The Slavs believed in water spirits and deities, to whom they offered sacrifices, so one of the main inspirations for this collection is water, which is considered the source of life. The souls of the deceased were said to continue living in the waters, and rivers provided access to them. The next earthly elements that were associated with the dead were stones and rocks, with which they built
worship spaces, sanctuaries and thrones.
They were transformed into magical creatures or animals by carving them, and the space where they were placed was used for sacred rituals. An important symbol in Slavic spiritual life was wheat, which was attributed to the thunder god Perun and the goddess of birth and fertility Živa. They believed that the oak was Perun’s sacred tree, which is why the selected fabrics for one of the creations were hand-dyed with acorns. In addition to natural elements, Hristova was also strongly inspired by the tradition of Macedonian pagan characters, such as Vasiličar, Djolomari, Mečkar and others, who still appear throughout North Macedonia and beyond during winter carnivals.
The GORA (Forest) collection is inspired by the deep respect that the Slavs had for nature. The Hristova collection embodies the ancient Slavic spirit. The clothes are in light and neutral tones, the silhouettes are elongated and in the form of the already known Ludus brand constructions, this time designed to reflect the secrets of the Slavic forests. It is actually a set of modern clothing works of art, made of natural fibers, using weaving, hand-dyeing, crystallization, techniques that reach the level of museum exhibits with their appearance and quality.
Dragan Hristov founded the sustainable, gender-neutral fashion brand Ludus in 2010, based in Skopje, North Macedonia. In his work, he combines two main interests that he developed during his studies at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan – fashion design and contemporary art.
With the brand Ludus, Hristov has participated in various international fashion events, fairs, festivals and exhibitions in Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Bulgaria, etc. In 2018, he received the BIG SEE Fashion Design Award, in 2019 the NJAL+ Award at the Assembly Design Festival in Graz, and in 2020 the WOW Show Award at Ljubljana Fashion Week.
Conceptually oriented, Hristov designs collections based on emotions, which are often melancholic and melancholic. He constructs mostly monochrome and minimalist pieces and sculptural silhouettes that reflect the changing treatment of gender in today's society. He works exclusively with natural fabrics, which he dyes naturally with plants in a desire for more efficient and sustainable production using various techniques, and transforms them into contemporary products by incorporating local, dying handicraft practices. His aesthetic, although unusual for the Balkan region, is in close relationship with nature, which strongly connects him to Slavic heritage.
