🖌️ Meet Jana
Meet Jana Roos: She is an illustrator, fashion & Costume designer from Belgium.
Jana Roos is no ordinary designer. With a background deeply rooted in creativity from her childhood, she blends fashion, illustration, and costume design in unique ways that reflect her imaginative world. Based in Belgium, Jana’s passion for art has always been her driving force, leading her to create stunning pieces that explore new realms of possibility. Her journey started when she was just eight years old and has blossomed into a career that continues to push the boundaries of fashion and design. Let's dive deeper into her world and discover what inspires this dynamic designer.
What sparked your interest in fashion?
As a child, I have always been creative. I immersed myself in my own world by drawing, illustrating, crafting… It made me so happy that I forgot everything else around me. It was just me and my imaginary world, where everything was possible, and there were no limits.
When I was 8 years old, someone took me to a fashion show for the first time — the end-of-the-year fashion show of the students of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Ghent.
It was something that I had never seen before. It was amazing. Ever since that moment, I wanted to be a fashion student myself, and I was determined to become a fashion designer.
What made you take fashion more seriously and make a career out of it?
The more I moved into the artistic world, the more it fascinated me in all its facets. The thought that motivates me the most is that I want to ‘live my passion,’ do what I love, and share it with other people. If I’m being honest, the term “fashion” does not include enough for me. It doesn’t have to stop there. It’s my intention to create new, mind-blowing worlds where everything is possible, mostly through fashion by designing shapes around the human body.
Are you self-taught or did you study fashion design?
I think I can say that I am both. I am convinced that you can learn from every experience. You can get your basic knowledge from school and then develop your unique style and way of working through your own projects and new challenges.
I’m still learning every day as a human being and as a fashion designer, and I hope that will never change!
How has your work evolved since you began your own label?
Every project or concept that I create as a fashion designer is different. I love working together with passionate directors, photographers, and musicians. It gives me a boost of energy and inspiration. These co-operations spark an explosive synergy in which we enrich each other as artists. So, I think my work will always evolve into something new and different.
How is your work received internationally?
That’s a very difficult question. I honestly don’t know. I just hope that the audience could escape reality for a moment when they see my designs, whether it is in my hometown or a country on the other side of the globe. Whether it’s during a runway show or in a magazine, it doesn’t matter. For me, my fashion creations truly succeed when they trigger the audience’s own imagination.
What are you fascinated by at the moment, and how does it feed into your work?
(Like I mentioned before, I’m always trying to tell a story from my own imaginary world.)
My designs should be like a fairy tale. When you read the following text, you will learn where I got the inspiration for this fashion collection:
Once upon a time, a gracious nymph lived in the ‘Azul Blue Mystery’ forest. They called her ‘Nightshade,’ as dark as the night. There was no more life in the forest after the war had burned every living organism. Only her presence gave the forest hope again.
‘Hopeful Nightshade’ is a refined high-fashion collection where I was inspired by a fascinating family of flowering plants called ‘The Black Nightshade.’
In my opinion, black nightshades are breathtakingly beautiful. These graceful flowers, which amaze you every time you look at them, also have a medical power. They have an illuminating effect and give a numbing and calming feeling to those who need it. But you can’t just trust every member of the family. Some of them have extremely toxic properties. So, you are warned. Don’t be fooled by the beauty of their existence…
What is the biggest lesson that you have learned since you started your company? What advice would you give to other young designers?
You cannot always do everything on your own. Allow other people to help you, and surround yourself with people who believe in you. And most importantly: always believe in yourself, even though it is sometimes very difficult.
(These are very funny questions for me because I’m still a young fashion designer myself.)
What would you like to achieve before the end of the year?
I would like to achieve many things. But in my experience, the fashion world is very unpredictable. So, I just try to enjoy every experience and seize every opportunity I get to show the world who I am and what I can create.
But one of my dreams is to be published in an illustrious fashion magazine such as Vogue. I hope I can achieve that sometime.
What’s your motto?
‘Live your passion.’
‘The things that excite you are not random. They are your purpose. Follow them.’
Keep up with her here:
Website: Jana Roos
Instagram: @janaroos_creation