Director Ivana Delač reveals how an open-air fashion show grew into the country's longest-running fashion event, bringing together over 80 participants and a thousand visitors.
Only seven days remain until the evening when Rijeka will once again shine in the fashion spotlight. The city center will transform into a massive runway, and the Riječke Staircases will celebrate their 18th birthday. What began nearly two decades ago as an idea for an open-air show has now become one of Croatia's most prominent fashion gatherings-a place where fashion, innovation, entrepreneurship, young talent, and business opportunities converge.
Before this year's event, we spoke with Ivana Delač, director and creative force behind the Riječke Staircases, about eighteen years of shaping this fashion story, plans for this year, the outlook for Croatian fashion, and everything that happens behind the scenes of the spectacle that will once again bring Rijeka together.
"I am most proud of the fact that the Riječke Staircases have grown from an idea for an open-air fashion show into Croatia's largest and longest-running fashion event, and one of the region's most recognizable happenings," said Delač. She launched the event in 2007 with a clear vision: to give Rijeka an authentic fashion event deeply connected to the city, its people, tourism, and economy.
Today, the event brings together more than 80 participants, over a thousand visitors during the two-hour program, and around 60 media outlets from across Croatia, with a live television broadcast. "The COVID-19 pandemic halted us for two years, and we didn't hold the event for two consecutive years, but we returned even though no one expected it," Delač emphasized. Major fashion events in Croatia have all fizzled out, making the Riječke Staircases even more significant.
This year's edition is special due to its symbolism: the "coming of age" of the Riječke Staircases is marked by as many as 18 open-air fashion shows in a spectacle lasting two hours. Collections will be presented by Miau Couture, Hitomo, Mala, Pavla Pinezić, Zepter Hyperlight, Boutique Selin, Adriana Rajčić Design, Riječanka Art, Vagant Studio with the collection "Back to Blu," Callegari Rijeka, Maykl, Mihaela Štimac Rojtinić, Dal Cuore, Mali Atelje TT, Irena Anđelić Devčić, and Calico Mood.
We are especially pleased that men's fashion is making a comeback through the collections of Look Famous and Gentlemans Club. The exhibition will also feature representatives from the Textile and Leather Section of the Rijeka Chamber of Crafts, including Dajana Hlača from the DAJANA tailoring salon, Sandra Jamić from the ELA craft for tailoring services, Doris Janković from DOR JAN FELT, Đina Josipović from the STOPICA tailoring salon, and Marinela Martinčić Knez from the ELLA tailoring salon, who comes from the Crikvenica Chamber of Crafts. Students from the Rijeka School of Trade and Fashion Design will once again hold a special place.
JN Beauty is the official makeup partner of the Riječke Staircases, with makeup artists Paola Peček, Patrizia Jaklin, and Greta Karamarko responsible for the models' glam look. Hairstyles will be prepared by members of the Hairdressers' Guild from salons Studio Danijela, Freeze, Simpa, and Meo. The shows will feature many familiar faces, including former Miss Croatia winners Tomislava Dukić and Lucija Begić, Miss Beauty Croatia Marinelu Grljušić and Elena Kalajžić, Miss Zagreb Martina Blažević and Tara Begedin, and Miss Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Erin Panić Furlan and Lana Krnić.
The program will be hosted by experienced TV presenter Davor Garić, and the entire event will be broadcast live on Kanal Ri, with technical support and production by DBoki sound and light. During breaks between shows, from the dr. Vivian esthetic's corner, well-known public figures will make appearances, and the musical backdrop will be provided by Robert Salečić, DJ Sale 4love. Once the fashion program concludes, the party continues at the after-party at Azura lounge & eat club.
"We absolutely continue in that direction because I believe fashion today cannot be relevant if it deals exclusively with aesthetics," Delač said. Young designers, sustainability, innovation, responsible production, and new technologies are no longer side topics in the fashion industry but issues that will determine its future. "One of the biggest problems in the Croatian fashion scene, I consider to be the lack of quality infrastructure between a creative idea and the market," she added.
"I would like Croatian fashion to be less burdened by short-term visibility and more focused on building sustainable business models. The number of followers on social media is not the same as a stable business," Delač emphasized. That is why she wants to develop the Riječke Staircases as a platform where creativity meets education, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the real economy.
The event is supported by the City of Rijeka, the Rijeka Tourist Board, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Kvarner Tourist Board, Jadran Galenski Laboratorij, Jadran Hotels, ATI, Adriatic Insurance, JO-DA Real Estate, and RB Auto. Admission to the Riječke Staircases is free.
