The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

bitefashion Foam of the Days, founded by Kristina after graduating from the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in 2019, takes its inspiration and identity from her love of Boris Vian’s novel, L’Écume des Jours which translates into the namesake brand. The story is reimagined in kitschy, romantic and surreal aesthetics with a sustainable consciousness. She chose denim as her mainstay, wanting to push the boundaries of genderless clothing and fuse modern and timeless aesthetics that complement size and gender. Through this conscious yet fashion-forward brand, Kristina channels her talents in re-energising vintage pieces to make unique one-off pieces that create a retro gem; the lovechild between rhinestones and vintage. Her 2021 collection con- sisted of upcycled items from her mother’s and grandmoth- er’s wardrobes as a tribute, while her latest 2022 collection sees the designer upcycling more pieces found in her moth- er’s things especially towels given as a wedding gift honouring a Serbian tradition. Fashion is vital to Kristina, especially when it’s sustainable. As a designer, she can fully express herself and overlook the design and production processes such as sustainability and quality. She revealed emotions matter to her the most and she feels them when she designs something. “Creating fashion makes me feel alive and purposeful. Fashion is my way of ex- pressing, communicating and living.” Her first design was a dress for a local singer when she was in high school. While the consensus says, ‘less is more’, Kristina’s design sig- nature is ‘more is more!’ “I love colours, patterns, embellish- ments and everything! It has to be bling!” She revealed she no longer sketches, but prefers spontaneous creation. “For me, it’s like playing; I [like] having a lot of fun.” It can take a cou- ple of days to a couple of months to construct a piece. “Almost everything is handmade, so it takes some time to finalise it. Some pieces have a hundred metres of crystals sewn by hand on them.” She further explained that vintage pieces require repairs be- fore the upcycling process starts as they are pretty old. “Sav- ing a vintage piece brings me a lot of joy because it would be a pity if no one wore it anymore because it’s damaged,” she added. “I feel a special bond with vintage clothing that has lived numerous lives, and I am happy because I get a chance to give it one more life.” This allows her to continuously grow as a designer and brand and enjoy her work. Kristina says she grew up looking up to the now-creative di- rector of Paris-based fashion house Maison Margiela, John Galliano, when he was designing “fantastic, dreamy clothes for Dior” and would love to dress singer Rihanna. Her big- gest accomplishment is seeing her designs live: “It’s seen. It’s worn. It’s loved.” She believes love, care and attention to detail make quality clothing and would encourage aspiring fashion designers to “be yourself and enjoy it!” Whilst she loves all colour combinations, shades and con- trasts, the one colour she would choose, if asked, would be pink in any shade. “If my soul had a colour, it would be cotton candy pink.” Vintage fabrics, especially denim, would be her favourite materials to work with because “it becomes more special over the years due to the marks of time and wear.” Each of these brings her different emotions, and when com- bined with another or embellished, it evokes even stronger emotions in her.