Fashion Designer, Model, Actress, Mother. This month HOT Magazine has the distinct pleasure of sitting down with one busy woman, Khun Sukanya Poljak. From dressing all of the contestants for Miss Malaysia 2015 to walking the red carpet of Cannes, Sukanya shares with us her non-stop lifestyle and how it all began.
HOT Magazine: Can you tell us a little about yourself, where were you born and what was your upbringing like?
Sukanya Poljak: Many people ask me am I Brazilian, but I am always happy and proud to point out that I am a Thai lady. I was born in the beautiful and spicy south of Thailand – Surathani. Family, food, and friends have always been the foundation and focus in my life. Fashion became the fourth F pillar in my life. Coming from a modest background, I learned the value of hard work, pursuing your dreams, and never giving-up. My successful career has consequently enabled me to travel all around the world but Thailand always
stayed at the center of my heart.
HOT Magazine: In what city do you presently live and can you tell us about your family?
Sukanya Poljak: After many years of an interesting life abroad in Singapore, four years ago I decided to come back to my home country Thailand and the vibrant, colorful, and dynamic life in Bangkok. It’s a truly magnificent city that has brought me success, but even more importantly – love and happiness. Needless to say, starting your own family is probably the hardest, yet most rewarding thing we can do in our lives.
Five years ago I made this giant leap, and since then my family has been my rock, inspiration and endless source of strength. Proud to say that I am a mom of a happy five year old boy Leonardo, and enjoying every second of this amazing lifelong journey with my family.
HOT Magazine: You are an actress, a model and a fashion designer, in what order did you take on these different careers?
Sukanya Poljak: I would first like to point out that we women are known to embody range of talents. You could
say that every woman is to some degree a part time designer, model, and an actress. I was the lucky one that got to do it more and to make it my profession. Understandably, first and foremost, I am a proud mother to a wonderful five-year-old boy. But my life has always been about individuality. In the past couple of years, I have found that fashion is the most exciting gateway for my ideas. To be different you need to be confident, and to be confident you need to have something unique to say to the world – I believe you can do it through your wardrobe. ZuZa is all about self-expression, helping fashion forward-thinking woman around the world express themselves and take the center stage. I have been there through modelling and acting, and I’m using that experience to make a statement that others can relate to – through sensual and elegant ready to wear designs.
HOT Magazine: As a teenager growing up, did you always know what you wanted to do or did these different career paths just present themselves?
Sukanya Poljak: I believe it’s a little bit of both. I’ve always known what I wanted to do – express myself. So the question presented itself, how do you follow that? As it turns out, it doesn’t have to be one channel, but a multitude of them. This is precisely why we, at ZuZa, ask a questions “What is your Dream?” One of my other hidden dreams was to learn how to paint. It started 10 years ago in Singapore and opened a door to visual expression. It was painting, colors, shapes, and visual stories that led me to fashion and ZuZa.
HOT Magazine: Do you define yourself by all three or would you say you are primarily a fashion designer who also acts and models?
Sukanya Poljak: In a modern age, a woman has to take a lot of roles. I believe a woman today is always short on time, but never short on ideas to share with the world. I am no different in that respect and I equally enjoy all three roles. Acting and modelling has helped me express my individuality, while fashion has given me voice to share what I have learned and experienced. This is precisely why ZuZa dresses are ideal for a confident woman that is looking for an elegant and sensual dress to express herself. She is sophisticated, elegant, yet playful. I want to help a lady express herself in a way that will not only get her noticed, but remembered. Dresses tailored so you fit in, but stand out.
HOT Magazine: How do you divide your time between the three?
Sukanya Poljak: It’s quite easy. You just make a day have 50 hours! Just kidding. I am known for being a workaholic and obsessed with perfection, so for me it was never about time. You may be at the Cannes Film Festival enjoying the red carpet experience, dressing celebrities and dignitaries, or dressing Miss Singapore, Miss Universe or perhaps even the whole Miss Malaysia pageant, but at the heart of it all is passion and dedication. You have to love what you do. It consumes you and gives you wings to express yourself. Let time take its course, find your talent and nurture it, and it will take you many amazing places.
HOT Magazine: You have your own clothes line called ZuZa fashion, where does the inspiration come from for the clothes you design?
Sukanya Poljak: The world of fashion is changing fast, and the only rule is that there are no rules. Keeping that in mind, I am always on the lookout for new, fresh and different materials, but the deciding factor for me is always that materials have to be of the highest quality and made to last. I love to travel, and this is
one of the ways I discover new materials, but it is also a way I seek inspiration. The world is booming with color, forms and silhouettes, and they are all constantly feeding my creativity. Inspiration for my last collection came from a trip around passionate, colorful, and sensual Spain.
HOT Magazine: You were picked to be the official clothes designer for Miss World Singapore and Miss Universe Malaysia. That is quite an honor, tell us about it?
Sukanya Poljak: I love doing custom “one of a kind” designs as it provides me with an opportunity to tailor the piece to the unique character of the person. I had a wonderful time designing a custom piece for Miss Singapore 2013 Maria-Anna Zenieris. I have been truly impressed by both the beauty and character of Maria-Anna. She is giving, sophisticated and confident. After a joint brainstorm, we opted for an elegant and sensual ravishing gown, as it projects a confident woman and made it in her favorite rouge color. Seeing confident women in elegant and sensual ZuZa is what gives me energy to keep working very hard and creating new designs. So when the opportunity presented itself to not only judge, but also dress all the contestants of Miss Malaysia 2015 in stunning, show stopping new designs, I literally jumped for joy. I love sharing these positive ZuZa values that shine through at every level, from custom tailoring and handcrafted details to the made-to-last quality. All the clothes are made in small quantity to guarantee exclusivity and are a perfect match for these kinds of special events that require not only a strong brand, but a special story as well.
HOT Magazine: You were asked to provide the clothes for a big jewelry fashion show, how did that come about?
Sukanya Poljak: Many top celebrities from Taylor Swift to Jennifer Lopez to Madonna wear Carrera y Carrera jewelry. It was a dream come true to partner with founder Manuel Carrera and help him represent his stunning luxury jewelry. Both Mr. Carrera and his lovely wife represent the beautiful marriage of art and fashion that is driven by love. It was such an honor to work with an esteemed artist and gentleman like Manuel Carrera and to partner ZuZa fashion with top jewelry in the world. I am indebted for life for having the opportunity to work and share a stage with such a brilliant and era defining man. Truly an honor.
HOT Magazine: You were at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and walked the red carpet. Can you tell us why you were there and what was it like to be at the world’s most famous film festival?
Sukanya Poljak: Walking down a Cannes Film Festival red carpet makes a girl feel like a princess. I was invited to the Cannes Film Festival to promote my international film “Cargo”. It was a chance to reunite with our cast and see friends from around the world. One thing in Cannes is that you never stop, from the moment you wake-up to the evening events and gala dinners. The difference is even-though you are very, very busy, because you really enjoy it, you never really feel tired.
HOT Magazine: Khun Sukanya, thank you for taking time from you very busy schedule to be with us.
To view Khun Sukanya’s Zuza Fashions, visit her website www.zuzufashion.com.