About
Naida Begeta, the creative force behind Kao Pao Shu, has had a life that could be described a lot like her art: diverse, creative and inspiring. Born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, she was only twelve when war broke out in her country. After three years, she had the opportunity to come to the US and enroll at Olympia High School in Washington as part of the Fellowship of Reconciliation project. After graduating, she returned to her homeland and took her first steps in her fashion career. She attended the University of Sarajevo’s Academy of Fine Arts specializing in product design. While working towards her degree, Naida actively participated in many other avenues of the arts including collaborating the Sarajevo Film Festival and becoming assistant curator for the Sarajevo Center for Contemporary Arts (SCCA), which focuses on showcasing local artists as well as foreign projects in Sarajevo.
It was during this period of artistic saturation that Naida started making handbags. She hadn’t been able to find any handbags in Sarajevo that suited her so she set out on designing her own. Before long, friends and family were putting in orders for Naida’s unusual and alluring pieces. These pieces would become the foundation for her STRIPE UP YOURSELF collection.
Naida graduated at the top of her 2004 Academy of Fine Arts’ class and began to establish herself as a designer while migrating to and from Milan and Sarajevo. Kao Pao Shu brand became a part of the ever-flourishing fashion scene in Milan as well as in Japan, carried by the department store Dice & Dice.
Naida is happily married to Italian commercial-director Marco Schillaci, who also provides the photography for the collections. In November 2007, the two moved to Los Angeles and opened Kao Pao Shu’s flagship store. The couple currently resides in Santa Monica, California.
THE COLLECTIONS
STRIPE UP YOURSELF
Stripe Up Yourself is an innovative and offbeat yet affable collection of designs made of ribbons and stripes. The collection includes dresses, jackets, handbags, pants, belts and more. Naida sews together yards of ribbon to essentially create her own fabrics. Each individual piece is unique in its exploration of geometrics. The results are a complete series of distinct, one of a kind garments and accessories. The collection radiates from the concept of exploring the progressions and transformations of the materials itself rather than the trends of the world the materials reside in.
DRESS UP YOURSELF
Dress Up Yourself is comprised of shirts, dresses, tee shirts and pants made of high quality Italian jersey. Now, not so fast, it’s not the fabric that makes this collection. What makes this collection so charming is what is printed on the fabric: Naida’s own original black and white drawings. The collection is born out of simplicity- black and white designs, comfortable textiles and effortless forms- yet exudes an elegant intricacy and classic style. Cozy enough to wear lounging and sophisticated enough to wear for a night on the town, the wearer feels casual while looking stunning.
Naida’s collections are edgy and modern without being intrusive. Her designs are accessibly avant-garde and undoubtedly recognizable. She creates beautiful and comfortable clothes that accentuate the figure while still adventuring into new frontiers with her materials, techniques and shapes.
With success in Milan, Japan and now Los Angeles, the world will soon all be tied up in Naida’s fresh look on fashion.
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