At the 16th GLAMOUR Women of the Year Awards, in partnership with Samsung, we’re honouring those women who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and reshape the world. From activism to acting, our winners are working across a variety of industries to make the world a better, more equal place.
Taking home the Fashion Designer Award in partnership with Peroni Nastro Azzurro is Nensi Dojaka, whose lingerie-inspired creations have fast become an industry and A-list favourite…
Is there a magic formula for creating a viral fashion moment? In a year of ever increasing influence, Nensi Dojaka’s spring 2023 catwalk show at London Fashion Week in September, came close to offering a masterclass… After guests walked into the venue on a petal strewn carpet (the scent was divine) every look on the runway was *flames* and guests were up on their feet, whooping with delight, by the time the final looks made their exit.
A fresh perspective on the ancient conundrum of what to wear; a sprinkle of stardust in the shape of Emily Ratajkowski on the catwalk; and clothes that capture the zeitgeist… Nensi Dojaka has harnessed an almost alchemical formula that combined, make her GLAMOUR’s Fashion Designer of The Year in partnership with Peroni Nastro Azzurro.
We’re not the only ones to bow to Nensi’s brilliance. Dojaka’s trajectory from graduate to uber-brand has been swift. Founded in 2019, following the Albanian-born designer’s MA from Central St Martins, in 2021 Nensi won the prestigious LVMH Prize (previously awarded to Wales Bonner and Jacquemus.) Evidence of further validation came after the spring show was named the most viewed collection on Vogue Runway. Vogue Business noted that Nensi’s EMV ranking (Earned Media Value) rose 89% which generated her brand $1.6million and cementing her position at the pinnacle of the British fashion industry.
A real London Fashion Week highlight.
“It was kind of crazy,” Nensi laughed as we discuss the numbers over Zoom. “I still can't really believe it… I don't know how or why (it happened)!” But unlike other designers who may let fame and excitement overtake their lives, Nensi is an astute businesswoman who cleverly compartmentalises her career. “I'm very good at leaving the excitement behind and doing the next thing. I have had moments that I was so involved in everything, I didn't feel like myself. You start to lose yourself when you are around so many people that are part of your job and the fashion industry.”
Nevertheless that very same industry is quick to pile on the plaudits. Libby Page, Market Director at NET-A-PORTER is a fan. “Nensi has had an incredible year since winning the LVMH prize and it’s been an absolute joy to see her collections go from strength to strength. Spring Summer 23 was her best yet - it was so exciting to see, full of fresh and elevated ideas… that took the show to a whole new level.”
Nensi was born in 1993 and grew up in Albania with one sister, before moving to London in her late teens to study lingerie design at London College of Fashion. She interned at Peter Pilotto and Fyodor Golan before completing her MA at renowned fashion school Central St Martins. Nensi's parents must have spotted her nascent love for fashion. “When I was 15 my dad bought me my first branded dress for my birthday - it was this tiny Miu Miu dress and it stuck in my head, I loved it!” Her family are still the people Nensi calls first when she needs to talk or has big news to share. “I'm very close to my parents and sister - and of course to my boyfriend,” she revealed.
It’s perhaps Nensi’s family we have to thank for her role in the industry right now and helping her nurture her artistic dreams in her youth. “Every Saturday my parents would take me to art classes. It was very free, you could do whatever you wanted, but when I look back I noticed a lot of drawings of girls wearing dresses. When I did an art foundation course, I didn't know I wanted to do fashion, but I started making little bras on the mannequin… And that's how I started. I didn't dream of being a fashion designer but it kind of happened naturally.” Nensi still has her sketches. “They are really cute actually,” she laughs, but now the design process flows differently. “At the beginning, I'm thinking more about, ‘how do I make something that has not been done before?’ I really pressure myself, even though obviously nothing now is really new. But I try to put all the elements together in a new way.”
So, what are the ultra-desirable pieces which have propelled Nensi to such prominence? Nensi’s brand DNA centres around wisps of gossamer light chiffon, tied with floss-fine straps and signature heart-shaped cut-outs and overlays which have celebrity stylists clamouring to call in for shoots and red carpet appearances… Emma Watson, Sophie Turner, Bella Hadid and Zendaya have all worn Nensi’s designs to devastating effect. “Zendaya was my favourite because it was the first proper long gown I did. When she wore that dress, it launched a new little world which meant a lot to me. But honestly, I’m as excited when a girl has bought a dress and tags me as when a celebrity wears it!” Nensi tells GLAMOUR. Although she admits that “from time to time, I come up with a few names I would really love to dress. I want things to happen naturally although I still want Rihanna to wear more (of my collections.) She wore it once, but I want more!”
While a coterie of chic celebs have worn Nensi Dojaka, Tiffany Hsu, VP of fashion buying at MyTheresa.com, has seen Nensi’s designs become customer favourites too. After creating a high summer capsule for the online retailer, Tiffany tells GLAMOUR that Nensi’s collection was “an amazing success. Nensi’s collection has created a ripple effect on the minimal body con trend; we have seen so much influence from her collection.”
That expanding influence is also key. Nensi’s designs are indeed beautiful but they somehow chime with exactly what women want to wear, right now. And crucially, for ourselves. Tiffany describes that elusive desirability as being “simple yet full of details, sexy but subtle and tasteful. It’s how fashion girls want to dress… for ourselves. Today female sexuality is no longer for the male gaze, it’s a demonstration of our confidence and Nensi’s clothes are more about how one feels in her designs and less about dressing to please others.” That’s a fashion philosophy we are here for and why Nensi is such a game-changing fashion force: subverting female sexuality and empowering women along the way.
Nensi explains her thought process. “As sexy as it is, I try to distort it with something, and make it not sexualised. So, if something is really short, I usually do something asymmetric or unexpected or uglier to take away from that ‘normal’ sexy.”
But what is next? The autumn collection will be shown in February - just a few months away - and Nensi is busy in the studio, working on production, sales, design and looking after her employees. “I'm very close to the three people I work with every day, so it's like a little family. Work / life balance is very important to me and I try to enforce leaving at 6pm every day.”
The introduction of denim for spring was a hint at a wider world of Nensi and the designer has big plans. “I can't believe what has happened so fast but the brand is still super new. I want to make the brand wider in its offering and more accessible. At the moment I’m selling these iconic pieces, rather than a whole universe. The brand is still far from what I think it should be but by making the small decisions that really mattered… (I made) a big difference,” she muses.
One of those decisions was choosing to show in London. London is Nensi’s home. “I don't see myself anywhere else,” she laughs. “I’m definitely not stuck here, it's by choice… and the whole way that London Fashion Week, the British Fashion Council and the NEWGEN scheme works make the difference (to young brands.)” Nensi is nominated for the BFC Foundation Award at next month’s Fashion Awards in recognition of her “major creative impact on global fashion” too.
“Nensi Dojaka’s meteoric rise to fame has been nothing short of extraordinary,” enthuses Caroline Rush, Chief Executive, British Fashion Council. “Merely two months after scooping the LVMH prize, Nensi won the Emerging Designer Talent award at The Fashion Awards in 2021. The Nensi woman balances boldness with sensitivity, owning her body and actively choosing her image which is such a relevant notion today. Although her breakout moment happened during the pandemic, Nensi’s designs surpassed digital barriers through their magnetism and fresh take on sexy and empowered dressing.”
During our interview Nensi reels off a list of women (including fashion critic Sarah Mower, Fashion East founder Lulu Kennedy, stylist Fran Burns and LVMH mentor Sophie Brocart) who have supported her in her journey so far but charmingly worries that she’s forgotten someone. “I don't want to leave anyone out…” she panics. “There are a lot of people that made this whole thing happen!” While the support network of industry mentors may be strong, family comes first. “I'm very close to my parents, my sister and my boyfriend and I try to separate the fashion industry and my work life from my other life, because I think that's a bit healthier. Unless I have to do something urgent on the weekend, normally I'm like, ‘no, I'm going to switch off’.”
Does Nensi see a reason for her success? “It's a brand for women, designed by a woman,” she ponders. “Most of our team is female and we are really close to the fitting model, I really care about feedback. It's a very demanding industry and women already have a lot on their shoulders so it's not easy. Fashion is still mostly run by men but that's starting to change, so that’s good.”
Looking back, “I wish I paid more attention to the stuff that I thought was boring in college!” Nensi admits. “On the BA course at London College of Fashion, we learnt a lot about production and running a brand but at the time I just wanted to do the creative part. Now I'm like, “ah, why I was so stupid?” Stupid isn’t a word that we would use to describe Nensi Dojaka… even genius would be putting it mildly. A woman designing exactly what other women want to wear, who switches off at the weekend and looks after her employees? No wonder Nensi Dojaka is ruling the runway and is changing the industry, one dress at a time.
Read more from Glamour UK Fashion Director at large Alex Fullerton here or follow her on Instagram @alexandrafullerton.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro is proud to sponsor GLAMOUR's ‘Fashion Designer’ Women of the Year Award. Peroni Nastro Azzuro is known as the number one stylish beer brand in the market with a strong ethos around individualism, expressionism and inclusive style, with style as a reflection of the inner self embedded into its brand values. Peroni Nastro Azzurro's bar at GLAMOUR's Women of the Year Awards will offer 0% and gluten-free options as well as an exciting cocktail made with Peroni Nastro Azzuro, to showcase how beer can be enjoyed by everyone.
