The afternoon was coming to an end in the city of Lisbon. The sunlight was peaking through the blinds of the old building, reflecting on its tiles and lighting up its rooms, letting us get a glimpse of Lidija Kolovrat’s artisanal fabrics.
Photography GD2R / www.gd2r.com using Leica
Beauty editor Antonia Rosa using Maqpro
Assisted by Federico Simão and Joana Lopes
Hair Paulo Vieira using Joico
Model Analicia at Elite Lisbon
Special thanks to Misty the dog
Words and interview by Fernanda Russomano
This mystical visual story captured by photographer Gilles Demarque de Rieux, known as GD2R, features model and ZOOT’s contributing photographer Analicia wearing four looks from Portugal-based designer Lidija Kolovrat, who will be presenting her SS23 collection this Saturday at ModaLisboa. Lidija, born in Bosnia, has been part of Lisbon’s fashion scene since the early 1990s when she founded her brand. Using dramatic flowy dresses and shiny fabrics, Analicia portrays Kolovrat’s vision of a young woman in transition: an urban nomad in our troubled times.
Originally from Ubatuba in Brazil, Analicia moved to Portugal at the age of 18 in search of a new life. “I wanted to change my life. Study, learn about new cultures and expand myself”, Analicia shared in a Q&A with ZOOT.
It’s been almost 6 years since I’ve been based in Lisbon. I feel at home here and it was the place that opened the door for me as a model and visual artist. Another place that I feel at home is São Paulo, because it’s my country and at the same time it’s artistic, cool and massive! I’m actually trying to buy an apartment there and live between São Paulo and Europe.
– Analicia
ZOOT Magazine: You’ve mentioned you consider yourself more of a “physical nomad” than a digital nomad since you have suitcases scattered around different countries. What is the reason behind that?
Analicia: I consider myself a physical nomad because I’m always traveling thanks to my job as a model that gives me the opportunity to travel around the world. I started in Portugal, then Milan, then Japan, China…and never stopped.
ZM: Your career started as a model. What made you transition to working more as a photographer?
A: I started to work as an international model 5 or 6 years ago, but I’ve always wanted to work in the advertising industry. My goal is to be an advertising director, focusing on giving my fashion views to [the world], like an aesthetic signature, and being a photographer is the closest I can get to what I have in mind. I bought my Contax in Japan in 2019 and after that it changed my world. Since I am in this industry as a model, I end up having access to my agency’s best models and friends that I worked with, so I take the best advantage of this as I possibly can.
ZM: Do you plan on making photography your full-time job or is there anything else you would like to pursue next?
A: As I mentioned, I love what I do and photography is the closest I can get to directing something. I see myself as a visual artist and I’d love to be a photographer. Not limiting myself to only that, I also do creative direction, wardrobe styling, art direction and so on. Photography for me is about making a whole composition as if it was a painting because usually I shoot on film, where we have only 36 or 24 pics, so everything needs to be thought of before pressing the button.
ZM: What type of camera is your favorite to work with?
A: I came from the analogue, and now my favorite cameras are Contax G1 with 28mm lens and Fuji xt3 and Lens 16-80. I just bought this camera because it has the design of an analogue camera. (Yes, I care a lot about the details.)
ZM: If you could photograph/work with any person in the world, who would it be?
A: My inspirations come from directors and I’d love to work with David Lynch. He is weird, in a provocative way, sublime and I love that. His work makes you feel something, not always something good but I think that’s the key.
LIDIJA KOLOVRAT FW 2021|2022 ‘ARE YOU GHOSTING ME’
This collection encapsulates the notion of choosing to detach from someone, from something or perhaps from some version of yourself.
We’ve been travelling through the style in a nomadic manner, trying to find balance between structure, fluidity and a sense of trashiness.
– Lidija Kolovrat
ZM: You’ve just covered some shows at Paris Fashion Week for Zoot Magazine. What was the experience like for you?
A: Yes, I did. It was the most amazing experience I’ve had in my life, because for the first time I was traveling as an artist not just as a model, and doing what I love most: creating. I saw Paris in a different way, and for my personal growth this trip was essential. I feel more powerful and happy about who I am and what I want.
ZM: What does Fashion mean to you?
A: I know that I work in fashion, but I’m not 100% into it. I don’t know about some famous fashion designers or important people, but I feel the fashion. I live fashion in the way that everything is possible. The way it creates a new world and atmosphere. How it can represent yourself. Fashion is politics. Fashion is art. Fashion is communication.
ZM: If you could share a message with the world at this moment, what would it be?
A: Take it easy! Life is fun. And we are the protagonists of this creative stage.
Mandala = a circular figure representing the universe. All of that in a dress.
The secret of the mandala is to purposefully lead us to deal with the layering and accumulation of our daily experiences. We found the freedom in building graphics and patterns and in creating a new language, which is secretly coded and not obvious.
– Lidija Kolovrat
Find out more about Lidija Kolovrat’s work on her website www.lidijakolovrat.com or follow her on Instagram.
Follow Analicia’s and GD2R’s photo coverage of MODALISBOA OASIS here at ZOOT.
