Interview: Ilija Milicic

Who are you, what do you do and what drives you?

I am Ilija and I’m a Vienna based designer, stylist & creative director and part of Studio Steroid.

I do menswear but everyone who knows how to put on clothing is invited to participate. I am drawn to the real and raw sides of life because it gives me enough freedom to add 1 or 2 rhinestones to it. Most of the time I’m driven by  objects / people / situations that are being overlooked. Also I find excitement in unintentional things be it an object or piece of clothing or just something that’s not supposed to happen and ends up becoming major, like mini cows.

What do you love most about your work? And what not so much?

At the end of the day my job is like any other job. You have a routine, you have a schedule, you have deadlines, you have ups, you have downs, you have colleagues you love and you have colleagues you mind. But what I cherish the most are the people this job brought into my life. Meanwhile some of them turned into my closest friends. Of course there are certain things I dislike about this job but nobody forced me into it, I chose it myself. Plus there’s more I like about it than I dislike so I guess the balance is balancing.

What does a good look look like?

A good look is, when a person’s mind is free from the opinion of others. Hard to pull off and hard to maintain but it’s the best look/feature.

If the street was your catwalk, which soundtrack would you choose?

Sideways by JT or Light! by Skaiwater at the moment.

Sideways just makes me feel like you don’t have any buses to catch, any stunts to pull or anything to explain. It makes you stand above anything and anyone without putting in any effort. Just listen to the hook and you’ll get it. And Light! by Skaiwater is just a whole vibe, either you get it or you don’t.

Who is your style icon? And who was it when you were a teenager?

I don’t really do icons but I love me some Mickey Rourke. His fashion sense is unmatched to me. Mickey goes hard… Honestly, truly.

As a teenager I was low key obsessed with BAPE and saved my money for months to buy a hoodie.

A reading, listening or streaming tip you give to your friends?

Read the news and be aware about what is happening around you.
Listen to your Mum because no one cares more about your wellbeing.
Stream Bundles by BEX.

What will never be out of fashion?

Delusion and John Galliano F/W 2004!

I feel like you have to be slightly delusional to draw something down in the hopes or convincement your calculation is close to your expectation and then finding ways to make unthinkable things stand, sit, lay, move, etc. and wearable in the best case. It’s part of the experience and failing is just as important as succeeding. And once you succeed all of a sudden you are not being perceived as delusional anymore. According to history.

To me John Galliano menswear F/W 2004 is mother, father, holy ghost and spirit, flip, dip and dab. Nothing more to add (:.

What do you hate about fashion?

Hate is such a strong word but I’m not okay with the business side of fashion at all, the hypocrasy, the ass-kissing, the entitlement, the tempo, the outdated structures, the exclusion of correct people and the inclusion of wrong people and of course the nepo babies. Why, you ask? Because it’s unfair. But life’s unfair in general so you gotta make the best out of it and make it fun for yourself and create an environment you like to return to. That’s the only way it works (for me).