BALKAN: Contemporary Brand Vision from the Balkans

Founded by creative director Stefan Dragic and chief creative Vasilis Marlantis, BALKAN is a multidisciplinary brand transforming Balkan architecture, domestic relics, and industrial decay into contemporary luxury.
Born in Bucharest, raised in Orsova on the Serbian border with a Serbian father and Romanian mother, Dragic’s multicultural background shapes BALKAN’s aesthetic. His self-taught creative journey spans childhood art, photography documenting Romanian landscapes, London studies, and DJing.

BALKAN channels dark romanticism and underground culture, informed by Dragic’s documentation of the region’s urban and natural environments.

The brand launched in October at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Bucharest with an exhibition featuring immersive installations, photography, design objects, and fashion. A standout piece from the exhibition was the newly designed Portal Bag by Stefan Dragic for BALKAN, which embodies the brands philosophy—taking regional symbolic elements and reimagining them through a contemporary design language that sits between art object and luxury product. BALKAN positions itself at the intersection of fine art and commercial fashion—a contemporary reflection of the region that refuses categorization.