This is how Grazia magazine wrote about us...
Do you like bugs? What about the ones on the t-shirts? The fact that they are an inspiration in fashion is not new, but what is new is that the brand DivineBugs was created in Slovenia. GRAZIA represents the creator and founder of the brand, Lidija Žagar, who has a showroom in Mozirje, and from time to time presents her shirts in the E2RD gallery in Maribor.
What prompted you to create eco-friendly fashion? Did it come from the idea of how to make human-friendly fashion?
I am interested in design and as such it is actually timeless. Therefore, it would be difficult to say that DivineBugs pieces are fashionable. I want them to become timeless. That our fly holding a plush heart will attract the attention of girls and boys for many years to come. Basically, I was not driven to create human-friendly fashion, I was driven by insects, which have always been part of my styling, usually in the form of brooches. The idea was born at one of the workshops of dr. Joe Dispenzo in Berlin, where somehow everything came together for me, without too much thinking. When things are right, it doesn't take much studying because they just fall together. It was the same with DivineBugs. First there was DivineBugs, then there was the best quality organic cotton supplier. Considering the fact that the bugs are dying out precisely because of the pesticides that are massively used in the production of ordinary cotton, the idea was to offer the bugs a safe base, i.e. organic cotton, in the production of which pesticides are not used - this is exactly the idea, that tied everything together.
Where can we see/buy DivineBugs and do you already appear in foreign markets?
Most of our sales currently take place in Slovenia, but we have permanent customers in the Netherlands and Germany, and with the help of the Etsy platform in Australia and France. All customers are extremely satisfied with the material as well as the idea and printing. Our products are available online at www.divinebugs.com and on the platform Etsy.
What does sustainable fashion mean to you and how do you follow it in the production process?
I don't think fashion can be sustainable. The reason is that it is constantly changing. Most of us women are obsessed with shoes, but look at how they were different 10 years ago than today, when we mostly only wear sneakers. Fashion is a big industry. How should this wheel run if fashion were the same every year. Our guiding principle was that in terms of design, we wanted to make timeless products that are not fashionable, but are special and thus attract attention. Asia is the homeland of cotton and our products also come from there. The quantities we sell are such that they require an intermediary, so we buy the products in Belgium. Our supplier can boast of all the certificates that mean something in cotton production and are genuine and authentic.
DivineBugs is a truly different fashion brand. Why bugs? Aren't we women known for squealing at the sight of them?
We women have also changed in this century - we have closed ourselves between walls, in social networks, but we are still happiest when we are in nature. Bugs are a part of this primalness, where women should basically return - we offered DivineBugs for consideration. Insects don't care about us, and if we leave them alone in their environment, they will do the same to us. Our customers are those who are connected to nature and love design and of course like to be different from others. All this is carried by DivineBugs.
Can you entrust us with your role in the creation, your wishes, why we should trust smaller brands like yours and what are your short-term/long-term goals?
My role is in the original basic idea, which was mine. Now my role is very communicative and active. Some designs are my idea, others are my selection. So far, we have worked with four designers who have prepared graphic prints for us. I myself am the filter to decide what will be on the market and what will not. The choice of colors is also usually mine. Smaller brands like ours are the ones that really care about the customer. I always decide what I like and what I don't like. Above all, our clothes are made with a lot of thought and energy in them. We must not pass by the manual work of the hardworking hands of our printer. Our long-term goals are definitely greater visibility in Slovenia, although we know that some women will never buy these products, other goals are related to foreign markets.
»I have always been fascinated by fashion pieces that are clearly the fruit of creativity, while I have never been interested in fashion trends.«