"There’s more to Bosnia than just war," he says, reiterating the fact time and again to anyone who will listen.
Indeed, it is a fact that husband-and-wife team, Naid Dzananovic and Emina Sabic Dzananovic, are desperate to impart onto the people of the UAE, or at least have it grasped by anyone who walks into their new store.
In early June, the Dzananovics opened One Piece Concept in Boutik Mall on Reem Island. It is the first and only store in the UAE entirely dedicated to Bosnian fashion and accessories for women. And it all came about because of an intense and passionate love for their country, Bosnia &Herzegovina, and a need to bring the comfort of the familiar to their new home.
"We love our country and we were missing it, even though we truly felt that Abu Dhabi had become our second home," explains Emina, who is a psychiatrist by trade and moved to Abu Dhabi last year with their now 13-month-old son Mak, to join her husband, an engineer working on the new Midfield Terminal, and his 18-year-old son, Kenan. "But Bosnia is in our blood and we wanted to share its beauty. We love the art of our country, the design, the aesthetic, the culture, the fashion; we feel it’s different and unique and can be truly appreciated somewhere like the UAE, among people from all over the world."
When they first arrived in the UAE, the couple had no intention to venture into retail or open a boutique; Naid is immersed in the construction of the new airport and Emina had just had a baby, and was looking into psychiatry openings once she felt ready to rejoin the workforce.
"We quickly grew to love the city, and we wanted to do everything we could to stay and have a second home here," Emina recalls. "We used to take night walks on Reem Island, and on one such walk, I said to Naid: ‘Can you imagine if we could have the aroma of cevapi here?’"
A traditional grilled meat, similar to kofta, served in a flatbread and accompanied by sour cream, cevapi is quintessentially Bosnian. The couple missed the taste and smell of home, and realised that save for their embassy, there was not a lot of Bosnia in the UAE.
With the opening of their boutique, that has changed. One Piece Concept stocks only Bosnian designers, and only unique and unusual designs. Chunky wooden necklaces; Werkstatt bracelets, rings and earrings made from recycled zinc plates used at a Bosnian printing press; edgy Kao Pao Shu handbags made from ribbon by a Bosnian graphic-design student; oversized, printed totes made out of recycled materials by Kohel Studio; mother-and-daughter jersey dresses printed with the drawings of a 6-year-old girl who created the brand Ruby Red; and, most importantly, women’s clothing by Thara Koncept, characterised by a geometric aesthetic and made from high-end fabrics sourced in France and Italy, but fashioned and designed in Bosnia.
"We work personally with every designer we choose, we call them our family now," Emina says. "They are all passionate about Bosnia and about the art they create."
The couple source the most-interesting Bosnian designers, and the accessories in the store are all handmade and created by young, independent, educated and struggling designers or students on the cusp of wider recognition.
"It is wearable art," Emina explains
"Look at these bow ties, they are made of wood," Naid points out to a curious customer. It’s true; the bow ties, by TagTie Drvene Masne, are made of a light wood and tied with a satin ribbon. "They are made in Mostar, a city in the south of Bosnia. There’s a bridge there, the Stari Most, that is 500 years old, built by the Ottomans."
And with that, the customer has learnt a random, new fact about Bosnia, and a conversation erupts, continuously dispersed with details about the couple’s country. The customer leaves with his purchase and a complimentary CD of Bosnian music.
It is exactly the type of atmosphere what Naid and Emina had hoped to nurture in their store.
"We want our customers to become our friends," Naid explains. "We want this place to become a hub, not just a place to buy a dress."
Emina elaborates: "During Eid, we will have baklava made by my mother-in-law and a small celebration in the store so people can come in and learn about Bosnia and the qualities of our people. We want to hold cultural events in the store, have people mingle, hold poetry readings. And we will always have Bosnian coffee to serve."
Bosnia, says Naid, is known for exceptional coffee; the country has the 10th-highest coffee consumption per capita in the world.
The two are full of endless facts about their country. They have taken on the self-imposed role of ambassadors to their homeland, and to the designers they have chosen to showcase in their store.
The Thara Koncept line, for instance, is one of a handful of women’s clothing lines that is purely Bosnian-grown, and made in a small factory near Tuzla. The clothes are very reminiscent of Swedish brand Cos – they are minimalist, modern, flowy, rather than fitted, and play with volume and proportion.
"This type of clothing, it is considered urban and modern in Bosnia," Emina says. "It is comfortable clothing and it is about simplicity; everything that is simple is beautiful. A woman can wear these clothes to work, but doesn’t think about changing out of them when she comes home and wants to play with her kids or cook a meal. She is comfortable."
One Piece Concept will continue to introduce new designers, and there is even talk of venturing into furniture and home accessories.
"Bosnia has arrived in the UAE," Naid says.
One Piece Concept is in Reem Island’s Boutik Mall.