Žuži Jelinek
Žuži Jelinek (born Suzana Ferber on July 17, 1920 in Budapest ; died on January 23, 2016 in Zagreb ) was a Yugoslav and Croatian designer , fashion designer and author .
Life
Žuži Jelinek was the third child of Izidor and Ruža Ferber. Her father came from Ludbreg (German Lubring ) and was the son of the textile merchant Moritz Farber. Izidor had his last name changed from Farber to Ferber. His wife was from Hungary. Both were Jews and deaf. They had met in Budapest at the only technical school for the deaf in the Kingdom of Hungary. The family moved to Zagreb in the 1920s. There, Žuži grew up in poor circumstances and experienced the humiliations her wealthy aunt inflicted on her poor deaf brother.
Jelinek graduated from the Zagreb Tailoring School and at the age of 17 went to Paris to work as a seamstress in a factory owned by Nina Ricci . She met Coco Chanel and also worked for them for a short time. Because of the Second World War , Jelinek returned to Zagreb in 1939. There she opened a tailor shop and sewed for wealthy Jewish families. Two years later she married the Zagreb dentist Dr. Erich Jelinek. Her son and daughter are from this marriage.
In April 1941 the Independent State of Croatia (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska) was founded. The fascist Ustaša set up concentration camps in which Jelinek's brothers perished. One died in Kerestinec concentration camp , the other in Jadowno concentration camp . Jelinek fled to Sušak and found out there that her parents were about to be deported to the Jasenovac concentration camp . She seduced an Italian officer and saved her parents' life. Jelinek joined the partisans .
After the war, Jelinek began tailoring again. In 1960 she went to the United States and had great success with her collections there . During this time, her husband left her for a maid. Jelinek was also successful in other countries. Josip Broz Tito took offense at the notoriety of the independent company Žuži Jelinek and offered her the management of the state-Macedonian fashion company Teteks . When she refused, Tito called her a “negative element” and had her expelled from Yugoslavia in 1962 . Jelinek went to Geneva with her children and parents .
Two years later, Jelinek returned to Zagreb at the invitation of Tito. Then she also dressed Tito's wife Jovanka Broz . During her career, Jelinek sold her creations in the United States, Japan, and across Europe .
Jelinek wrote eight books and from 1994 a regular column in the Croatian women's magazine Gloria . Croatian television is producing a documentary about her life. Even Steven Spielberg wanted to film their lives to go the offer as a consultant of the film team two years in the United States, Jelinek declined due to time constraints.
Jelinek was a long-time council member of the Jewish community in Zagreb . She was married four times and lived in Zagreb, Geneva and Opatija , where a plaque is placed on her house.
Žuži Jelinek died on January 23, 2016 at the age of 95 in Zagreb.
Works (selection)
- Seks liječi sve , 2004.
- Žene, osvajajte ... , 2010.
- Mijenjaju li se muškarci , 2011.
- Žuži - Život Žuži Jelinek , 2014.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Jelinek, Žuži |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ferber, Suzana (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Yugoslav and Croatian designer, fashion designer and author |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 17th July 1920 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Budapest |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 23, 2016 |
| Place of death | Zagreb |