: ZORA ROMANSKA
Photo, styling & make-up: Sylvia Lajbig