Magdalena Klasnja is a costume and fashion designer.
Born in Belgrade, Serbia. After earning a bachelor’s degree in design of leather goods in 2004, the same year she enrolled in the School of Applied Arts at Belgrade University and graduated in 2009 with a master’s degree in costume design for stage and television.
She has been working in film, theater, TV, and fashion. Her work has been part of many international solo and group exhibitions, fashion shows, and workshops, showcasing her drawings, concepts, costume designs, installations, and fashion performances. She has collaborated with various international artists, and one of the results is a published book.
While she lived in NYC, she worked for fashion brands such as Eugenia Kim, Daryl K, DVF, and others. She also worked on Robert Wilson’s NY productions “Einstein on the Beach” and “Zinnias” operas, as well as several short and feature films.
Since 2013, she has launched the women’s shoe lines Magdalena Klašnja and Magdalena K. She currently lives in Belgrade and Paris, where she works on her label as well as in TV and theater productions.
Her work was awarded Best Costume Design in 2016 at Zvezdarište and in 2018 at Mali Joakim.
Personal statement
I always felt like there was no other direction for me, no other job – than being a designer. The everlasting urge to draw, design and create anything that people can wear, from hat to shoes, acted as my main creative drive. Pursuing that path since childhood, I continued devoting my work to “things that make me tick”, intending to have fun and enjoy every second of it as I embrace the gift of creativity.
The label came out of a desire to wear unique garments. During my design studies and several years that followed, I was mainly producing my own clothes. This skill was already well under way, as I started sewing at age eleven. I loved experimenting with borders between fashion and installation, defying conventional conceptions of performance and a theatrical show.
After years of playing with forms and structural concepts, I decided to focus more on fashion. I moved to New York and after several years of working for various fashion brands, the old craving for unique clothing design made me take a leap of faith and start my own shoe business. I created a capsule collection of shoes, putting out an initial offer of fun and craft, produced in high quality. But more than anything, I wanted to enjoy the production process and start something of my own. At the time, everyone in New York was wearing black and – I love color! I wanted to challenge the bland uniformity with a new niche, to play with shapes and experiment with colours. And here we are – seven years down the line, I am still having fun and enjoying the ride!
It is hard for me to treat each collection separately. I see it more like a wardrobe, a shoe closet. And with each new season I add what I think is missing. My approach hasn’t changed since the first collection. I prefer treating coloursand patterns equally, like basic elements, which, when combined, create a vibrant and liberating feeling.
A perfect term just came to my mind while searching for the right wording. I glanced at the designs around my workshop and thought – this is it. The craftsmanship, the creative direction and utmost attention to details, the brand statement – all summed up in the single description as an ever-evolving inspiration – The Disco Dynasty.