In the early 1970s, my parents immigrated from Montenegro in the former Yugoslavia to Denmark. Almost a decade after their arrival to Denmark, I arrived to this world - and ever since my parents have called me by the nickname Vaki.
I have always been fascinated with cities. In fact, for several years, I thought I should become an architect, but that's a different story. Design and art became how I feel I can express myself the most. The urban inspiration, so many have told me, is nevertheless evident in my work as is the Scandinavian tradition in which I'm brought up with.
When starting my company I wanted to honor my parents and my slavic heritage through its name. I combined the toponymy grad - which is a Slavic word meaning town, city, castle or fortified settlement that appears in numerous Slavic toponyms, such as Beograd or Petrograd - to my nickname Vaki. And the name Vakigrad was born.
Some have questioned if the name confuses my urban minimalistic Scandinavian design line with more slavic connotations. But I'm proud of my heritage, and I'm proud of tearing down boundaries. If not in my own company, where else?
x Vaso Vukovic,
CEO and founder of Vakigrad
