Creating a brand oppose challenges but our new partner Mojati encourages everyone to try. This group of young people created a new souvenir fashion brand that represents Croatia. They were inspired by the Croatian islands and beauties of Zagreb and used fashion as a tool to present their creativity.
Click HERE to see part of their offer on our webshop.
The Plitvice Times interview the Mojati team – Ira, Jelka and Karlo. Keep reading to find out more about their creative story.
Who are the members of the Mojati team and how did you decide to create the brand?
Ira Pećarević and Jelka Margarita Bogdanić are the founders of the Mojati brand concept. We recognized the enthusiasm for converting our many ideas (today’s products) into reality during the school days.
Mojati was created in 2017 as part of the Piece of Zagreb competition, whose task was to design modern souvenirs of the city of Zagreb. We received a special award from the Zagreb Tourist Board in the competition. Soon after, the demand for our product rose sharply and we created a brand (name, logo and first packaging) in a very short time.
Two years after the foundation, product designer Karlo Jelić joined the team and further enriched this interesting domestic brand. Today, we like to call our products “Memories to go” because they immortalize the most beautiful and important moments in our lives. Also, allows our customers to have it with them forever.
What products do you have on offer and how do you choose the motifs?
Mojati bracelets are the eternal classic of our brand and our customers most often recognize them as the perfect gift, which is why they are always happy to come back for more. Our permanent offer includes bracelets with motifs of the city of Zagreb. The first motifs were a gingerbread heart and a tram, and the collection was soon completed by the Zagreb Cathedral and the lower town block of the Croatian National Theater.
The summer collection called “Life takes, Mojati brings back” includes 11 favorite Croatian islands transformed into colorful bracelets, sweatshirts and T-shirts with velvet motifs of Krk, Brač, Hvar, Vis, Galešnjak, Murter, Zlarin, Lokrum, Šolta, Rab and Korčula.
We celebrated Christmas with bracelets and sweatshirts with motifs of traditional Croatian gingerbread and the Advent calendar in collaboration with Melta.
Our latest product is “Zagreb Green Horseshoe To Go” – a spice bowl with a slit in the shape of Lenucci’s horseshoe that brings the greenery of Zagreb’s parks into the home!
How difficult is it to start a fashion brand in Croatia?
We believe that anyone with an original idea and a quality business plan can start a brand in Croatia. Although Croatia has a handful of interesting fashion brands, we want to encourage everyone to enroll entrepreneurial area, because there is enough space on the market for everyone. Every brand requires a lot of effort, time and sacrifice. Therefore we are extremely grateful that the Croatian public recognized us, which gives us extra wind in the back. We are glad that we have become a favorite destination for buying original Croatian souvenirs that are equally adored by both domestic and foreign audiences.
Are social media a good tool for marketing and visibility? Which tools have proven to be the most effective for you?
Since Mojati gathers mostly younger audiences, social networks have proven to be the best tool for marketing and visibility. Social networks give freedom to our creative expression and that is why we are always happy to advertise on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. They give us great insight and feedback into the affinities of our audience so we can offer our customers what they want.
We are especially pleased with the organic growth we are achieving on these platforms, as our followers are happy to share and support our content. Certainly, social networks are not the only channel of promotion, so we are happy to cooperate with Croatian and foreign media, not only in digital form but also in print. We would also like to highlight the great impact of sales at selected points of sale, which helps us reach a wider and more diverse audience.
Has the Covid pandemic slowed or accelerated creativity and business development?
Although the Covid pandemic was a challenging period for all entrepreneurs and young brands, it created an opportunity to intensify creative production in our team. Through our products, we always strive to tackle the current situation in the world, and this was the case during this pandemic. Looking back over the past two years, we are pleased to say that our business development erupted. This information is not surprising since we made additional efforts to design our collections and adapt advertising to new circumstances.
What do you foresee for the future of the brand and what will it look like in practice?
We are currently working on several new Mojati products to complement the stories that started in recent years. We are finishing the creation of a website that will make it easier to receive orders. Certainly, the main plan for the next period is to expand to foreign markets, which is why we will expand our team.
Check out the Mojati offer: