★ELFS★ - ELFS celebrates its 20th anniversary with a big fashion show

They met at university 20 years ago, started a fashion brand as part of a student internship, and today they are one of the most successful and long-standing fashion brands that Croatian women adore. The fashion duo ELFS is celebrating a big anniversary this year, and we finally reveal the date of the fashion show that will crown the first 20 years of a successful fashion story. On Monday 15 April, at Pavilion 1 Family Mall, ELFS will hold a celebratory fashion show and present the new Spring/Summer 2024 collection.

Known for their fashion show spectacles, the designer duo Aleksandar Šekuljica and Ivan Tandarić, from season to season, raised expectations, delighted with ironic and witty presentation and collections that perfectly met the needs of the audience eager for statement fashion. They were the first on the Croatian fashion scene to define their expression as camp, they often provoked the mainstream audience with their messages and used fashion campaigns to make it known that fashion is primarily good fun that does not exclude an ironic review of current social circumstances.

They held their first fashion show as students in 2004, and their guest was one of the icons of the pop scene of the former country, Bebi Dol, who was visiting Croatia for the first time after the war. Even then, they hinted that we will always have a good time with ELFS. With the collections that bore the names Jungle Trash and Expedition Schladming, in 2006, they imposed themselves as a true refreshment on the fashion scene with their colorful youth creations. It was precisely because of these fashion shows, which were bursting with energy and fun, and the models came out on the runway with standing ovations, that they earned the epithet “kings of entertainment”.

Very quickly, ELFS became a brand, whose creations are worn by the most famous Croatian women, from Severina, Jelena Rozga, Maja Šuput, to the former president of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović. Today, there is no famous person in Croatia with whom they have not collaborated, and some of the most daring fashion campaigns have come out of the ELFS design studio. “From day one, our desire is to show that fashion does not have to be strict, nor is fashion just about clothes. Fashion is identity and culture, and fun is in the DNA of our brand. We have never dealt with the reactions of others because our vision is to offer our clients what they lack in terms of fashion. It used to be extremely statement fashion, while today it is a little less engaged, but it is always a game in that vision. Fashion is here to play with, and with each collection we want to empower both women and men to be authentic. We have tried to keep this for all these 20 years”, say the designers of the brand Aleksandar Šekuljica and Ivan Tandarić.

Back in 2007, they presented the Beauty Pageant collection, inspired by beauty contests, and the fashion show was worn by grandmother Slavica, known to a wider audience at that time for her role in the Robert Knjaz series. Only a year later, their show Grand Show was declared scandalous in some media. At a time when even popular football players were condemned in public for their musical taste, the fashion duo ELFS did not shy away from fun and irony, and they took camp aesthetics to a new level. As the brand developed and grew, so did the need for a responsible approach to fashion, so in 2021, after the lockdown, they held the Slow down, go green fashion show at the Žitnjak recycling yard.

In the past 20 years of working together, they have told unforgettable fashion stories, and the ELFS girl has matured into a conscious woman who shows her identity through fashion and above all appreciates the top quality and aesthetics of the brand. Although the majority of the collections are female, ELFS does not neglect the male part of the audience either, because every season they also present a part of the men’s collection. Their range is comprehensive and in addition to clothing collections, ELFS today has a collection of jewelry, bags, shoes, sneakers, pieces for home decoration and even ELFS clothing for the youngest.

And while the audience is waiting for what the favorite fashion duo has prepared for the big fashion anniversary, the ELFS studio is working tirelessly on a collection that will definitely leave a message again. “Our desire is to dedicate this fashion show and celebration to all our clients, partners and friends who live the ELFS style together with us,” Tandarić and Šekuljica point out.

Sponsors of the ELFS celebratory fashion show are Mercedes Benz, Auto Gašparić, who bring a real make-up artist among cars to the runway. There are also De’Longhi that make it easy to prepare your favorite coffee at home. Violeta, whose softeners are recommended by the ELFS duo. Vegeta from Podravka with a special fashion accessory. Nutribullet will take care of healthy meals and their preparation at home. Loyal partners are fresh aromatic Italian prosecco Bottega, Jana water, Thomas Henry tonic, Freixenet which brings an extra dose of glamor with its sparkling wines, and Akta, one of the leading Croatian companies specializing exclusively in the production of bags. Profokus, Cotril and Salon Premium will take care of the make-up and hairstyle of the models.