The connoisseurs of the brightest accessory in men’s clothing – the necktie, recognize the name of Victoria Unikat. Although it is relatively young, the company has already won serious prestige not only in Bulgaria but also abroad. You can find its neckties in the best men’s fashion shops in 34 Bulgarian cities. They are worn by diplomats, businessmen, outstanding statesmen like President Georgi Parvanov, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, etc. The mark of Victoria Unikat is known in Moscow, Ukraine, Spain, the Netherlands, Hungary, Greece, USA.

The Golden Needle 2004 nomination

The company has also won many awards. Among the most valuable are the two gold medals from the Plovdiv Fair in 1998 and 2000 – in the 150-year-long history of the fair this is the first and up to now the only company that has won (two times) medals for neckties. In 2001 in Spain Victoria Unikat took the New Millennium International Award for Commercial Prestige, with which its products became famous as the world’s top neckties. In 2003 in Moscow it received a special award for quality. And one of its first distinctions (1997) was the Golden Lion at the prestigious Bulgarian forum Made in Bulgaria. Noteworthy are the special award for extraordinary contribution to raising the prestige of Bulgaria and the Golden Needle nomination from the Bulgarian Fashion Forum.

This year Rositsa Parashkevanova was conferred the title “Woman Entrepreneur and Manager of the Year” for Varna and Varna region.

There is hardly a day when the atelier of the owner and chief designer Rositsa Parashkevanova in Varna isn’t visited by clients, who count on making their unique choice. Because the possibilities of Victoria Unikat are really unique. They can order a fabric, woven especially for you, where your monogram, name, sign, emblem, symbol, even your signature or face can be interwoven – anything that crosses your mind or that you wish to demonstrate discretely or more aggressively. Here you can truly drink from the source and find yourself, find the way to express yourself and show your position in society through her majesty the necktie.

Mrs. Parashkevanova, how did you start your really unique company?
In 1993-1994 my husband and I were involved in confection trade. I had a fondness for neckties. Then the hand-painted models were in but they started painting them with latex instead of textile paints. At first I couldn’t discover the deceit but once before we exported a batch I suspected something was wrong and gave the neckties for laboratory tests. I turned to the producer and he answered me impudently: “Since you know so much and you have pretences, why don’t you start your own necktie company?” I had customers so I thought: why not?

I found artists in Varna, tailors... We discovered the secrets of the craft alone but later of course we perfected ourselves in Italy. When you seek, when you want to learn something and understand it, you will certainly find the truth. I follow the maxim that when the client purchases the product, he has to feel it like a compliment. This makes me strive for perfection all the time.

You are not afraid to participate in competitions and you have already won numerous and prestigious awards. What do they mean to you?
A real recognition. In a competition there are no certain awards. You never know when the next and better one is born. Every contest is a challenge to judge whether you are still good, whether you are worthy of this peak or someone better than you has come up. I am very critical to myself.

I will never forget the first gold medal in Plovdiv. There are 50 medals for 200 companies altogether – there are no separate medals for ties, for shirts, etc. At a sub-commission level, I competed with the former state-owned necktie factory and I had to demolish the old and build new bridges and standards, but I succeeded. At the next level, I sat shoulder to shoulder with the representative of Ideal Standard for example. And in a strong competition as this it is a great recognition to win a medal.

Did you set yourself the aim to be the best since the very beginning?
I am an ambitious person, I don’t like to be in the queue. I try to compete with the best, I find them, I study their achievements, I assess whether they are actually better and if they are, I try to catch up with and surpass them.

I make no compromises with my work. If something is not good, I will never put it on the market.

Could we speak of a language of the necktie?
In its long history the necktie is the only element of men’s clothes, which stresses the man’s individuality, temper and sense of esthetics. It gives the feeling of luxury, wealth and charm. By the tie you can tell the uncompromising businessman, the enamoured Don Juan, the artistic Picasso. And it is the men’s soft spot as it can add color to their apparel.

The necktie is a way of communication. Businessmen know that clothes are a message, showing your status and rank. The necktie speaks for you – whether you want to be noticed or you’d rather have people just listen to you. Together with the tie most of our clients buy self-esteem too, each tie makes them feel good enough wherever they go. The pattern is a language. The strict, plane stripe speaks of implacability, severity. The undulating stripe says quite the opposite – opportunity to negotiate, to make compromises. It is not serious to appear at a business meeting with a tie with white-sheep pattern with one black sheep in the middle.