Sonja Jocić ( sr-Cyrl, Соња Јоцић; born 1988) is a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

n fashion designer known for her origami shapes, draped layering, and androgynous silhouettes, as well as for creating sustainable fashion. Her work is described as having a Scandinavian minimalism that contrasts black and white tones, also playing "... at the border of clothing and sculpture."

Background

Born in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Jocić lived in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

as a child. In 2010, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in fashion design from

's "Textile College of Applied Studies in Design, Technology and Management". She then studied at the

University of Borås The University of Borås (UB), or Högskolan i Borås, is a Swedish university college in the city of Borås. It was founded in 1977 and has around 18,300 students and 803 staff. The Swedish School of Library and Information Science and Swedish ...

's "Swedish School of Textiles", obtaining a master's degree in Fashion Design in 2014. During her time in Sweden, Jocić also had internship at the Swedish label "Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair" in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

. She assisted with photo shoots and helped prepare mock-ups for the 2012 womenswear and menswear collections.

Career

Jocić launched her namesake label in 2013. In 2014, she was featured in Serbian

Elle Magazine ''Elle'' (stylized ''ELLE'') is a worldwide women's magazine of French origin that offers a mix of fashion and beauty content, together with culture, society and lifestyle. The title means "she" or "her" in French. ''Elle'' is considered the wo ...

, as one of the young designers to watch out for. Since then, she has presented at

Belgrade Fashion Week Belgrade Fashion Week is a fashion show held in Belgrade, Serbia twice a year. It is the largest event of its kind in the country. Attracting international buyers and industry experts, the show has helped launch the careers of several Serbian fash ...

several times. In 2015, she showcased T-shirts that could be worn in multiple ways, which the designer calls “fashion collage”. The collection also featured layered skirts and translucent tops, as well as one stand out piece, "...an all-in-black costume composed of an asymmetrical coat and a pair of Marlene Dietrich-style pants." In 2016, she presented black, red and white outfits that mixed traditional fabrics, like wool and silk, with rubber, PVC and other non-traditional materials. To bring awareness about sustainable fashion, her 2017 collection was called "Zero Percent" and relied on reducing fabric waste. In 2018, she participated in the "Fashion Scout See" portion of

. Italian

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

described her use of light layered fabrics as creating "... disproportionate, light silhouettes, especially in the movement, allowing the garments to come to life." In 2018, Jocić also presented a runway show at "Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week", held in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

. Described as having a style defined by contrast, Jocić mixes opposing colors, fabrics and forms. In order to reduce fabric waste, she uses draped layering and precise pattern cutting, as well as following the principles of origami paper folding. The fabrics are folded into 3D shapes creating a sculptural effect. Jocić has won several awards at

, including the "Boris Nikolic Award", the "Textile Designer Award", and the "BazArt Award". Other prizes from the Serbian fashion scene include the "Harper's Bazaar Award" and the "ELLE Fashion Award". In 2017, she also won the "Best International Designer Award" at the "Gombold Ujra! Central Europe" competition, which is part of

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Central European Fashion Week held in

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

Her winning collection incorporated silk, wool and cotton fabrics accentuated by details made of wood. A former contemporary dancer, Jocić also worked as a theater costume designer prior to working in high fashion.

References

External links

* https://www.sonjajocic.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Jocic, Sonja Fashion designers from Belgrade Living people University of Belgrade alumni 1988 births