About me
My name is Dubravka and my desire to be the artist of my life, completely myself and free in my creation, led me to the realization of my dream, which I live today through my brand Dulsineja.
Born in 1989 in Požega in a family where growing up gave me a lot of space to explore the world inside and around me, a desire for something artistic and only mine matured together with me. After graduating in 2012 from the department of journalism at the Faculty of Culture and Media, writing for online magazines directed my attention toward design, art, and creative individuals. However, I didn’t want to write as much as I wanted to create. From graphic workshops, photography courses, drawing and painting schools I attended, my path led me to the ancient technique of painting on silk, where I eventually paused and created my vision. That is how the first silk scarf was born, that is how the brand was created.
As Dulsineja was growing with me, I enrolled in the basic studies program at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, department of textile design. Until July 2019, the year I graduated, a desire to make hats along with the hand-painted silk scarves had never left me. Although I did not come from a family with a long tradition of hat-making, and therefore I had no one to introduce me to all the secrets of this craft, I had a strong desire and I knew deep down in my heart that it was enough.
The Fund – Iva Vrinjanin award for the best achievement in the field of textiles (the academic year 2018/2019) just encouraged me further to believe in my gift and that I would find the best way to give it to the world. A few months later, my first wooden hat molds, made by great masters of their craft, found their way to me.
From that moment on, Dulsineja has become for me something more than the pieces I create. Learning the basic techniques and getting to know the traditional hat-making process, Dulsineja has evolved into a story of vision and perseverance, as well as the craft that I cherish and keep from being forgotten. It has slowly developed into a reflection of my inner world where art is a way of life and my eternal path to myself.
About the brand
Dulsineja was created with the idea of bringing art into the everyday lives of women who are changing the world. As a keeper of an old craft that has been around for centuries, but started to disappear, Dulsineja represents a blend of traditional craftsmanship, timeless artistic expression, and inspiration that creates a hat-wearing culture unbothered by fashion and trends.
Observing the aesthetics of dressing a woman in a more sophisticated way which makes her gentle and lovely, Dulsineja creations encourage creative expression in those who choose them. Feminine and romantic, they remind us that elegance is a reflection of our inner wisdom, which at any time gives us the freedom of living life on our own terms.
Who is Dulsineja?
The name of the brand – Dulsineja – is related to a unique character in Spanish literature. She is Don Quixote’s ideal of a woman and a fictional female character that lives somewhere between dreams and reality, created from imagination and dreams of eternal love. I first heard about Dulsineja from my mother who used to call me by her name, and over time, the guardian of Don Quixote’s heart became mine too.
In the last 6 years since the brand was launched, Dulsineja has proven to be something timeless that exists in all of us. It is, just like us, a part of one time, one culture. It reminds us that we all have the choice to live in accordance with our values, without conforming to the presently imposed norms; to live in the time we want, to dress accordingly, and to be imperfect but remain true to ourselves.
