Jana Simo - Explorion – Stand 2732
The fashionistas were intrigued. How did Nicola Finetti construct those amazingly intricate creations? The Sydney favourite certainly designed them, but he had a secret weapon: a Czech-born pattern-maker who also happened to be a structural engineer. Jana Simo is her name and in February she will launch her eponymous label at Fashion Exposed - a major milestone in a journey that began more than decade ago when she and her Hungarian civil engineer husband Tibor were contracted by a British
firm. The seven years they spent in the UK saw big career changes. Tibor gained a business degree and Jana finally realised her dream.
“I’d always wanted to study fashion and did a course at Salford University, Manchester,” she says. “I went on to do work experience with Bruce Oldfield – just fantastic.”
Her stint with the legendary British designer proved invaluable when she and Tibor moved to Sydney and in 2002, established their fashion firm, Explorion.
It began with their retail store in Mosman – “a great way to trial my own designs and get customers’ feedback,” says Jana, who sourced most of the fabrics for her launch collection in Italy.
The chic daywear range in natural fibres offers a highly versatile Spring-Summer wardrobe full of the finesse that delighted many during Jana’s pattern-making days. It will reflect other influences.
“My great-grandmother had a couture studio, my paternal grandfather was a tailor and I grew up with lots of craft traditions,” says Jana. “Europeans love handwork.”