Talking Vintage with Barbara Por Hrovat

The vintage and 2nd hand designer clothing scene is becoming more and more popular. Both women’s and men’s appetites around the world for unique quality vintage pieces are growing. So what is the scene like in this part of the world? Croatia Week spoke to Barbara Por Hrovat from Divas to find out….

Barbara, who was born in Slovenia but grew up in Canada, moved into the fashion industry after an extensive career in real estate. Upon returning to Slovenia in the early 1990’s and continuing her real estate career, Barbara decided to take the plunge and turn her hobby of fashion into a business. Today Barbara operates a store in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana and a show room in Zagreb which specialise in selling vintage and 2nd hand designer clothing.

What is the scene like in this part of the world?

In Canada the scene has been popular for a while. It is growing here. People in this region, especially the girls, are very fashion conscious. A lot of our customers are knowledgeable about vintage and our store has been well received.

What kind of items do you stock and what the popular sellers?

The shop is full of different vintage. You can find some unique pieces from the 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 60’s and 70’s and a lot of 2nd hand great designer stuff like Ferre, Gucci, Claude Montana, and Dior. Accessories have proven to be very popular, as too are fur items, even amongst those who ‘anti-fur’, purely because of the way that fur garments were made in those days compared with today.

What do you think makes vintage clothing popular?

So many stores today are full of poor quality and poorly made garments. Vintage clothing gives the user a sense of exclusivity as they are not mass-produced items and moves away the ‘fast fashion’ that is around today. Vintage clothing is classical – so many items never go out of fashion and the handmade quality is hard to find today. With just one or two pieces you can have an extensive wardrobe by changing the look with a hat or an accessory. In general vintage pieces are constructed from better fabrics today and are better crafted from what you find in chain stores today. Many of the clothes from the 40’, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s are hand sewn.

We also sell pre-loved designer clothing which is also popular. Customers can get designer items which are in great condition for up to one-third of the retail price in stores. With prices out of a lot of people’s range in high-end stores, this option is perfect for those with a more humble budget.

Where do you get the clothes from for your stores?

Most of it is from people bringing it in, but we are selective with what we take. Also we do pick up some items from good vintage fairs.

Do you have a favourite vintage fashion era?

I like the glamour of the late 30’s, 40’s and then again the start of hoodies which movement began after the end of WWII the beginning of rockabilly. I think it is important people are not afraid to stand out, to be self-confident to create their own individual style.

Vintage and pre-loved clothing items from Barbara’s store can be purchased anywhere around the world thanks to their online webshop. You can check it out here.