Etnokaj is a collection of garments and useful items inspired by the ethnographic patterns of the Podravina region. Our idea was to modernize and bring the forgotten beauty, especially the treasures of our native region and Croatia in general, closer to today's man.
To begin with, we started with our stomping grounds of Podravina. As folklore lovers, we discovered how beautiful but also a bit forgotten our cultural heritage is. It hides itself in attics, closets and hope chests, and apart from folk festivals it’s difficult to see in daily use.
In order to change this and not allow such a treasure to be forgotten, we decided to start this enterprise. We researched the patterns, selected the most interesting ones and inspired by them designed a contemporary wearable and usable collection.
To complete the whole story, we found domestic manufacturers who sew, print and realize our ideas. This encourages Croatian production and our product gains value. As such Etnokaj is a Croatian product that we hope people will recognize as valuable worthy of support and thus preserve the treasure worth preserving...
Who’s Behind It?
Behind each idea are people who have invested their time and effort to develop, realize and present the idea, and with Etnokaj creations it’s a young married couple of Veronika and Nikola Terzić.
Here's what they say about themselves...
The idea of creating a line of products inspired by Croatian ethnographic patterns began to brew in us at the end of 2013 when we both recognized our common love for antiques and rich ethnographic treasures of Podravina and other Croatian regions.
No folk festival or other cultural and artistic events were missed. No opportunity to learn in depth everything contained in the wooden chests of beautiful rural households, and which was proudly worn and displayed as a cultural treasure of the entire Croatian homeland, was missed.
Bit by bit Etnokaj was created with the desire to revive and make recognizable the patterns of old embroideries in everyday life and bring about a few smiles in recognizing Croatian treasures worth preserving...
Veronika and Nikola Terzić