Darijan
Everything started long before I ever stepped into the real world of fashion.
It started at a casting.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where dreams are often wrapped in beautiful words and big promises. I remember the room, the people, the energy - everyone wanted the same thing. Everyone was watching each other, silently measuring their chances.
And everyone believed.
They told us about the world waiting for us.
About Milan, Paris, big runways, campaigns, money, success.
A life that looked like a movie.
They told us exactly what we wanted to hear.
That we had potential.
That we were special.
That this was just the beginning.
And we believed every word.
No one talked about the other side.
No one mentioned how much of it was fake.
How "glamour" often exists only as a well-packaged story.
On paper, everything was perfect.
In reality, it was different.
The casting wasn't just an opportunity. It was a filter.
A place where they didn't just measure your look - they measured how much you were willing to believe.
How much you were willing to stay silent.
How far you were willing to go, even when something didn't feel right.
I was young.
Hungry for something bigger.
And most importantly - I believed.
I believed people who knew how to speak.
Who knew how to sell a dream.
Back then, I didn't understand that in that world, every dream comes with a price.
And the most expensive thing you can give away...
is your naivety.
As time passed, I started noticing cracks. Small things that didn't make sense. Promises that kept changing. People disappearing as quickly as they appeared.
But I didn't want to stop.
Because once you believe you're close to something big, it's hard to walk away.
Even when deep inside, you know something isn't right.