INTERVIEW WITH JOVAN GLUSICA
CHEAP MOZART
-by Justina Špeirokaité (Curator at Improper Walls)
What is Cheap Mozart? And why Mozart?
Cheap Mozart is a vintage and second hand online store that started as a side hustle and passion project a couple of years ago with some friends. The name started as a joke nickname for a friend, as a way of describing how we dressed at the time, which was emulating 18th century bourgeoisie at poor art student prices. It is also a wordplay on the brand Cheap Monday, but as I am based in Austria, Mozart came naturally.Who stands behind Cheap Mozart?
Cheap Mozart is currently a one person team, aka me (Jovan Glušica)I find the photos on Cheap Mozart instagram profile really astonishing and they are clearly not only promoting the product. What is your narrative?
That was always a part of the plan as well, to have it as an excuse to organize photoshoots with friends and experiment with styling and photography, as I wanted to go into this direction possibly, because studying fine arts made me not want to have anything to do with fine arts anymore. The narrative was always and still is - celebrating individuality and conscious femininity. But also it was a way of making some money, as an immigrant that no one wanted to hire.
In the age of unreasonable consumerism and climate disaster, second hand shopping promotes ethical and sustainable fashion. How would you envision the future of fashion?
Being surrounded with so much wealth and irrational consumerism everyday, living in one of the richest countries in the world, but also just the state of the world as we know it, has made me realize how to so many people it doesn't matter what they consume - as long as they consume it. Especially when it comes to fashion, the climate where trend hopping is most apparent. Meanwhile the piles of clothes made in sweatshops across the world are just increasing. The need for change and a more sustainable approach to shopping is more than overdue. Check out our depop now!Cheap Mozart is also a collaborative project. Why is it important for you to work with other artists?
I firmly believe that only privileged people can work alone - or the really brave ones. I love working with people. It is one of my favorite things to do. To bounce ideas off each other and feed each other's fantasies is the best part of teamwork. Collaborating is essential.Where can we find Cheap Mozart?
You can find Cheap Mozart on instagram and depop. You can also check out my personal account for the more recent styling work.