That’s exactly what the newest post-apocalyptic fashion collection “Radioactive” is inspired by – the end of the world, externally and within oneself. Part of it is inspired by the actual world as a toxic and radioactive place, while the other is about the collapse of oneself, getting lost in their feelings. Radioactive is an example of how dark and stormy places can give birth to the most unique artistic creations.
The name and hence the theme of the collection is inspired by her home town Skopje.
“Unfortunately, the title of the collection comes from Skopje which is shown to be the most toxic city in the world” Katarina reports to Stylist.mk. “In winter I feel as if I am in an apocalyptic movie.”
This radioactive air leaves people breathless and lost in the fog, channeling them to see themselves and their truths. The inability to swim through this stage at the end turns out to be the total collapse of the world where people slowly find their way out of the toxic Earth. People are living the post-apocalypse, which looks good on them. Even though they are covered in darkness, they are bold and try to drift away – as emphasized by the unusual silver details.
The other present theme in the collection is inspired by Katarina’s love for electronic music.
“I’ve been a lover of EDM for as long as I can remember. It is music that makes me feel some type of way that I can’t put into words. It makes me forget about myself or the surrounding. It makes me lose myself into the feelings” says Katarina.
For this particular post-apocalyptic fashion collection, she was really inspired by this summer’s concert of the band she is a fan of – Kraftwerk. Same as Katarina, people who dress in KALI ROSE are also electronic music lovers, as a lot of her fashion pieces are seen being worn on festivals such as the Burning Man. Apart from that, her collection also came to life on the big screen when she was approached to style the dancers in the newest Steve Aoki video for Rave.
Finally, the most present theme in Radioactive, as well as in all other collections, is the post-apocalyptic style. It is that dark, gloomy, moody, nostalgic and extremely expressive. It is a fashion style that not everyone can pull off. The post-apocalyptic style is for the rule-breakers that do not want to live under social stigmas. KALI ROSE is for all those who dare to be different as “why fit in when you can stand out”. The main color present is black as it is the color that best represents Katarina and the one she associates with and is the most comfortable with.
However, in Radioactive she introduces a new edge to her fashion designs with the introduction of the silver color which emphasizes the boldness of her designs. It gives its customers an instant feeling of being a badass. An instant breath of self-confidence, self-awareness, self-acceptance, and self-ownership. In order to wear KALI ROSE you need to own who you are and celebrate the fact that you are different, free from all norms and rules. The leather in her designs is present here as well, thus giving more structure and edge to all of the designs.
All these three themes are vividly shown in the newest video made for Radioactive. Its setting, tone, and mood are all in line with the notion of the world collapsing due to radiation, while people are being left confused, wondering what’s next, trying to find a place in the dysfunctional world, holding and letting go of each other. The video is made in her home country, Macedonia, a place named Stone Dolls or Kuklica which she says is one of the most mysterious places in the world for her.
Last but not least, you can take a look at all of her designs of the post-apocalyptic fashion collection here.
“I put so many emotions and hard work in this collection. I lost and found myself multiple times while designing it. I hope you do too”. – Katarina
Credits: Video by Zoran Zonde Stojanovski, nominated Canadian-Macedonian producer
Photography by Dejan Boskovski Photography
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