WILD WOMEN: Stories of Primal Identity

Who are the Wild Women?

In Slovenian folk mythology, Wild Women (often also called White Women or ŽalikWomen, Divja baba, Jaga baba…) are mysterious beings who dwell on the edge of civilization—in deep caves, high-mountain forests, and remote gorges. They are the guardians of nature's secrets and ancient knowledge. They represent that part of the human psyche and nature that we cannot tame, frame, or fully understand—they are a symbol of primal female power that lives by its own rules.

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In a world that has forgotten silence, that rushes and craves constant attention, the Wild Women collection returns to that which remains hidden, forgotten, and unspoken. It is a tribute to the untamable part of the female being that does not seek validation from the outside world, as it draws its strength from its own wilderness and depths that remain hidden from sight.

Through a black-and-white graphic record, JKH identity explores two powerful Slovenian archetypes who find freedom in their solitude: the Krivopetnice and Veronika of Mali Grad.

Krivopetnica: Those who show us the way back to ourselves

krivopetníca -e f (í) in folk storytelling, a wild woman with backward-turned feet. (SSKJ)

The Krivopetnice bring an ancient ethics of the wilderness to the collection. They are beings of high-mountain caves who taught people about sowing, harvesting, and the healing power of nature. Their backward-turned feet, used to confuse those who wish to follow them, are in my vision a metaphor for resistance against the linear rush of the modern world. They are invisible teachers telling us that the right path is not always the one shown by others, and that the greatest knowledge is hidden in harmony with the cycle of nature and the essence we carry within ourselves.

Veronika: The Mirror

Standing opposite the Krivopetnice is Veronika of Mali Grad. Her image, captured in a custom pattern, holds up an unrelenting mirror to us. Legend has it that the countess, due to her own greed, was cursed into a half-woman, half-snake being, and still waits for a savior beneath the castle ruins today.

Her story is a wake-up call: Have we, in the indulgence of our own greed, forgotten the essence? Will we, in our own voracity, eventually curse ourselves beneath the ruins of our own castles? Veronika reminds us that the greatest treasure is hidden within ourselves, not in the accumulation of external splendor.

A Bridge Between Hidden Worlds

Both the Krivopetnica and Veronika sought refuge away from the eyes of people. Through dramatic custom graphics, the collection builds a bridge between our hidden worlds. The colors black and white are not merely an aesthetic choice; they represent the light of power and the darkness of protection—the past we carry within us and the future we carve for ourselves.

The collection is a reminder to return to the Wild Woman, who knows when to hide in silence and when to step into the light, awakening the world with her untamed presence.

What are you hiding within yourself?