The Bite Magazine - issue 16

Dawn Hunt discovers how Lithuanian designer Indra Kaffemanaite took the classic white button-down shirt and made it into something really special. bite fashion BALOSSA and of course, trend! Kaffemanaite has taken the simple design and pattern of a classic white shirt and embellished it, adding details, flirting with changing form and exaggerating various areas of volume, shifting lofty thoughts into actual shapes resulting in the ultimate new cloth. This final product is consequently something altogether new, a new and contemporary white shirt that fits modern women in a completely new way. “Give them new expression and allow them to exper- iment with the classics. Many great designers have reinvented the white shirt and we are following in our own fashion. Strongly believing that a timeless piece can never be boring. Simply gorgeous in all shapes and forms.” Born and bred in Lithuania during the years of Soviet Union, Kaffemanaite was able to use the reign of communism to spark and inspire her desire to become a fashion designer. The lack of diversity, let alone scarcity of clothing available, spurred this talented woman, who at 17 already knew she wanted to become a dressmaker. She would wait anxiously for her father to bring her the next ‘Burda’ magazine from his travels in Western Germany so she could study the clothes, copying their trending patterns and making them into her own fashion pieces. Her natural talent was further enhanced and developed by this, and she soon began making clothes for Russian clients. By the time she turned twenty, Kaffemanaite was already turning a profit. Soon after, she realised she wanted to pursue this as a true career, one in which would allow her a different kind of life outside of the Soviet Union. Seeking out a new beginning, she moved to Italy and after travelling for a few years and taking on various ventures, she enrolled at Carlo Secoli in Milan in 2005, one of the world’s leading fashion schools for pattern making. After her time here, she gained experience working for big fashion names like Iceberg, Maurizio Peccoraro, Giambattista Valli and many others. This invaluable experience was just the icing on the cake for this naturally talented designer and exactly what she needed to prompt her into launching her own line, Balossa, in 2014. Two years later, Balossa is still growing and ever evolving as a go-to brand for the unexpected high-end luxury white shirt company. Each shirt exhibits Kaffe- manaite’s brilliant talent at manipulating fine Italian cotton fabric like origami paper. The way she has been able to fold and pleat the material is incredibly beautiful and results in pieces that look more like fine wearable 3D sculptures. But while these shirts are in the level of genuine pieces of couture, this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t look just as amazing paired with an elaborate satin ball gown skirt as they would with a pair of vintage Levi’s. As such, her third collection has launched with the presentation of her FW16-17 line-up, which contains over 12 various takes on the classic Blanc top. When I saw look number eight on her website’s look book for this collection, my jaw dropped! Not only is this col- lection strong, feisty and full of moxie, it’s also effortlessly elegant. Any woman, no matter her shape will look amazing in any of these stellar pieces. Again, look number eight alone is such an undenia- bly sexy, edgy backless little number that it will have no choice but to be mine, oh yes, it will be mine! Be sure to check out her website for store locations and online e-shop to score one of your own! Overall, there are certain pieces of cloth- ing that each and every wardrobe must contain in order to call itself complete, and one of those key pieces has to be the classic, white button-down shirt. But whether or not you consider yourself to be a staunch traditionalist or a brazen fashion daredevil, don’t be afraid to shake things up with one of fashion’s constants by adding a little pomp and circumstance to this style heavy-hitter. www.balossashirt.com A REINVENTED CLASSIC SHIRT