ZVONKO MARKOVIC (Special Encore Presentation)

ZVONKO MARKOVIC: The Burden of Success

December 14, 2015

By Marcellous L. Jones

Novi Sad, Serbia – After debuting his first couture collection in Paris, Serbian couturier Zvonko Markovic made the return home and back to the Serbia Fashion Week. Held in the country’s second largest city of Novi Sad, this is the place where it all began more than one and a half years ago.

In April 2014, Zvonko Markovic made his debut at the Serbia Fashion Week. For years he had been a well established name in the country and ranked among the country’s most famous fashion designers. However, it was at this newly organized fashion week where the designer came to the attention of some of the elites of the French fashion industry. Immediately recognizing his talent, they encouraged him to make the leap to Paris couture. On July 9, 2015, he did. He dazzled and wowed Paris with his skill and technical savoir-faire. And now he returns home to present what could be for the last time in a while in his native country.

The main hall where the show took place was full to capacity. One could literally feel the electricity in the air building as the anticipation grew with each second the show ran behind schedule. All of Serbia was curious to finally have the chance to see the collection that put Zvonko Markovic in the world of couture. Once the house lights went down, the audience knew that their wait had been worth it.

The collection is titled “NIGHT MOTH”. Markovic uses noble materials to trace the life of a caterpillar’s journey into becoming a moth. To illustrate this adventure, he has chosen hand-ripped silks, lace, tulle, silk georgette, anaconda skins, silk jersey, leather and satin. And they are depicted in a rich color palette of hazelnut, black, caramel and gold.

The couturier has created breath-taking silhouettes of an enormous sophistication. The gowns are long and either flow with the movement generated by a model set in motion; or they are form-fitting and reveal the leg through well placed splits. The woman’s waist is pulled in and highlighted with wide belts in anaconda skins. We find intricate embroideries and fixtures in the collection. One dress has thousands of hand-made, double face “scales” made from silk. Each has been sewn by hand onto the long gown in black that is finished with a gold leather armor covering the bodice! An other full sleeveless gown is in all caramel anaconda skin.

The world of couture is also about the highest levels of unparalleled technique. And the couture clients in Paris are extreme snobs when it come to it. Markovic is a skilled technician as evidenced in each of his pieces!

This writer is not sure that Zvonko Markovic actually has many friends among his Serbian peers. Let’s be honest. He most likely does not.

His success and talent has brought to him additional pressures from others which is most likely deeply and simply rooted in hateful jealousy. Instead of being happy for him, some want to punish him. Instead of making unpleasant remarks, most of them could benefit by going to his show in Serbia and witnessing with their own his technical superiority. Then they would understand why the right people fought so hard for him to have his chance to show during the couture in Paris. However, this level of insidious punishment is the burden that all must face as they make their way to being considered as one of the best in their field.

Will Zvonko Markovic show again soon in Serbia as he now must focus on international development by show in France? At the moment no one can really answer that question. But either way the writer knows that the more success that Zvonko Markovic creates for himself in France, the less popular he will become among his peers back at home.

Luckily for the couturier Serbian fashion students look up to him as a pioneering hero whose success they hope to one day mimic. And the Serbian people will always cherish him for being the courageous young man who is helped Europe and the world to see the modern face of all Serbians.