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Radmila Lolly is an acclaimed classical singer as well as a high fashion designer. Over the past few months, her singing career has skyrocketed when she reached the top 25 of the Billboard Dance Chart with her single ‘U R Moving Me’ which also featured Dani Hagan.
Radmila presented her last album “Wonderland” at the famous Carnegie Hall. She decided to combine her talents as a singer and a designer and presented her couture collection during her concert while putting up an unforgettable show.
This inspirational woman is the sole designer of the couture fashion house Eltara Casata @eltaracasata. The largest influence on her designs is her musical exploits. For Lolly, her two artistic mediums inspire and feed off each other; the textures of her designs are innately linked to the textures of her music.
Her fashion collection has been featured at Barneys Madison Avenue Trunk Show, alongside designers such as Zac Posen, Naeem Khan, J. Mendel, as well as at the Daytime Emmy’s Ceremony, and many more. It has also been featured by Vogue Italia, and Harper’s Baazar, among others. Radmila Lolly has a huge number of requests from celebrities to wear her gowns for award ceremonies or red carpet events. In fact, we have seen several artists wearing Radmila Lolly’s dresses, such as Gayle King, Bebe Rexha, Mya, Miss Universe 2018, Miss USA 2018, Miss USA 2017, to name a few.
StarCentral Magazine recently caught up with Radmila to discuss her journey in the fashion industry and music world and here’s what went down:
Tell us your full name and something about yourself.
My name is Radmila Lolly, and I am a storyteller through different art forms. My main artistic mediums are music and fashion; I am a vocalist and composer, and I am also the sole designer for the couture fashion house Eltara Casata by Radmila Lolly.
How did you get into the fashion industry?
I started by designing and creating my own gowns for my performances. People started coming up to me afterward to ask where I got my dress from. Eventually, the demand for my creations grew and I started making gowns for other people as well, which led to me starting my own couture line.
How were you actually ‘discovered’?
I don’t believe in people being “discovered”; I worked hard, stayed true to my vision, and surrounded myself with people who supported that. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the people who have supported me all along.
What do you like most about being a designer?
I love the process of it; having something in my imagination, and creating something tangible from it. It is about bringing art to life.
The downside to being a fashion designer?
There is no downside; even if I have a negative experience, it is still a positive experience overall because I learn from it, and I am still doing something that I love.
What has been the most memorable experience of being in the fashion industry so far?
Doing a fitting for Gayle King; she had no idea what I was bringing with me, and she is used to so many different designers giving her things to wear, but she was still so open-minded. While I was in her office, all the feedback I was getting from everyone present made me feel like they were genuinely liking the gown and the way that it complemented Gayle as a strong, elegant woman. A few months later, I received an email from her with photos of her wearing the gown at a gala and a note about how everyone loved her in it. As a new designer, seeing someone so incredible wearing my creation and enjoying it made me feel so honored.
Who have been the most interesting people you’ve met so far?
I believe every person is very interesting in different ways, I don’t have specific names I will mention, because I believe that everyone has something special about them. It’s all part of the journey; someone doesn’t need to be famous to say something meaningful that can change your life.
What has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned while in the fashion industry.
I have learned to always stay creative; never stop imagining, never stop sketching, never stop creating. Don’t follow the trends; create your own.
Is your family supportive of you being a fashion designer?
I don’t have a big family, and who I do have are always supportive of someone who believes, works, and achieves.
How did you get started in the music industry?
My mother told me that every person is born with gifts, and it is important to use those gifts, and educate yourself in that form of art so you can share it with the world.
What do you like most about singing?
To me singing is using your body as an instrument; it is a surreal experience to make people feel things, and tell a story, through your body and your mind.
What inspires you to be creative?
What drives me to be creative, is the idea that I can put something positive out into the world; even if I am creating art about something traumatic or unhappy, I hope that people can relate to that and feel a connection, both to me and each other.
Is there anything special that you do to get into a creative mindset?
To me, a “creative mindset” is a journey; it never stops, it never ends. I am always in that mindset. I believe it can be hard to start thinking like that, but once you start, you will never stop; it becomes a part of your nature.
What are your future plans? Inside your career or out of it.
My upcoming self-composed 19 movement programmatic album corresponds to a novel I am also writing. This project has been in the works since I first started the novel six years ago. When the book was started, I had always wanted an album to go along with it, but at the time I did not compose at all, I figured someone else would be composing it. Since then, my musical journey has brought me to composing, and now I can tell the story of my novel in another medium. There will also be a corresponding audiobook, and of course, a couture line to accompany the album and the novel.
The ‘LIGHTNING FAST’ Round:
1. Last good movie I’ve seen: Mr. & Mrs. Smith
2. What do you consider beautiful and why? The true-life; that means different things to different people. To me, it means trying to see the world in all of its layers, both good and bad, and how I can have a positive impact.
3. What haven’t you done yet that you wish you could? Open a facility with music and art programs for kids, where they can learn skills but also feel loved, and feel a sense of community and family abundantly.
4. Complete this sentence: “If I had no fear, I’d” go skydiving.
5. What is the one “flaw” you wouldn’t change about yourself? I have ADD, and I have learned to use that to my advantage; I used to have problems focusing on one thing for a long time, but now I lean into that and have decided to learn many different instruments instead of just one or two. Constantly switching from one instrument to another helps me to keep my attention focused. It actually has made me a better musician, and definitely a better composer overall.
Jason Harris
