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Ana Stulic – Livin’ La Vida Moda

With an international reputation for beautiful design, Ana Stulic sees opportunity to impact her hometown
Author: Jenn McMullan
6 years ago
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Ana Stulic’s designs are like looking at Audrey Hepburn through a kaleidoscope: classic, elegant and effervescent, with a modern twist that stamps her signature on the piece. Born and raised in Windsor, Stulic knew at a young age she wanted to make a name for herself in the fashion industry.

Stulic began her path learning an array of fashion skills and techniques from the Istituto di Moda Burgo in Milan, Italy, where she graduated with a degree in Fashion. With nearly a decade of fashion experience in the industry her knowledge comes from a journey that’s taken her around the world.

Her clothing highlights her unique eye for aesthetic appeal, integrating modern and edgy style with feminine glamour. Although her passion and raw talent fuelled the fire behind her creativity, the quality of her work comes from a vast range of experience. Her resumé reads like a ping-pong ball bouncing around a map: she worked for a showroom in Milan, wrote for a fashion blog in Paris, completed an internship in Toyko and worked with an independent designer in Montreal. Stulic also had a position at the head office for Danier Leather in Toronto, and later worked for a high-end sock designing company in Berlin, Germany.

“There have been so many times when I wanted to give up, but I’ve come so far that I’m really going to go my hardest at this and continue to give it my all. I’ve waitressed so many jobs in so many cities, I’ve had the corporate jobs and the desk jobs and realized they just weren’t me. I’ve always loved design and I feel like I’m meant to do this.”

Stulic said being able to shadow innovative people in the industry has allowed her to hone in on what she’d like to achieve.
“You always learn from people who have experience,” said Stulic. “I was completely green when I started. Through these jobs I learned so many different aspects of the fashion industry.”

“Big chain stores like Zara, they’re all over the world and even though it’s the same store the collections are different in each city. They cater to the city because each city I feel has its own style. There are a lot of creative personalities here in Windsor, but it doesn’t have that signature style yet. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Her fashionable footprints can already be tracked in her hometown. She represented the 2017 Miss Canada Western Ontario Pageant, hosted in Windsor, as the official swimsuit designer. This led to a clothing line at Freeds, where the high-demand collection sold out and piqued interest from Toronto clothing stores.

Currently she’s focusing on her Summer/Spring collection, which she’ll be debuting March 22, 2018, at the Common Ground Gallery in Mackenzie Hall. Working with event planner Sandra Riccio-Muglia to launch the exclusive line, Ana says the event will showcase a mini designer pop-up shop with partial proceeds going to local CMHA’s Sole Focus projects.

“This show will be more intimate and casual than a regular fashion show,” said Stulic. “I want a different vibe, which is why we chose the space that we did at the gallery. It’s very unique. I want it to be a homage to fashion lovers in Windsor.”
So what keeps Ana in Windsor instead of heading off to Toronto or Paris?

“When I realized I could make an impact in my own hometown, I decided I’d rather be here,” Ana says. “I always went away for work, searching for something big, but I realized I could start what I love to do here in my city and make it grow into something bigger. There aren’t many people here doing what I’m doing, and I like how I can bring something new here in Windsor while growing myself internationally.”

What has always shone through Ana’s work is her dedication to making women feel good about themselves. “Fashion brings happiness, and I love bringing beauty to the community,” she says.
“I feel like, especially nowadays, woman are so hard on themselves. My main goal is to make women feel good. I want them to feel confident, strong and unique. That’s what I try to do: create beautiful things for women. I think the future of fashion is starting to promote strong is beautiful.”

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