Eternal Optimist & Dreamer - Q & A with Belma Tvico
Belma Tvico is a Bosnian fashion designer that sprung an empire up from the soils of political oppression. Her pieces showcase resilience and the power of optimism in the midst of struggle. Many of the lines and silhouettes of her fashion designs are inspired by the intricacies and beauty of the female physique as well as found in nature itself. She strives for artistic and cultural expression while creating multifunctional pieces that stand the test of time. While Belma Tvico draws her inspiration from strong women that have forged a path of their own before her, she now inspires other generations to create their own paths from their own personal passions and to always remain positive in the face of adversity.
Q: How did you get into clothing design?
A: I first got into fashion design in 2003. That was the year I participated in the first ever fashion week. It was held in Sarajevo, my hometown. I presented my debut collection to a panel of national and international fashion experts and got their immediate attention. The rest is, as they say, history. Three years later, life took me to Istanbul. I was offered a position of a head designer in an international jeans company. This, of course, came as a great privilege and responsibility. To me, it also came as an opportunity to learn and grow as a designer. I stayed in Turkey for two years and in 2008 I decided to come back to Sarajevo and open my own atelier. It was my first semi couture collection that established the philosophy of the brand. It emphasized feminine contours with carefully constructed garments. My aim was, and still is, to design silhouettes that exhibit effortless grace, highlighting the sumptuous layering that lies hidden in every woman.
Q: Who are your inspirations / role models?
A: If I go back to my early childhood, I would say my biggest role models were strong female figures in my family. My fashion path started while observing my aunt who was working as a seamstress. I would apply everything I learned from her to create garments for my dolls. It is the process of constructing and sewing that made me recognize the calling to become a fashion designer. But there are no rules or limitations. I live freely and surrender to my emotions and intuition when I am creating something new. Everything I do, everything I am surrounded with serves as an inspiration. Nature being the first one! I am fascinated by the sky, sunlights and sunsets. The water and the woods cleanse my mind and my soul. I run off from the city as much as I possibly can in order to connect with the nature. It is a thing that has become beneficial to my work.
Q: What inspires your work?
A: Everything. I know it might sound as a cliché, but everything that surrounds me shapes my work. I am currently most focused on the letters of Bosančica, the medieval Bosnian letter. I transform its shapes and incorporate it into the fabrics in a form of custom designed print. Sometimes I use the letters as forms to create garments. There is beauty in their form and dignity in their purpose. Their arcs are long, unique and stylized. I am inspired by Bosančica in many ways: visual, calligraphic, sculptural. “Modra Rijeka”, a famous poem written by Bosnian author Mak Dizdar served as an inspiration for one of the designs. Painted throughout the print in a special way, they form a design used in SS2020 collection.
Q: What is your favorite piece you have ever desined so far in your career?
A: That is the most difficult question you can ask a fashion designer. Each collection contains pieces I absolutely love. I am unable to select just one. My designs are like my children, and it is difficult, if not impossible, to claim your favorite child (laughter)! But, what I can say is that I enjoy designing extraordinary dresses, especially wedding dresses, but ready-to-wear garments, too. Each segment of my work is magical and has its unique charm. That is why I enjoy equally doing all of them. It is the variety in my work that keeps me focused and creative.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: All my focus now is on the Fall/Winter 2021/2022 collection. I am also preparing a new brand line that will soon be promoted in public.
Q: What does your creative process look like?
A: Each time it is different. The inspiration can strike every day. So, when it happens, I create a mood board and take it one step at a time. I build my collections piece by piece; I approach the process one approaches mosaic creating. I play with shapes and colors, research different elements, shapes and sculptures, I create themes, cut, create prototypes. That is a process that unfolds until you reach a stage where a collection starts to look like a whole. I love designing multifunctional pieces of clothing. That way, I ease the shopping for my clients. It is the businesswomen that are my regular clients and I believe I have learned with time how to adapt to their needs without compromising my personal aesthetic.
Q: The Bosnian letter included throughout the design of the cover dress is beautiful. Can you tell us more about this personal touch you include on your clothing designs?
A: As I mentioned before, I incorporate Bosančica letters into my work. By redesigning the medieval characters of this unique letter, all while researching old historical documents, I breathe a new life into the beauty of these almost forgotten forms. It was my wish to incorporate cultural and historical heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina into my work. The overall artistic feel of the recent collections is achieved through this unique patterns and prints. We often exaggerate the dimensions of the letter forms, lending each letter an architectural grandeur. Asymmetry without confusion, sharpness and definition, neatness and cleanliness of the Bosančica shapes are making the traditional forms modern again. The dress you mentioned is especially meaningful to us as it contains parts of the script from the Charter of Kulin Ban written in 1189, a historical document written in Bosančica. This document is known as birth certificate of Bosnian statehood.
Q: What is it like making something beautiful in a place that was one war torn?
A: I spent the entire war in Sarajevo, in the heart of Baščaršija, the old part of the city where I played and lived in a world inside my head, trying to pretend that life is better and more beautiful each minute that passes. The absolute lack of everything made us all more creative. I remember I had two Barbie dolls that I got as a gift before the war began, and one dress for each doll. I was creating them houses, furniture, bed sheets, but mostly dresses and wedding gowns. My mom’s curtains were getting shorter and shorter as I used the pieces of it to design fairy tale dresses. Looking from today’s perspective, at the age of just four I discovered my true calling. I believe this is crucial: to discover your passion in life and to work hard on achieving your dreams, all while staying happy in the present moment. I think that the biggest success in life is to wake up happy each day, be genuinely excited for everything it brings, and to enjoy your working day. When you create a paradise inside your mind, you can live in hell and still manage to be happy. The experience of war has thought us that material things do not matter. There exists only today, and it is important to live each day as your last one. Life goes on, so did ours after the war ended. Each experience has made us stronger, shaped us, and helped us be more perseverant in the future.
Q: Does being in Bosnia while there is so much going on in terms of war and political difficulties affect how you make your art?
A: Of course, it effects it. It affects mostly the development and progress. It limits creative people in advancing in their careers and approaching international market. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small, economically challenged country. That is the first association to a country that has so much more to offer. It has a bad reputation attached to it, and it makes me sad and sorry at the same time. Our country is a gem, a diamond in disguise, filled with so many beautiful and talented people. Its nature is breathtakingly beautiful. As a multicultural country, we are a bridge between the east and the west. Of course, it is difficult to do fashion in Bosnia and Herzegovina, compared to world capitals where everything is easier, from obtaining proper education to implementing your work. But I always say that one must believe in his dreams in order to achieve them. Anything is possible. I proved that to myself many, many different times. No matter the circumstances, or the city of birth, anything is possible to achieve.
Q: Do you feel like you and your art are growing with your country and blooming with Bosnia and Herzegovina to become even more beautiful?
A: I would like to think so, yes. However, my work and my career progress has long stopped being local. I love my country, I am a true patriot, and I would love to continue giving back to my community and make Bosnia and Herzegovina known worldwide as something other than a worn-torn country. I wish for younger generation to have an easier, carved path to success in the world of fashion. Because, that is something I had to build for myself from scratch. It is my desire to be an example and motivation to young people. When the world tells them no, I want them to be able to create a yes. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many capable, talented, creative people. As a small group, we can create a big change. We have seen many individuals throughout the history that have changed the world for the better. It was never about the masses. So, I would love to conclude this by stating that I am an eternal optimist.
For us here at Narrow it was an honor to interview such an inspiring strong woman. It was a privilege to hear her story and learn about her creativity.