Serge meets Tijana Tamburic
Describe yourself in 3 words:
The first time I was asked this question was at the job interview to be a sales assistant when I was 17 and I found it an interesting question so I thought it through seriously and eventually replied ‘sarcastic, outspoken and argumentative’. It didn’t go down so well but I still think it’s the most accurate answer I have.
Now how about your style in 3 words:
Comfortable, classic and Serbian-hand-me-down-chic.
You do some very varied things, tell us about your comics publishing venture?
My father and I opened a publishing company called Omnibus in Serbia on the back of our first book, and an anthology of comics from the former Yugoslavia, called ‘The Comics We Loved’. We buy the rights to English and foreign graphic novels that we love and have them published in Serbian. Through this process, we met many artists and graphic novel writers from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and so on whose incredible work was not getting the publishing or acknowledgement it deserved. We decided to translate their works into English and open an interactive platform for comics artists and readers called Modesty Comics. You can read many examples of the works of dozens of artists for free and buy the whole work as an E-book. We also sell originals and merchandise.
What are your passions?
Working on causes I think are worthwhile to get people involved in things I think are worthwhile. An example, as that sentence was quite convoluted; being a translator at world sporting events (I did the 2012 Olympics and the FINA World Championships 2013) to get young people interested and engaged in sport and helping incredible comics writers and artists spread their work.
Where are you from originally?
I was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and am possibly the most patriotic person you will ever meet.
How do you enjoy being in London, the epicentre of Fashion?
I’ve been raised in London and it’s very much my stomping ground. I am a city baby and can’t imagine not being somewhere where so much is accessible. I like that people have the resources to express themselves with fashion and that I have been able to work with such a variety of designers. On the other hand, it does create a certain amount of pressure on what you wear and I find that so contrived and stressful that I give up more often than not and you’ll notoriously find me in very unattractive, but extremely comfortable, fleece trousers and shirts.
What do you hope to be doing in 5 years time?
Hopefully, something more settled that makes me happy but I’ll probably be winging it like I is now.
What is your favourite Serge DeNimes item?
I like a simple white T-shirt like the SDN one, that you can style with anything.
Favourite spot in London?
As a building, I love the Natural History Museum, but in this weather, my bed is my favourite place to be.
Favourite Designer?
I’d say Sophie Hulme and Joshua Kane (who, coincidently, both went to the same university).
Website: www.modestycomics.com