When striding through campus, Gordana Rasic is a person who immediately catches your eye. Walking with fierce confidence, she holds herself high as well as with mystery and poise. I sat down with Rasic at a local Espresso Royal to chat for an hour in the sunlight. Leaning back in the metal chair, wearing her leather pants and black fedora, Rasic seemed relaxed and content. I was intrigued by her secrecy, a puzzle that needed to be cracked. As her John Lennon inspired sunnies balanced off her nose, we discussed her life, fashion designing and her future plans in the fashion industry.
Name: Gordana Rasic
Label: GOCA Designs
Dirty Little Fashion: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Gordana Rasic: I am normally very quiet and shy. I tend to let fashion and art speak for me. I am very multi-faceted. I am always transforming my appearance because I get easily bored. I am always looking for something new to catch my eye and a new character to embody. I would say I am quite the observer and I would consider myself an artist, not a business woman or student. I like to put some kind of light on obscurity and present it in a main focus.
DLF: What trends are you excited to wear this fall?
GR: I am excited to wear fur. Fur is fantastic. I love the new winter jackets, coats, shoes and boots. Color blocking is another trend that I would love to follow. Balenciaga uses color blocking and it’s brilliant.
DLF: Who is your favorite designer?
GR: Jeremy Scott. He has the capabilities of creating fashion designs without compromising his artistic abilities. He can transform any fashion. His recent fashion line was inspired by a New York City night owl. He incorporated the plastic grocery bags with ‘THANK YOU’ repeating in red print and revamped the wording and constructed an amazing crop top.
DLF: How did you get started in the fashion industry?
GR: Prior to design, I was very involved creatively. I painted, did modern dance, acting and singing, but something was missing. I became really irritated with fashion from retail stores. I felt as though they didn’t embody me or what I stood for. I began to create my own clothes to manifest my internal self to the external. In November 2010, my friend conducted a fashion show and asked me to participate and be considered as a student designer. During this process, I began to see cohesiveness in my designs. My inspirations suddenly became a message. I was able to bring my inspirations into reality and showcase it. It became beautiful.
DLF: What fashion blogs, websites or magazines do you grab inspiration from?
GR: I love The Satorialist, The Blond Salad (she combines high fashion with more wearable, affordable items), Italian Vogue, Elle, V Magazine, American Vogue and I.D. One of my favorite subscriptions is a biannual editorial that showcases lots of small details in fashion design called Jimon.
DLF: What are the highs and lows of fashion design?
GR: The highs of designing would be being able to create your own world. Photoshoots and runways create something from the mind and enhance it into reality. It is an incredible adrenaline rush. One of the lows of fashion design would be acknowledging the fact that the fashion world is a huge business world. Although you want the focus to be on the art, you have to respect the business aspect. You need to obtain a fan base, you need to have clients. It is hard to find the medium between art and business. It is hard to choose between artistic expression and selling.
DLF: What is your proudest accomplishment?
GR: Having made pieces and clients that feel absolutely beautiful in them. I have had clients tell me they have found a new confidence they haven’t been able to find before after wearing one of my pieces. This is the ultimate accomplishment.
DLF: Where would you like to be in five years?
GR: Have my own design house or own a boutique on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. I don’t want it to solely house GOCA designs. I want it to be a house for different artists and a place for self expression at an affordable price. As much as I would love to see my items on the red carpet, keeping my artistic integrity is more important.
DLF: What would you say is your main expertise?
GR: I love to create crop tops. They showcase all the beautiful parts of a woman without the air of desperation.
DLF: Would you want to design for a design house or for your own line? Who would be your dream collaboration?
GR: I would rather design for my own line. If I have no artistic say, I don’t think I would want to be a part of it. A dream collaboration would be with Alexander McQueen. While Sarah Burton does an amazing job running the late designers new line, in McQueen's last collection you could actually see his mind unraveling. You saw a man coming apart and it was beautiful.
DLF: When designing, do you look for inspiration from past decades or do you try to create new designs and silhouettes?
GR: I try to do new designs and create something different. In the design process, I like to keep myself out of the fashion realm. I like to isolate myself. I put on intense music and talk myself through it. I like to envision who I see and what I see being worn.
DLF: Tell us about your latest line and where we can find it?
GR: We are currently in the process of opening an online store, hopefully mid-November. You can find GOCA designs on fan page via facebook, our twitter account and our official site. Anatomy of the Human Soul is my latest line. It redefines the term ‘vital organ’. An organ, important to physical needs, isn't limited just to the physical. There are social and emotional facts that connects to each of our vital organs as well. You need a heart to beat, but you also need a heart to love. You need eyes for sight, but you also need eyes to see the beauty in the world. This collection is also more cohesive and we explored more with hair and makeup.
DLF: I understand you have been nominated for by RAWArtists as Designer of the Year, where can we vote to support you?
GR: RAWartist.org - click HERE to register. Click HERE to watch her RAWartist interview.
DLF: If there was only one material left on the planet, what would you want it to be and what would you make out of it?
GR: I would take white latex and create an out of this world wedding dress. The way the light would shine on it; there are so many ways to play with that.
DLF: Besides your own designs, what is one of your favorite pieces from any designer that has specifically stuck in your mind?
GR: One piece from Jeremy Scott. A long evening gown made of red velour. It was a long evening gown without sleeves and a large V-neck opening. The waist was surrounded with a golden rope with tassle. The best thing is the model had a curtain rod on her shoulder, which you don’t realize at first. He took the idea of a shower curtain, but didn’t rid the rod from it. Very playful.
DLF: Describe your design approach in three words?
GR: seclusion, loss of reality, transformation.
Rasic is an amazing designer and clearly a powerhouse in this industry. It is plain to see that she is going to make it really far and I can’t wait to see where she goes next.
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF RASIC'S DESIGNS FROM GOCA:
[ANATOMY OF THE HUMAN SOUL IN 'DUALITY' EDITORIAL - PHOTOGRAPHED BY KIRSTEN MICCOLI]
1. Check out GOCA designs at the official website HERE.
2. Click HERE to vote for GOCA on RAWartists.org
3. Check out GOCA fan page via facebook HERE.
4. Follow GOCA on twitter HERE.
