Every piece has it's own story, and every story has its particular emotional feel which he then transcends into design. Peter Movrin, one of today's most promising young designers, has his own signature look already, whether he is designing t-shirts or some of the outrageously beautiful pieces recently worn by Lady Gaga. Everything about him has some sort of depth: talking to him and looking at his pieces, you realize there's a lot more than what you perceive at first glance. Chosen by Li Edelkoort to exhibit in MoBa 2013 Fashion Biennial, Peter has also won numerous prizes in Slovenia and abroad. He definitely knows what he's doing.
Journalists in Slovenia tend to call you avantgarde. I believe you are not very pleased with that...
I don't like it when people label you, or invent some sort of story and 'urban' legends not telling the truth. So yes,you are right, facts like that bother me. But on the other hand, I just might be avantgarde, what do I know in the end...
In the last two months we've seen Lady Gaga on various occasions wearing Peter Movrin. How did this story between you two start and what has changed since then?
Haha, everything has changed! If I said I was busy before,I don't even know what this now is. I received an enormous amount of e-mails and Facebook requests, Gaga's fanbase is really strong. I've got plenty of new projects opening for me at the moment.
As for how it started, they contacted me a month before everything happened, to see whether I would be up for this challenge, and as you will probably guess I said yes. And that was it. First notice came quite early, then sending the clothes was super fast; as soon as they needed them I had to send them right away. So if I sent the clothes on Friday, on Monday they where already in New York somewhere around Gaga.
As for how it started, they contacted me a month before everything happened, to see whether I would be up for this challenge, and as you will probably guess I said yes. And that was it. First notice came quite early, then sending the clothes was super fast; as soon as they needed them I had to send them right away. So if I sent the clothes on Friday, on Monday they where already in New York somewhere around Gaga.
Its not uncommon to hear that you and Gaga are a perfect fit. But besides her, who would you most love to dress?
James Goldstein. I love this whole vibe around him, we are not sure who he really is, and what his role in this crazy world is. He's mysterious, and I love how he doesn't follow any trend. He is trend.
When refering to you they often apply the words “one of the most promising young designers”. How do you feel about that? Does this add more pressure to everything you do, people expecting bigger things from you?
People always tend to expect something out of others, which is nonsense, because with all the expecting, the surprise factor is gone. And if things are not how they expected them to be, then they create a fuss about it. I don't know, I try not to bother about it and ignore it, but the market is small and in the end you hear it all, even the things you don't want to.
Which phase of the designing process do you enjoy the most?
The whole of it, from beginning to end! It's just pure beauty to start a new story, a new design. I love researching and I love putting all I have into pieces, even if it takes months to actually finish it. But do you know what I don't like? How fast it goes when you show your pieces, lets say on the runway; it's gone in a matter of seconds, after a month's or maybe even years, of work you've put into. It's funny... when the show ends I am always left standing there thinking: “So that was it? so this few moments were it?”. But it's all good fun, don't get me wrong.
So, what are the things that aesthetically appeal to you the most?
Meat, God and my childhood.
It's been all about meat tradition and butchering lately. You come from a family with an important butchering legacy, how has that affected your work, and where is it shown the most?
My main inspiration has always been my childhood, a time when tradition, God and meat were the subject of my everyday life. As an only son of a butcher in a small Slovenian town and growing up in a place where I was surrounded by woods and bears,I have been marked with a roughness that transcends in my designs, aaspect I tend to mix with a special kind of romanticism. In this hard provincial life meat became my medium of expression; as a child I would carve steaks in a way that would appeal to my eye. But what also stirred my imagination were those fresh issues of Vogue magazines brought from trips to Trieste.
You have received job offers in other countries in several occasions, but at this moment you are still in Slovenia, why so?
Slovenia to me has no boundaries. In just one week I was in Vienna, then back to Ljubljana, then on my way to Kočevje (my hometown) I got a call in the middle of the road, turned back, packed my bags and flew to London for a day, got back to Kočevje, and a few hours later, I was already sleeping in my bed in Ljubljana. I was never a person who puts boundaries around himself, just because I live here and not somewhere else doesn't mean anything. If you are open and you don't have excuses inside your head, you can do whatever you wan. You have to be prepared to sacrifice some things.
But yeah, I can't do all this traveling for ever..., so I am moving abroad this year. For brief moment I thought I knew where I was heading, but now I haven't a clue. There are offers, I'm talking to people, we will see. I just hope for the best.
But yeah, I can't do all this traveling for ever..., so I am moving abroad this year. For brief moment I thought I knew where I was heading, but now I haven't a clue. There are offers, I'm talking to people, we will see. I just hope for the best.
You've previously mentioned you would absolutely love working for a fashion house like Versace or Cavalli, which on the first note and looking at your previous work do not seem like the obvious choices. Do you think designing for a brand like that would be more challenging, more fun?
First, as you said, it's not the obvious choice, then, as I mentioned before, I don't want any boundaries around my work. Of course it's a bigger challenge for someone who's natural design. I love adjusting to different markets and scenes, and see what this intertwining worlds can bring. Besides,I love houses with tradition and both Versace and Cavalli have a strong one. But in the end, it's always about having fun and doing what you love and I am convinced I would have a lot of fun in both of them.
Are you very thoughtful about decisions you make, or are you more into impulse decisions?
I think I am always the same, when I working or when I'm not. I am always testing different aspects, putting myself into different positions and trying new things. I like to research things to their maximum, go deep into the stories, and after all that done, I try to react.
To close, what does the future hold for you?
New projects, which have come as such a surprise, even for me. It still feels like I'm dreaming. I also want to be able to read a book and relax for a moment. And I still need to have my New Year's party! I didn't have iton it's actual date, because with all what's going on right now, I had to postpone the date a bit. Let's say I customized New Years, haha.
