Originally from Serbia, Ana Kras is a photographer, furniture designer and creative director based in Paris. She has notably collaborated with brands such as Chloé, Khaite and Hay.
In 2024, she founded Teget with her partner Ruben Moreira, combining her creative skills with the latter's legal and commercial capabilities.
The Teget brand aesthetic combines Ana's eclectic style, her expressive artistic approach and her archetypal vision of design. His objects are simple, functional and elegant.
INTERVIEW
JD: Tell us your story: where are you from and how did you begin your creative journey?
AK: I was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia. I did all my schooling there before studying interior architecture and furniture design at the University of Arts in Belgrade.
JD: Did you grow up in a family of artists?
AK: No, not at all. My parents ran a photocopy store, a small business they started together after they met. My father was an engineer specializing in copying machines and systems. He was very meticulous, but he didn't work in the art world. He even built a house and made all the furniture, but that wasn't his job. He was capable of it, that's all. My mother painted but never persevered in this direction. They weren't part of the world I live in today, but they had a certain taste. I think I inherited some of it, especially my father's taste for simplicity in design and architecture, like Japanese architecture. My mother had an eye for textures and fabrics.
JD: After studying architecture, did you immediately move to New York?
AK: No. I stayed in Belgrade for a while, then spent some time in Milan, before returning to Belgrade. Later, I went to work in Los Angeles, where I met someone who encouraged me to stay. Then I moved to New York where I spent about ten years. I didn't plan it either. I ended up living there for several years.
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details of the living room:
Mara coffee table
Down lamp
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“Paris seemed to me to be the city best suited to my work and my lifestyle. There is both calm and chaos.”
Anas Kras
JD: Do you feel at home in New York?
AK: At the time, yes. But not anymore.
JD: Do you feel at home in Paris?
AK: I don't feel at home here yet, but I feel at home in my apartment. I will feel at home there in time, I think.
JD: What did you do in New York for ten years? You are a photographer, you have also worked in fashion.
AK: Yes, I've done quite a few things. I have worked in fashion photography, but also in furniture and object design, in interior design projects, in creative direction and in design of sets for fashion shows. New projects and challenges appealed to me, so I ended up doing a little bit of everything. I had a studio, but it was just me.
JD: What brought you to Paris?
AK: Love, in part. But I didn't plan to stay in the United States forever. I was ready to return to Europe, where I could feel good naturally. Paris seemed to me to be the city best suited to my work and my lifestyle. There is both calm and chaos.
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In the entrance:
Ofset chair
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View of the living room:
Mara brother coffee table
gray and black sofa cover
Mara gap stool
JD: You have a particular personal style and universe. Where do they come from? What inspires you?
AK: Everything. People. Architecture. I think I inherited some tastes from my parents, but it's hard to say. My father appreciated simplicity, like that of Japanese architecture, and my mother had an eye for textures and fabrics. Growing up in Belgrade, I was immersed in things that were not very beautiful, in the traditional sense!
JD: Do you have any favorite photographers?
AK: I am passionate about documentary photography, particularly simple, unposed snapshots of everyday life. I also like professional photographers, but what I prefer are the raw and real moments of life. I follow the Instagram accounts of arbitrary people around the world, because I like their daily life photos. Photography is a source of joy for me.
JD: For your new brand, you work with your partner Ruben. Can you tell us more about this project? How is the collaboration going with your partner?
AK: Yes, Ruben and I launched a new project called Teget, an object brand. Ruben has never worked in the design world, but he complements me in areas in which I am not very competent, such as production. We divided the work, and it’s an excellent partnership.
JD: Do you ever argue?
AK: No, that’s not our thing. Ruben is humble and very calm by nature, so there is no room for fights.
My father appreciated simplicity, like that of Japanese architecture, and my mother had an eye for textures and fabrics. Growing up in Belgrade, I was immersed in things that are not very beautiful, in the traditional sense!”
ana kras
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panel lamp Wheat field
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Lila fabric painting
"Teget means "navy blue" in Serbian. This color has no particular meaning, other than that it is a color that my parents often wore, and in which they dressed me quite often when I was a child. I chose this name over 10 years ago for my Instagram account, when I didn't want people to know that it was me. It seemed appropriate. It didn't make sense to create a new concept in time of the creation of the company, since this name already sounded like a brand."
ana kras
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Detail in the kitchen
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Jeanne Damas & Ana Kras
JD: What does “Teget” mean?
AK: Teget means “navy blue” in Serbian. This color has no particular meaning, except that it is a color that my parents often wore, and in which they dressed me quite often when I was a child. I chose this name over 10 years ago for my Instagram account, when I didn't want people to know it was me. It seemed appropriate to me. It didn't make sense to create a new concept when the company was created, since the name already sounded like a brand.
JD: What will be your next project?
AK: I have a lot of projects going on. I can tell you that I am working on a few new collections for furniture brands - lamps, furniture and other projects - and on a new collection for Teget.
JD: Did you collaborate with Sakspotts? How did this happen?
AK: Yes, I collaborated with Sakspotts last summer. It was fun because they're friends and we've worked together for years. I photographed one of their campaigns and we became close. It didn't feel like work, and I like clothes, but I'm not interested in starting a clothing brand. I'm more interested in capsules or collaborations.
JD: How would you define your style?
AK: My clothing style? I would say, contemporary. A style that is not heavily influenced by the past or the future, and whose simplicity and functionality fit in with contemporary living.
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fabrics from the collection
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ana at her desk
more artist rooms
