A sustainable fashion story caught between colorful loops : TANJA UVERA FASHION

It was such a beautiful, very warm summer day and my friend Mateja Holler and I decided to go on a walk around Maribor and take some photos for my blog, which I had just started creating at that time. As we headed towards Lent, we came across the wide open doors of a fashion studio between hidden streets that I had never noticed before, so we entered curiously. At that time, Tanja Uvera had just moved to a new location from Tezno, to a pleasant studio at the Splavarski passage in the city center, and she gladly welcomed every new visitor to meet her.

OUTFIT: Tanja Uvera FOTO: Kat Diaz MUA: Patricija Lucija

OUTFIT: Tanja Uvera FOTO: Kat Diaz MUA: Patricija

A beautiful dress on a doll at the entrance and a colorful ambience dragged us down the stairs and so we met Tanja Uvera, a designer of unique fashion clothes with a touch of sustainability. She started her journey by making knitwear for fashion enthusiasts who, in addition to the beautiful appearance and comfort of clothing, also wanted to emphasize their femininity. Tanja designs unique pieces of clothing by adapting them to the client's lifestyle, his/her wardrobe, following the principle of versatility. Fashion pieces can be worn in several different ways and combined with different styles of clothing that are suitable for both work and leisure. She makes clothes based on inspiration, which she often draws from nature, harmonizes colors with the seasons and seasonal cuts with fashion guidelines.

We, humans, have become visual beings and clothing has gained a deeper meaning, in addition to just being functional. Through various combinations of pieces of textiles, we express ourselves as individuals, shape our style and also show our belonging to a certain social group. Fashion has thus brought together creative authors, designers, manufacturers and all of us who wear clothes. In the broader sense of the whole circle, however, fashion has also united us in a movement for change, which is very much needed in these times. Awareness of the problems caused by excessive consumption, environmental pollution and unethical behavior present in the production of clothing is growing day by day. Ecological and ethical approaches have become increasingly present and indispensable in our daily lives and are forcing us to change from mass behavior to a more responsible and quality life.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION STORY AND MARIBOR

Tanja and I connected very quickly and agreed to cooperate. Here I also invited urban fashion photographer Kat Diaz, with whom we created a fashion story that took place in famous Maribor locations. We included local actors who are present in the city and are committed to sustainable development and the improvement of the local, social and green economy. We combined Tanja’s SUMO’S GARDEN collection along with clothes from my closet and thoughtfully selected the pieces that were functionally best suited for everyday use. From taking morning coffee in Smetka, Alternative shop & book caffe, after chores with a RETRO bike from the cooperative Bike Lab., to a leisurely walk along the river Drava and swimming on the island of Maribor. Of course, we must not forget to enjoy the afternoon atmosphere of an urban city vibe in the Salon of Applied Arts and relax with an evening glass of local wine.

Tanja Uvera uses high-quality materials of natural origin in the production of clothing, such as viscose, cotton, silk and linen. She builds clothes in search of harmony between color, shape and pattern. The dress is finished when we have the feeling that it is like our second skin and that will serve us and make us exceptional every time we wear it, says Tanja. The one and only is the dress with which we also wear a smile! I like how she thoughtfully designs the garment, which we can then induct into our wardrobe with various combinations and thus enrich it. The sentimental value of such clothes is then even more genuine and we therefore appreciate and nurture them much more. Knitwear is a very good choice from the point of view of sustainability, as it is easy to maintain and use. They can be washed at a low temperature, use with mild detergents and don’t need to be ironed, so we do not burden the environment with additional energy consumption and pollution.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION AND ITS IMPORTANCE

Sustainable development is the idea of healthy development of human society with respect for people and the environment in which we live, coexistence with nature and tradition, the right balance between production and consumption of material goods and harmless satisfaction of the needs of today's society for the benefit of future generations. Recently, as an alternative to fast, cheap, “buy and discard” fashion, the concept of sustainable fashion has been established in the context of sustainable development, proving its maturity. With longer-term measures such as reducing the environmental impact of the textile industry, making better use of products in their life cycle and producing collections under conditions that respect humans and preserve the traditional knowledge of individual cultures, we can change things for the better. The production of clothing in the local environment thus helps to improve the living standards of people in the surrounding area, stimulates the local economy and helps to preserve cultural heritage.

Nowadays, when we are facing the problems of increasing environmental pollution, global climate change, depletion of energy resources and unethical clothing production, it makes even more sense to look for solutions in the slowdown of fashion. We need to find alternatives and strive for a change from mass buying clothes to more thoughtful and responsible handling. The idea of a sustainable concept is based on the coexistence of today's society with nature and compassion for animals and other people with whom we share the planet. With a note of compassion, we would thus achieve empathy that would transcend the impending danger when we focus too much on quantitative material development and begin to pollute the environment and deplete natural resources as a result. For me, sustainability therefore represents everything that is made in small quantities, locally, with the intention of being used for a long time and with love and attention to others, that is why I advocate Tanja Uvera as a sustainable fashion designer.

NORTHERN LIGHT, KALEIDOSCOPE, HUMMING'S FLIGHT and SUMO'S GARDEN are collections that designer presented at Ljubljana Fashion Week and achieved great success. During the pandemic, however, she adapted her creations to activities that more or less took place in a home environment in which we can still look wonderful and feel good in our own skin. For this purpose, she designed leisure clothes under the name JOY with Tanja Uvera and presented two collections called PRIVATE PARTY. Private entertainment represents the positive state of mind that Tanja maintained during this time of the corona crisis. You can spice up your days with good music, hanging out with friends while still being able to dress nicely and comfortably. Sportswear are also easy to use, made of high quality materials, very invigorating and affordable.

#2GIVEAWAY

Tanja is a person who always inspires with her new creations, ideas and positive energy. She is also aware of the problem of "fast" fashion and often makes her clients and the general public aware of how we can handle our clothes more responsibly at various fashion events and round tables. For March 8, Women's Day, I wanted to introduce to you this very successful woman, designer, mother and much more than that - Tanja Uvera.

Together we will perform and make a campaign for #2GIVEAWAY, which will take place from Wednesday, March 3, 2021 until Monday, March 8, 2021, when we will draw a lucky winner. And since I’m not an advocate of excessive use of clothing, I perform giveaways thoughtfully and with the intention of good use, so we decided to donate a face mask that is suitable for this time. You are warmly welcome to view other works of art in Tanja's online store, follow us on social networks and see you in the next blog!😘

**ENTER THE WORLD**
**OF COLORFUL LOOPS**

**TANJA UVERA FASHION SHOP**

Urška CotičMarch 1, 2021Tanja Uvera Fashionsustainable fashion, sustainability, tanja uvera, fashion story, maribor1 Comment