Mandali Mendrilla
Mandali Mendrilla | |
|---|---|
 Mandali Mendrilla at the Croatian Fashion Week - May 2014 | |
| Born | Maja Mendrila 1 February 1976 |
| Nationality | American |
| Awards | 1995 Fashion Week Croatia, Fashion News: Design Excellence Grand Prix
1996 Fashion Week Croatia, Fashion News: Grand Prix – Golden Line 1997 Fashion Week Croatia, Fashion News: Grand Prix – Golden Line 1998 Fashion Week Croatia, Awakening: Best Young Designer 2000 Sfilata Alta Moda, Istituti Callegari: Migliore Creazione (Best Design) |
| Website | mendrilla.com |
Mandali Mendrilla (born Maja Mendrila, on 1 February 1976) is an American fashion designer, who mainly works in Europe, the US, and India.[1] She is also known for having translated the Hindu epics from Sanskrit into Croatian.[2]
Early life and education
[edit]Mandali Mendrilla, born Maja Mendrila, grew up on the Croatian coast.[3] After high school Mendrilla was tutored in fine arts by Croatian sculptor Tatjana Kostanjević and started her fashion career in 1995.[4]
Career
[edit]In 1995, Mendrilla's collection was selected as the theme collection of the Croatian Fashion Week and was awarded the Design Excellence Grand Prix. She also made the first ever translation of the Ramayana, in Croatian,[5][6][7] and several other books,[8][9] like the Mahabharata.[10][11] From 1995 to 2006, Mendrilla designed several haute couture Croatian Fashion Week award-winning collections.
In 1996, Mandali Mendrilla decided to complete her studies at the Rijeka Faculty of Philosophy, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Croatian language and literature. In that period, she studied Bhakti Yoga and traditional arts of India under tutelage of Kenneth R. Valpey. The studies inspired several art projects, like collaboration with British anthropologist Chantal Boulanger on Vrndavana: The Sari Experiment.[12][13] Mendrilla also finds inspiration in ancient cultures, especially from India.[14] In the United States, Mendrilla's late husband and artist Elisha 'Nitai' Drury's Krishna Kitchen, ended up becoming an integral part of some of the biggest and most exciting alternative festivals of the new millennium; including Burning Man, Wanderlust and Bhaktifest.[15] Mendrilla dedicated an entire collection to commemorate his legacy.[16][17] In 2014 she was featured on the Croatian Fashion Week in Zagreb.[18][19][20][21] She closed the year with an appearance in the Yoga journal.[22] In 2015 Mandali's luxury label was featured by the British VOGUE magazine, Harper's Bazaar and Tatler.[23] Mandali's collection Wish Tree Dress, inspired by the eastern tradition of Wish Trees, was presented at the Croatian Fashion Week in June 2015.[24][25] After the fashion week appearance Mandali was invited to design a special Wish Tree Dress for the collection of the Belgian MOSA Museum. Mandali crafted an interactive art installation called Mandala of Desires (Blue Lotus Wish Tree) made of peace silk and painted with eco friendly textile ink resembling a lotus flower with branches of a tree upon which visitors could hang their desires. The dress was taken to India and offered to a genuine wish tree in 2016. The pattern of the dress was based on the Goloka Yantra mandala and the thousand petalled lotus petticoat on the layered glass sculptures of Dutch artist Bert Van Loo. The dress was exhibited as part of the "Forms of Devotion" exhibition at the China Art Museum in Shanghai as well as the Museo de arte Contemporaneo at Conde Duque in Madrid, Spain.[26][27][28][29][30][31]
References
[edit]- ^ Article about Mandali Mendrilla citing her work as a designer in the United States, India, Croatia and Italy
- ^ Reference citing Mendrilla as the first Croatian translator of the epic Ramayana
- ^ Article about Mandali Mendrilla citing her youth in Rijeka, Croatia
- ^ Article citing Mendrilla having received private tutoring from Croatian sculptor Tatjana Kostanjevic
- ^ Reference citing Mendrilla as the first Croatian translator of the epic Ramayana
- ^ Newspaper article of the presentation of the first translation in Croatian of the Indian epic Ramayana, May 11th, 2005
- ^ Entry of the Ramayana in the Library of the Faculty of Philosophy from the University of Zagreb
- ^ Entry of The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami, by Radhanath Swami in the National and University Library of Zagreb
- ^ Entry of Leadership for and Age of Higher Consciousness by Bhakti Tirtha Swami in the City and University Library in Osijek
- ^ Croatian newspaper article on the presentation of the translation into Croatian of the Indian epic Mahabharata
- ^ Catalog entry of the Mahabharata in the Library of the Faculty of Philosophy from the University of Zagreb
- ^ ISKCON News article describing "Vrndavana: The Sari Experiment"
- ^ Article from Atma, mentioning Vrndavana: The Sari Experiment
- ^ "Famed Croatian-American fashion-designer exploring ancient Hindu civilizations for her next line". Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ "BURNcast.TV: RIP Nitai Das - Founder of Krishna Camp at Burning Man". 27 December 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ Article from Merriness on Mandali Mendrilla dedicating her collection "Slave2Love" to late husband
- ^ Article from Hubville on Mandali Mendrilla dedicating her collection "Slave2Love" to late husband
- ^ Article in the Croatian Cosmopolitan announcing Mandali Mendrilla's participation in the Croatian Fashion Week 2014
- ^ Article in Gloria announcing Mandali Mendrilla's participation in the Croatian Fashion Week 2014
- ^ Zagreb Fashion Week's photo gallery from Mandali Mendrilla's collections at the Croatian Fashion Week 2014
- ^ "Mandali Mendrilla New York Fashion Week Zagreb 14/15". YouTube. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
- ^ 2014 Top Yoga Moments - Yoga Journal
- ^ "Press | Mandali Mendrilla".
- ^ "MANDALI MENDRILLA WISH TREE DRESS COLLECTION Fashion Week Zagreb June 2015 on Vimeo". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
- ^ "Drugu večer Fashion Weeka – Wish". Archived from the original on 2015-12-08. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
- ^ "Hrvatska dizajnerica Mandali Mendrila u najvećem azijskom muzeju!". 30 October 2015.
- ^ "China Art Museum in Shanghai | Forms of Devotion". 14 November 2015.
- ^ http://formsofdevotion.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/FOD_CATALOGUE_low_res.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ Forms of Devotion with Mandala of Desires at Conde Duque, Madrid. YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09.
- ^ "Photos: Conde Duque, Madrid, Spain, Oct 15th 2016 | Forms of Devotion". 15 October 2016.
- ^ "El arte sagrado de la India actual". 28 October 2016.
Gallery
[edit]-
Mandali Mendrilla's interactive sculpture dress "Mandala of Desires" at the China Art Museum in Shanghai, November 2015.
