We love supporting you - our students. What makes us even happier is when we can introduce you to other fellow students who have taken big steps towards the future, by taking part in big, world-renown competitions, owning their first business or working on unique projects. Today we would like to present you Sofija - an outstanding international student of ours, who took her creativity to the next level by creating her own brand - Arton Studio for handmade jewelry.
Hello Sofija, tell us a bit about yourself!
Hi, my name is Sofija Krivokapić and I am currently a second year student of Communication and Media Science BA at Corvinus University of Budapest. I come from Montenegro, and when I am not in Budapest, I reside in the capital of my home country – Podgorica.
I grew up in family of five – my mom and dad, and my two sisters. My parents have always supported both mine and my sisters’ interests and wishes, and because of that we have had space for self-exploring and expressing our creativity in many different ways. As very young, I enrolled into elementary music school where I learned to play the violin, and later, self-initiatively, guitar. Throughout my high school years, I practiced choir singing, theatre acting and film making. I realized very early in my life that art will be something that I will continue to pursue in whichever form that may be.
How did you get the idea of creating those beautiful pieces of jewellery?
I inherited love for art and craftsmanship mostly from my father who is a civil engineer. Through his business for interior design and furniture manufacturing, he is also able to demonstrate his life-long passion for Applied Arts. In fact, his workshop is the place where the process of ring making started.
Jewellery making simply happened to be an embodiment of my and my father’s skills and ideas. My father is in charge of primary processing, which is the harder part of the production. After that part, every ring is being polished and finalized by hand – part of the job that me and my sister do. My sister is also involved in Arton, which makes it a proper family business. She assists in social media leading, brand building and sales. Through our work, we bond and grow together by exchanging ideas and thoughts.
I truly believe that we can express our personality, values and ideas through fashion. I try to stay true to myself and not follow mainstream trends. That is why finding clothes and in particular accessories that suit me, has at times, been tiresome task. So, I decided to direct the energy I beforehand spent searching for them towards making them for myself. The whole concept of the brand is about the beauty of the simplicity. Every Arton design is inspired by geometrical shapes we see in nature in one way or another. That inspiration leads us to minimalistic design and unique pieces of jewellery in which many people recognize themselves and choose the shapes that match their personality.
What are your goals regarding Arton for 2021?
The creation of Arton models started in the summer of 2019, however, the brand was officially launched at the beginning of the year 2020. It expanded much faster than I initially anticipated – within something over a year we created a trusted circle of customers across Montenegro and Serbia, and hopefully, this year Hungary as well. My goals for 2021 are to reach more people who find my ideas close and create more valuable networks. That being said, I strive to become known in fashion industry here in Hungary as well!
How did you bring your platform to life and what are the biggest challenges in terms of online marketing?
Main platform for presenting Arton is Instagram. It is no wonder - Instagram has the highest average engagement rate of all the main social channels. Through my posts I can connect with customers and tell the story behind the brand. It provides me with unique ability to present my brand with visual content that can reach big numbers of people.
The biggest challenge I had to face in online marketing is being present all the time. I have learned that continuity is one of the main factors in keeping people interested in your brand and product. Also, it is not enough to constantly post just anything – but post valuable content. It is hard to keep the audience’s attention enough for them to be motivated to constantly engage in my posts. The content needs to be eye-catching, effective, and meaningful. It needs to show the product itself, but also the background behind it – how and why it was made.
I love trying out new things, one of them being photography. I try to put rings in different settings and create the atmosphere around them. Sometimes the pictures are warm, sometimes cold, sometimes simple and at times filled with details. And that is indeed the beauty of Arton rings – they just fit into everything.
How do your experiences at Corvinus help you in these matters?
Throughout my life at Corvinus I have had the opportunity of meeting international people with different backgrounds and engaging into various creative activities. The university responsibilities are very well organized and because of that I have had enough time for focusing on Arton. My major is Communication and Media, and through numerous subjects I gained valuable knowledge that I could apply to my business. I learned strategic communication skills, crucial knowledge of digital public life, organizational communication and marketing strategies.
We are wishing Sofija and Arton big things for this year! Corvinus is proud to have such talanted students.
Find and purchase Arton pieces HERE.
