I'm very thankful and honored to be featured in Gimnazija Bežigrad's magazine Vtikač. Thanks to each of you who bought and read it, thanks to lovely Urška Krasnik for translating it and massive thanks to Svit, Tim and Peter who interviewed me. :)
Scroll down to read it in English.

♛

SVIT KOMEL, TIM HORVAT, PETER KRŽAN

DON'T GO WITH THE FLOW

Intervju z dekletom iz sveta mode

Kronski dragulj te številke, intervju, ki smo se ga najbolj veselili, ki je bil tudi najdaljši, najbolj živahen in najbolj presenetljiv. Kar trije smo se ga lotili, to naj bi že nekaj povedalo. Zlezli smo v hlače modne blogerke, si nadeli ekstravaganco dijakinje četrtega letnika in brez pomisleka prek nogavic obuli sandale dekleta, ki objavlja množico vrhunskih fotografij na socialnih omrežjih, preživeli smo čas z arzenalom različnih mejkapov z dekletom, ki je mnogim mlajšim dekletom pravi idol. Da, govorimo o Neži Slak, dijakinji, ki poskuša premikati družbene okvire.

1. O kom bomo danes govorili, Neži Slak ali Agnes Krown? Zakaj alternativno ime?

V bistvu je to umetniško ime, ki ga rabim predvsem zaradi tujine. Trudim se, da bi bila ciljna publika s časom tuja, tja se imam namen tudi preseliti. Ko sem začela z blogom, niso znali ne izgovoriti ne napisati mojega imena. Zato sem se morala predstavljati drugegače, da bi se me lažje zapomnili. Agnes je moje ime, Neža, v grščini,Krown deluje kot pozitivna afirmacija.

2. Koliko časa že pišeš svoj blog? Imaš veliko obiskovalcev?

Od maja lanskega leta, torej 2013. Ja, recimo, okoli 500 na dan.

3. O čem pišeš na svojem blogu? Kaj so tvoji cilji, nameni, zanimanja?

Moj cilj je, da se povezujem s kreativnimi ljudmi. Začela sem, zato ker sem hotela spoznati ljudi iz podobnega področja – da bi lažje prišla do njih, da bi lažje kaj novega odkrila, beležila svoj napredek, prišla kasneje na tisti faks v tujini, na katerega hočem; zanj rabim portfolio.

4. Kaj točno pa je tvoje področje?

Na splošno me zanima povezovanje ljudi. Ne bi bila rada oblikovalka, temveč člen med kupci in ponudniki oziroma oblikovalci.

5.Kateri je ta faks?

Fashion management v Londonu/Amsterdamu.

6. Čutiš da imaš poslanstvo v življenju? Kakšno?

Ja, recimo. Rada bi spreminjala mnenja ljudi oziroma jim dala priložnost, da razmišljajo o nekaterih zadevah, na katere sploh niso nikoli pomislili. Da si ustvarijo svoje mnenje in ne sledijo družbi.

7. Imaš kakšen primer takega delovanja?

Recimo v povezavi z estetiko. Na primer odnos do tega, če se moški ličijo ali pa da se ženske ne brijejo.Moti me ozkoglednost.
S fotografijami oziroma s tekstom na blogu skušam pokazati, da to ni nič takega, da naj se tega ne bojijo. Še posebej zato, ker imam veliko mladih (bralcev), katerim sem kot nekakšen idol, pomembno se mi zdi dati možnost izbire.

8. Kakšni so pa odzivi na tvoje »provokacije«? Dobivaš pozitiven feedback?

Ja, večinoma. Negativen je zgolj posledica nerazumevanja, ni ničesar neprijetnega. Kdaj je kakšna kritika tudi na mestu, to pa me spodbudi k spremembi in rasti.

9. Kaj pa »hejterji«?

Ja, seveda, so. Vendar me nič ne posebno prizadane, saj nikoli ne rečejo nečesa, kar bi bilo res res. Večina reagira iz ljubosumja ali nevedenja, kar se takoj vidi. Ponavadi take komentarje zbrišem.

10. Kaj je zate lepota?

V bistvu sta dve različni vrsti lepote, nekaj je naravno, da je človek lep, ima lepe obrazne poteze itd. Lahko pa je lepota nekaj kar ustvariš preko umetniškega izražanja (make up, oblačenje), v kar ti vneseš svojo kreativnost in pogled na svet, to izražaš navzven in s tem ustvariš nek karakter, persono. To se meni zdi prava lepota.

11. Torej se ti ukvarjaš predvsem s prikazovanjem stvari v drugačni estetski luči?

Ja.

12. Bi rekla zase, da živiš zdravo?

Relativno. Sem veganka in se trudim, da čim bolj zdravo jem, vendar imam svoje razvade.

13. Koliko časa pa si že veganka?

Kmalu bo eno leto, že prej pa sem imela obdobja testiranja.

14. Kako si se odločila za to?

Kar naenkrat nisem mogla več jest mesa in takrat sem bila zelo v tej »zdravi prehrani«, še posebej zaradi modelinga, saj so mi priporočali, naj ne jem mesa in mlečnih izdelkov. Začela sem veliko brati o tej temi in sem ugotovila, da mi to najbolj ustreza. K odločitvi so doprinesli tudi etični razlogi. Skratka zato, ker se tako počutim boljši človek.

15. Kaj narediš dnevno za svoje telo poleg tega, da paziš na prehrano?

Delam jogo, peš hodim v šolo, meditiram v večerih.

16. Kakšna posebna jed, ki jo pripravljaš, imaš rada?

Najraje imam azijsko hrano, kakšen chopsui. Nekaj, kar se da pripraviti na hitro. Nisem neka posebna kuharica, čeprav se trudim, da bi bila. Včasih imam kakšno čisto noro obdobje – instagram itd. – ampak sem malo postala lena. Nisem veliko doma.

17. Si naročena na šolsko malico? Če ne, kje pa potem ješ?

Nisem, prinesem si s sabo tisto kar mi mami pripravi (smeh).

18. Kam hodiš ven?

Zadnje čase na Metelkovo. Všeč mi je, ker je sproščeno. Ni mi všeč preveč classy, vseeno mi je, če se usedem na tla.

19. Kakšno glasbo poslušaš?

Najljubši mi je grunge iz 90ih – Nirvana, Pearl Jam. Pa tudi kaj modernejšega, recimo alternativni rock ali pa indie. Tudi klasična glasba, včasih sem igrala violino. Če imam preveč misli v glavi, si med meditacijo zavrtim tudi kakšno glasbo v tem duhu.

20. Koliko časa rabiš za »look«?

Po navadi okoli 40-50 minut, vendar imam tudi dneve, ko sem zelo zaspana, na primer danes, ko se ta čas zmanjša na 15 minut. Ampak se rada, če se le da, zgodaj zbudim zgolj zaradi tega, ker mi je to zelo zabavno.Ne kako zgledam z make-upom, všeč mi je sam postopek.

21. Od kje odločitev za spremembo barve las?

Nisem se počutila v redu z naravnimi, preveč »Plain Jane«. Hotela bi še bolj sivo, vendar imam že preveč uničene lase. Intuicija, očitno. Zdaj z belimi sem bolj prepoznavna, dobila sem tudi ponudbe sodelovanja večjih tujih trgovin.

22. »Socksandsandals«. Zakaj?

Ravno zaradi tega negativnega pogleda na njih. Imaš tiste prave »fashionsinse« in tiste, ki so storjeni zanalašč z namenom, na primer drag queens in njihov pretiran make-up. Meni so sandali in nogavice kot kombinacija zelo všeč oziroma se mi zdi, da povečajo izbiro outfitov.

23. Kje dobiš svoje obleke? Imaš najljubšega designerja?

Veliko preko interneta, tudi od mojih sponzorjev. Več jih mam, McQueen, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Peter Som, Versace, Balmain, Anthony Vaccarello,...

24. Prej si omenila britje kot kontroverzno temo. Se ti osebno briješ?

Ne, pod pazduhami se ne brijem in se ne mislim, zdi se mi zdi lepo. Vendar pa to ne pomeni, da sem zanemarjena. Estetsko se mi zdi tudi pobarvati na npr. roza.

25. Torej, če povzamemo, veliko lepša je lepo obrezana živa meja kot pa gol vrt?

Ja, to je kot lepo negovana brada!

26. Kaj pa ta reklama z modrcem, »ni obvezen je pa nujen«?

(smeh) A to ste videli na Facebooku, ko sem bila malo furious? To je ena izmed tistih zadev, ki mi grejo najbolj na živce. Popolnoma seksistično in zelo zastareloprepričanje. Živimo v 21. stoletju, leta 2014 in bi moral vsak zase razmisliti v čem se dobro počuti, ne pa za vse enako. Tako kot nimamo vsi enake barve lastudi ne moremo za vse reči: »Vse ženske nosite modrce!« ali pa »Vsi fantje se bildajte in jejte proteine!«. Vsakemu svoje.

27. Bi darovala organ po smrti?

Ja, bi.

28. Še misel, sporočilo za na konec intervjuja?

Don't go with the flow!

♛

SVIT KOMEL, TIM HORVAT, PETER KRŽAN

DON'T GO WITH THE FLOW

An interview with the girl from a fashion world

The brightest jewel of the crown – the longest, most vivid and surprising interview. It took three of us to do it properly. We were talking with a fashion blogger, an extravagant high school student who's not afarid of wearing socks and sandals at the same time. With a girl whose social networks are full of stunning photos, whose make up skills are simply fascinating. It is safe to say that she is a true roll-model. Yes, we are talking about Neža Slak.

1.) Who are we going to talk about today, about Neža Slak or AgnesKrown? Why the alternative name?

It's actually an artistic name that I need especially because of the foreing countries. I'm planning on moving out of my homeland and I want not only the domestic audience, but also a foreign one. When I started writting my blog, people didn't know how to pronounce or write my name, so I had to come up with a remarkable name in order to be remembered. In greek, Neža means Agnes and Krown is just a positive affirmation.

2.) How long have you been writting your blog? How many readers or at least visitors do you have?

I have been writting my blog since May 2013. Around 500 per day.

3.)What are your goals, interests?

My goal is to get in contact with creative people. I wanted to meet new faces with the same interests, that is pretty much why I started writting my blog, writting about my progress. My biggest goal is to become a student of a foreign university – I need a portfolio to achieve this.

4.) What exactly is your »area«?

I'm interested in connecting with other people. My wish is not to be a desginer, but to be that person between customers and designers.

5.) Which facutly is in your plans?

Fashion managment in London.

6.) Do you feel like you have a special mission in your life?

We could say so, yes. I would like to be able to affect people's opinion, to make them think of certain things they have never thought of before. I would like them to have their own opinion, instead of being just another sheep.

7.) How are you currently trying to affect people's lives, opinions?

I express myself mostly through aestheticism. For example, I'm freely expressing my attitude towards men who do make up and women who don't shave. What bothers me are narrow-minded people. I want to show my audience, especially the youngest ones, that doing your make up, not shaving, not wearing a bra is nothing unusual. Don't be afraid of who you are or who you want to be. I believe I am a roll-model, and I want people to know that they always have a choice.

8.) You like to provoke. How do people react, is the feedback always positive?

Most of the time, yes. A negative feedback is just a result of unawareness. I always accept valid criticism, which only encourages me to develop and grow even more.

9.) What about haters?

Their comments doesn't hurt my feelings, because they are mostly written by people who are jealous or unaware. I usually delete that kind of comments.

10.) Describe your idea of beauty.

There are certainly two types of beauty. We all know the natural beauty – when someone's facial proportions are just breathtaking. But you can also create beauty with your make up, clothes, your own style or basically anything that you put creativity and effort into. What is more, how you see the world may help you with becoming a character, a persona. To me, this is the true beauty.

11.) So, you want people to think more about aestheticism?

Yes.

12. Do you live healthy?

Relatively. I am vegan. I am trying to eat healthy, but I have my bad habits when it comes to food.

13. How long have you been a vegan?

For a year now.

14. What made you change your mind?

All of a sudden I didn't want to eat meat anymore. I was all into healthy food because of the modeling. Their advice was not to eat meat and dairy products. I started reading about veganism and I found out that I like the idea of this whole thing. I feel like a better person now.

15.) What else are you doing for your body?

I do yoga, I meditate and I also go to school by foot.

16.) Is there any specific food that you really like?

My all time favorite food is asian. Chopsui, for example, basically anything that doesn't require much time. I am not a top chef, but I am trying my best. I have become lazy and I am barely at home.

17.) Do you eat your school's meals?

No, my mom usually prepares me a meal, so I always bring my own. (laughter)

18.) Do you go out?

Yes, I like Metelkova, it is a very relaxing place – I don't mind sitting on the floor. I don't like classy places.

19.) What music do you listen to?

I love 90's grunge – Nirvana, Pearl Jam and also alternative rock or indie. I used to play violin, so I'm certainly no stranger to classical music. I like listening to it, especially during my meditation.

20.) How much time do you spend on your makeup/look?

Usually, around 40-50 minutes. But there are days like this when I'm sleepy and forced to do my make up in 15 minutes. It's no problem waking up early, I like the whole process of applying my make up.

21.) Why the drastic change of the hair color?

I wasn't very comfortable with my natural color, it was very »Plain Jane«. I would like my hair to be even more grey, but they are already too damaged. However, people recognize my white hair in a second and I've also got offers to collaborate with foreign companies.

22. »Socks and sandals«. Why?

People are so resentful. Fashion is full of »fashion sins« that are made intentionally, for example, drag queens and their excessive make up. I like the combination of socks and sandals, period.

23.) Where do you get your clothes? Who is your favorite desginer?

Mostly via internet and also from my sponsors. I would say McQueen, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang, Peter Som, Versace, Balmain, Anthony Vaccarello, …

24.) Shaving is apparently a controversial issue. Do you shave?

My armpits are hairy and they will stay hairy. I find that beautiful and it doesn't mean that I'm neglected or whatever. I'm also planning on dyeing my armpits baby pink.

25.) So, there's nothing wrong with having hairy armpits and taking care of them?

Exactly, just like there's nothing wrong with having a beard and taking care of it.

26.) What about the »bra commercial: it's necessary!«

(Laughter) Have you seen my furious facebook status? That's exactly what bother's me the most. It's so sexist. We live in 21th century, it's 2014. Do you see us all having the same hair color? No, and we don't have the right to say: »All women should wear a bra!«, or »Men should go to fitness and eat proteins!« To each his own.

27.) Would you donate your organs after death?

Yes.

28. That's it. Do you have some kind of a messages?

Don't go with the flow!