Tina Mentol is an anthropologist, philosopher, and marketing creative whose playful yet deeply conceptual approach has turned Slavsocks into one of the region’s most distinctive cultural brands. Blending humor, design, and anthropology, she transforms everyday symbols of Balkan identity, like burek, ajvar, and rakija, into stories that travel beyond fashion. Tina explores shared cultural narratives with irony and warmth, while championing collaboration, authenticity, and creative rebellion. Whether through campaigns, music, or partnerships, her work consistently challenges conventions and celebrates what it means to be “GAS” in today’s world.
In our latest interview, we talked with Tina about the evolution of Slavsocks, her creative philosophy, and how a pair of socks can become a cultural statement connecting the region through humor, design, and identity.
Slavsocks has been gaining more and more attention. How would you describe its evolution from the initial idea to now being a recognized brand across the region?
Here’s a social experiment and market test through cotton socks. I’m an anthropologist and philosopher by profession, working in marketing. While finishing my master’s thesis on Slovenian national dishes, the idea struck me that I could put kranjska sausage and strudel on socks as a way to promote Slovenian cuisine “outside” of the season, and as a tourist souvenir. That’s how I created my first brand, Slocks – Slovenian colorful socks. After that, everyone teased me, asking when I’d make Slovenian burek socks, and from that joke a new brand was born – Slavsocks. I gave it a new identity – Slavenia, an imaginary country that doesn’t exist but unites all Slavs around shared cultural elements, without politics or religion. That’s also how the Balkan-vibe English spoken by Slavsocks evolved.
I chose white cotton socks as an anti-fashion statement, because in Slovenia, if someone wore white socks with slippers, they’d immediately be called a “village Balkan type” (though I’m not sure which villages they meant). I wanted to preserve that retro vibe, but with nostalgia that maybe doesn’t really exist, yet still feels familiar. Burek, ajvar, sarma, and rakija were the first motifs I made, since those are the things and dishes we all share. You probably don’t know that Slovenia actually trademarked ajvar in 1997, sparking a kind of “aj-wars.” You might also not know that burek came to Ljubljana in the 1960s, became popular in the 1980s as an act of rebellion among youth, and is now completely normalized and part of the culture. But I think Bosnians would faint if they saw our burek with kranjska sausage, cherries, or pizza-burek. There’s even a PhD dissertation on it – the book Burek.si by Dr. Jernej Mlekuž.
I always draw elements from culture – sometimes from the past, sometimes from everyday life – and I love playing with semiotics and the theory of signs. I adore Ferdinand de Saussure and Daniel Miller, the father of material culture anthropology, who studies objects and people’s relationships to them.
White socks will always be rebellion.
Your new campaign is currently being filmed, and you’ve decided on a slightly different approach – opening a public call for young creatives to design for Slavsocks. What was your goal with this move, and what kind of ideas were you hoping for?
I wanted to give an opportunity and a platform to young creatives who want to work in this field or find it interesting. I announced the open call on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn, and the task was to send an idea – something they’d like to create, but through the Slavsocks brand. They had to look at the world through “Slavsocks glasses” and design their own motif. I wanted to see how young people think, what creativity means to them today, what they value. Not everyone fully understood the task or grasped what Slavsocks truly is, but even those not selected will likely collaborate with us later, on other projects.
We chose the Top 3 finalists and announced them on Slavsocks’ social media, after which public voting began. This allowed the creatives to see the kind of support they could get from strangers and to understand how important social media is for their future. Today, it’s almost essential to have a digital footprint, and it’s also a great opportunity for fast feedback and self-marketing – to promote your own “persona” as a brand. The winner took part in the entire process, from prototyping to production and filming, experiencing the full journey from idea to final product. I hope the sales of their design go great!
This year Slavsocks is coming to Spotify! How did the collaboration with DJ Redhedii and the YugoTechno remix concept come about?
Last year, I created a song for the Slavsocks campaign using AI tools, and then released it on streaming platforms, Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube because people wanted to listen to it. That wasn’t planned initially, but Slavsocks always listens to what people want!
Not long after, I randomly discovered Redhedii on TikTok and immediately fell in love with his remixes. I messaged him on Instagram, told him I loved his work, and offered to send him Slavsocks socks to wear at gigs if he wanted to – and he was totally in! His work and the YugoTechno concept awaken nostalgia. All the tracks are hits we already know, but when heard in his versions in clubs, chaos erupts. And how did the collaboration happen? Simple – I just asked, and he said yes!
Honestly, I think creatives should collaborate more often, in every possible way, because that’s how brands become richer, not just visually but also in terms of values and expression. Through such collaborations, a brand strengthens its identity and becomes more than just a product. Soon, alongside the new campaign, a Spotify collab track “TURBO GAS GLAMUR” will be released on Redhedii’s profile. I hope it becomes at least a little viral on TikTok, maybe even a club hit!
When did the idea for this year’s project arise, and how does it differ from last year’s “AI experiment”? How do you balance the brand’s authentic touch with using AI?
Last year’s collection, BMK EKSTRA, was visually marked by the Y2K vibe – the time of the technology boom and the first smartphones: multi-purpose devices at your fingertips, that nostalgic futurism of the ’90s and early 2000s. For the video, I made a song with AI – BMK EKSTRA – that was meant to sound like a Eurodance hit. Don’t ask how many generations and tools it took last year; today it’s as easy as saying “cookie.”
The motifs EKSTRA and BOLI ME K**** became real viral hits, especially on TikTok. The lyrics weren’t written by AI, but they carry that Balkan humor and speak the Slavsocks language – part local, part English.
In that tech boom, I saw a parallel: today’s AI bubble is what mobile phones were in the 2000s. But back then, everything was bolder, more confident – what we’d now call GAS. I keep asking myself why and how that bold creativity disappeared. Today everything’s beige aesthetic, minimalistic, “basic,” and politically correct. Personally, I fight against that – and through Slavsocks I go in the opposite direction: against sterility, for authenticity.
This year, I decided we wouldn’t use AI at all – since everyone else is. Through TikTok and Instagram, I launched an open call for a designer of one Slavsocks motif. Participants had to send sock designs; we picked the Top 3, and after voting, Tim Pongrac, a young fashion designer who celebrates his Balkan roots in his collections, won. The collaboration turned out amazing – at least I think so, haha.
Glamur used leopard print – which can seem non-glamorous or even trashy – but here in the Balkans, we love our kind of “minimalism.” His design was GLAMUR, joining this year’s motifs TURBO and GAS.
How did the ideas come about? Well – we live among them. I chose Turbo because I want the “turbo times” to return – when turbo meant something. Turbo diesel! It’s not about turbo-folk, but about that era when turbo meant the best. I want people to feel turbo when wearing Slavsocks Turbo socks. On the sole it says: When you’re not turbo – you’re GAS. What does that mean? When you don’t feel perfect, not 100/100 – you’re still GAS and you can do it.
The inspiration partly came from the band Sateliti and their song Crna dvojka; I love them unironically, even though I usually listen to metal. I didn’t choose GAS because of the “gasers,” today’s equivalent of ’90s dieselheads, but because the phrase “Ide gas” shortened over time to just “GAS.” The phrase has always been around, but its meaning evolved – everyone now has their own interpretation. It’s also interesting how GAS got a new life thanks to Designerica, who often uses the term. Today, everyone knows who’s a GAS person and who isn’t – and when someone tells you “you’ll never be GAS,” that’s actually a huge insult.
How important is it to you that Slavsocks is not just a product, but part of a cultural moment – something that connects the region through humor and design?
What is a sock when it’s not Slavsocks? A sock.
To me, the most important thing is that the object, the sock, carries a story. And not just mine: everyone can connect with the motif and see it in their own way. I especially love that Slavsocks are most often given as gifts – that’s the most beautiful thing!
In The Gift, Marcel Mauss says that a gift isn’t just a material object, but a symbolic act that creates and maintains social bonds between people and communities. Giving a gift always carries a moral obligation, the receiver must reciprocate, creating a circle of exchange and trust. If Slavsocks is part of that – even better!
As for humor – we could all use a little Alan Ford-ism in today’s world, where everything has become sterile and Americanized, including marketing.
Besides working on Slavsocks, you’re also involved in many freelance creative projects. How do you balance Slavsocks with your agency collaborations?
I think I only work for Slavsocks when there’s bureaucracy involved, and there’s plenty of that, but it’s part of the job. Otherwise, when it’s about creating, it doesn’t tire me. I’ve had great collaborations, Slavsocks has allowed me to do things I used to only dream of: partnerships with Čokolino, Magnifico, and now ART VITAL at Cukrarna Ljubljana – the exhibition of Marina Abramović and Ulay. I even did merch and projects for Bijelo Dugme’s concert in Ljubljana.
There are many such projects, and I see all of them as part of building the brand and life around it, not as “work.” It’s similar with agency projects, you’re a small person working for a big brand, creating something that sometimes feels unimaginable.
But I have to say, it’s pure joy working with agency teams who get contemporary marketing. You know, the ones with top professionals where you don’t have to argue over terminology or jokes – almost like a hive mind. The ones who understand what an integrated campaign is, the power and positioning of the brand they work for, how to read and use data, and the importance of AI tools, and above all, who get the value of content marketing and social media, where budgets are increasingly moving.
When you click with such a team, it’s no longer a freelance project – it’s a real ride. When I get an offer, I’m genuinely excited – it always means research, learning new things during the process, and in the end, creating something new. I love that process. And if something doesn’t work out – well, screw it. I’m proud of what I did. Pour some rakija on it. And that NO for me means: add more GAS.
Every project is a new challenge, and I love when I can bring ideas and creativity to life, offer solutions – but in the end, it’s all done for people, not agencies or brands. Bread and circuses!
Do you already have an idea where Slavsocks might go next – a new collection, new medium, live event, or maybe even your own store?
Projects connected to it always go hand in hand – or better said, foot in sock. Every year, there’s something new. In Slovenia, I must highlight our collaboration with Nord Hard Seltzer, with whom we create joint projects several times a year, and also Tolminator metal festival in Tolmin, where Slavsocks is part of the merch.
This year, on December 4, 2025, we’ll celebrate Slavsocks’ fifth anniversary. We’ll definitely do something – I’m not sure what yet, but there will be something. A physical store would be a big step, maybe too early, but for four years now we’ve had a sock vending machine selling Slavsocks 24/7.
What I want for the future is for Slavsocks to become our “Adidas” – a brand that carries our culture out into the world.
You’re a young person who built a successful regional brand. To conclude – what advice would you share with our readers?
I’d say this: if you have an idea – be delusional AF and don’t give a damn. Create whatever you want, because if the idea stays only in your head, on paper, or in a digital file, it’s not alive – and we’ll never know if it could work. Even if it fails – failure is also an answer.
Second: if you’re already working on something – listen to people, see what they actually need, and try to make a solution that’s mutual but still your own, authentic. Today, no one needs more stuff – but sometimes, people need exactly those things they didn’t even know existed.
