Alja is a 25-year-old illustrator and designer from Maribor, as well as the recipient of the Elle Style Awards 2019 in the 'Young talent' category and the winner of the Forbes '30 under 30' list in the Art & Culture category. So far, she has collaborated with companies such as Barcaffe, Jeruzalem Ormož, Disney, Renault, Vichy, Urban Outfitters, ban.do, Anthropologie... Her goal is to evoke nostalgia with her designs and thus combine her love for the 60s and 70s of the last century and pattern design.
Nina is one of the three members of the jury of the Inspired by You competition, launched by LJFW and Samsung. All young designers from all fields are invited to it (you can find more about the competition here). The jury, which includes Bojana Fajmut and Nina Jagodic in addition to her, will find 20 creative solutions, accessories for the Samsung Galaxy Flip4. We talked with Alja about how important the phone is also in her work, how to succeed in a world where there is a lot of competition and what products are on the Inspired by You competition caught her attention.
You have cooperated and are cooperating with large and globally successful and well-known companies. How does such cooperation come about? How did they find you, where did they find out about you?
Alja Horvat: In the beginning, most companies found me through social networks, at that time Instagram was still great for networking. A few companies also found me through the art platform Society6, and currently I have been working with the agency for about two years, so most of the projects go through them. We always agree on all projects via e-mail or Zoom calls, often the companies themselves tell me that they have been following me on Instagram for some time.
How are your drawings, illustrations, patterns created? Do you have any interesting rituals before or during creation?
Alja Horvat: I always listen to music while I'm working, right now I'm listening a lot to The Youngbloods, which is a band from the 60s, and Bob Dylan. I don't have any special ritual before creating, and I don't have any during it either - the only possible thing is that I like to do several things at the same time, which means that I won't finish the illustration in "one", but I will do 100 other things in the meantime. It keeps me "focused".
You are young, successful and enterprising. What advice would you give to someone who also wants to succeed?
Alja Horvat: I think the most important thing is to never give up. Many times I see people give up too quickly because they think success happens overnight. I personally think that one very overlooked virtue is that you are "easy to work with" and that you are consistent, and in the end it is also very important that you know how to be commercial.
You also have a lot of followers on Instagram. How important is this platform to success?
Alja Horvat: Instagram was definitely very important in the beginning, most companies found me for projects and collaborations through Instagram. Instagram can be used really well in terms of "free advertising", as can LinkedIn and Facebook. The most important thing is that your profile is "unique", that you have something special and different from the others - this definitely helps people notice you faster.
What was the moment you realized you had succeeded?
Alja Horvat: Most likely the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2021 and the first major project I had (Causebox and residency in Los Angeles).
You are also a fashion designer. What is the focus of your clothes?
Alja Horvat: I myself focus on prints in my fashion collection, as I am an illustrator and designer, and I want only them to be in the foreground. Therefore, the designs and shapes of the clothes are also more minimalistic. The main inspiration for the collections is my love for the 1960s and 1970s. I'm always looking to create a collection that evokes nostalgia, but at the same time is still modern and has a touch of today.
Will we ever see your creations at LJFW?
Alja Horvat: I would love to present my creations at LJFW - to be honest, I don't even know what the process is, if you have to be invited or if you have to apply yourself.
How important is your phone to you? Do you use it a lot in your work?
Alja Horvat: Ugh, definitely, I can't imagine a working day without a phone - from signing up to e-mail, to quickly jotting down ideas in a notebook, posting on social networks, etc.
What will you pay most attention to as a judge at the competition? Who or What can the contributors do to get your attention? What will the winner have to show the winner?
Alja Horvat: As a designer and illustrator myself, I will probably pay the most attention to the design aspect and the final visual image. I believe that the final products will be excellent and that will make our task in choosing the winner all the more difficult. But the easiest way to attract my attention is with colorful patterns and illustrations.
