Another week of coronavirus lockdown… and I am reminiscing about public art interventions I’ve witnessed in recent years. From Spencer Tunick’s nudist sightseeing in Valencia we travel to Bulgaria! In May 2018, I was walking around Sofia and came across this scene. Fashion is where you find it! I spent a good half hour looking at the beautiful images and watching the passerby’s reactions as well. Was this a magazine promo? A branded advertising experiment? A glamorous “most wanted” PSA?

Turns out, it was the graduation showcase for the fashion styling program at the New Bulgarian University! I had not seen many examples of such direct engagement between fashion institutions & general public. As the fashion industry & academia-at-large struggle to envision a post-covid future, this strikes me as a novel (if old-school) approach to making style/education accessible to the people. Provided that we return to share public spaces soon. [!pretty-please!] Check out the images below and click on through to discover some exciting names on the Bulgarian fashion scene. I’ve linked all available Instagram accounts for the featured stylists and photographers:

1) “Gods of Athleisure” styled by Maya Hinkova and shot by Tihomir Rachev

2) “Suka” styled by Martina Manolcheva and shot by Emil Yordanov.

3) “Supermodels Galore” styled by Silviya Papazova and shot by Georgi Andinov.

4) “Eastern Promises” styled by Andrea Stefanova and shot by Tihomir Rachev.

5) “Black Skinhead” styled by Diyana Vasileva and shot by Vasil Germanov reminds me (now) of the film Farming starring the powerful and gorgeous Damson Idris.

6) “New Creeps on the Block” styled by Antonia Sandova and shot by Diliana Florentin.

Photographer Diliana Florentin also shot “Dance” styled by Miglena Petkova and “Cirque du Noir” styled by Aidzhan Deliahmedova as well as “Guard the Trenches” styled by Andrea Stefanova and Katya Gencheva who has also styled the “Wabi-Sabi” editorial.

7) “Scheme” styled by Maya Karanesheva and shot by Alexander Osenski.

I look forward to exploring Sofia again/more and, perhaps, collaborating with the New Bulgarian University on some adventures in fashion studies & public space artivism! 

I leave y’all sitting (un)comfortably at home with more Diliana… Благодаря ви!