I have never been that person. You know the one. The one who pops into a psychic’s living room “just for fun” and comes out rearranging their entire life based on a crystal ball. Absolutely not. My faith, my logic, and my general sense of self-preservation have always steered me well clear of anything involving incense and dramatic pauses. Which is why what happened in 2019 still feels… unsettling. I was casually introduced to a friend of a friend (already suspicious), who looked at me for about three seconds too long and then said, very calmly: “You work very hard. But it will feel like none of it is paying off. Until 2025. That’s when it will seem like your hard work is finally being recognised.” I immediately panicked.
2025?
Six more years?
Six years of effort with no visible reward? Absolutely not. I hadn’t signed up for a six-year probation period with the universe. I shut it down instantly. Didn’t want details. Didn’t want elaboration. Didn’t want to hear anything else about my future, thank you very much. I walked away thinking, how ridiculous, and also, please never say something like that to me again.
And yet…Here we are.
End of 2025.
If you ask me to sum this year up in the way I usually do one neat sentence, one emotional takeaway there is only one possible conclusion. She was right.
For the first time this year, I truly felt seen. Not just visible, but recognised. The consistency. The discipline. The thousands of hours poured into something that once started as a hobby. Suddenly, it all counted. Ten years of doing this as a job knocked very loudly on the door in 2025. This was the year I launched my brand – one that finally connected my pharmaceutical background with the fashion world I’ve been part of for so long. The year I received the Harper’s Bazaar Women of the Year Award. The year I became the face of a campaign for my ultimate favourite luxury watch brand, Audemars Piguet. Oh and also the year my face appeared on one of the most prominent buildings on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Casual.
How did all of this happen in one single year, while the previous five felt like an endless warm-up act for the grand finale? I still don’t have a clear answer. But I do have a very strong need to document everything properly.
So let’s rewind. Slowly. Month by month. No skipping.
January arrived with a new hair colour which, if you know me, is basically my way of announcing to the universe that change is welcome. Since I had zero intention of changing anything in my love life, I figured this was a safe place to start. January is always a little dramatic. Viral content. Sudden growth. That buzzing feeling that something is happening. Haute Couture week was, of course, non negotiable. And honestly? I already felt it then. The tide was turning.
I landed more annual contracts than ever before and found myself discussing an extremely exciting celebrity shoot with Audemars Piguet. Also contrary to popular belief January did not last 56 days this year. I barely blinked before fashion month arrived, complete with speaking engagements right out of the gate.
By February, I was deep into wedding planning, packing for freezing New York, and attempting to fit my entire life into suitcases filled exclusively with shearling coats. This year felt different. My team was truly there. I was travelling with three to five people during fashion month, and the difference was enormous. The content felt elevated. The pressure felt shared. Burnout was politely asked to leave. One major goal for 2025 was to fall back in love with creating content and they helped me do exactly that.
I cut New York Fashion Week short and, straight after the Khaite show, flew to Abu Dhabi with Prada for Prada Mode. Completely different energy. New culture. New talent. A type of job I hadn’t done before. And if you ever go to Abu Dhabi please, trust me visit the Louvre. It will exceed every expectation you didn’t even know you had.
February became a blur of New York, Abu Dhabi, Milan, Le Brassus, Paris and Belgrade. Fashion shows stacked on fashion shows: Gucci, Prada, Fendi, Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Valentino, Ferragamo, Khaite, Calvin Klein Collection. If there is a frequent flyer medal, I deserve it.
March and Paris Fashion Week were equally impressive, but something shifted. Alongside the usual schedule, I experienced the Orient Express, visited La Scala, and shot for Vogue with Serena Williams, Nour Arida and Winnie Harlow.
Then came the Audemars Piguet women’s campaign and I genuinely had to stop and ask myself how this was happening. How does a little girl from Novi Sad end up here? Loving a brand for years, only to find out that the love is returned properly, meaningfully is something incredibly rare. And incredibly emotional.
April quietly planted a new idea. Life in Monaco. Filippo and I attended a tennis tournament, casually decided to start house hunting (as one does), and focused a bit more on the soul side of things. Japan happened. And those kinds of trips cultural, grounding, perspective-shifting are what make my life feel whole. April alone included Tokyo, New York, Osaka, Barcelona, Monaco, Como… honestly, if you asked me which month is the busiest, I would still say May.
May is relentless. Cruise shows. Film festivals. Constant engagement. It began with my mum and my best friend (two different people although my mum is also my best friend) visiting me in Milan. Then Paris for the global AP campaign, Florence for Gucci Cruise, Cannes for three red carpets, Avignon for Louis Vuitton Cruise, Monaco for F1, Doha for more work.
It looked glamorous. And often it was. But it was also the saddest year I’ve had in a long time. I lost a family member. Something I’ve never spoken about publicly. Life turned upside down in a second. There were flights where I sat quietly with tears streaming down my face, landing and smiling as if nothing had happened. I cancelled opportunities. I took secret trips home. Being there for my family became non-negotiable even when no one knew.
June, July and August brought a little balance. Work mixed with rest. Wimbledon. Haute Couture. Capri. Ibiza. The South of France. Holidays were cut short for things I couldn’t say no to: shooting a cover in the Middle East, hosting an event for Tiffany & Co., filming a campaign for Qatar Airways.
I returned to Sarajevo my birthplace and sat outside my cousin’s house with ten of us, talking, laughing, drinking rakija from a plastic bottle that used to hold mineral water. That moment alone made the entire year worth it.
Then suddenly it was Venice red carpets, New York Fashion Week, lights at the Khaite show, sitting next to major US celebrities, and boarding a plane to Los Angeles to see my billboard on Sunset Boulevard.
My Balkan self refused to believe it until I stood there and looked up. If you walk into an Audemars Piguet boutique anywhere in the world chances are, you’ll see me on the screens. I had one Jamalouki cover go live, then shot another weeks later. Fashion month was bigger than ever, spanning New York, London, Milan, Paris plus Hong Kong and LA. Long-haul flights became normal. My dad is convinced airport staff know me personally now.
October slowed down in the best way because I was preparing for one of the most important launches of my life: NOA.
A project conceived in 2020, brought to life with the help of my team and family. Thousands of bottles sold in under two months. I can only say thank you. This is something I will build, protect, and grow with intention.
The year closed with Vlogmas and the Women of the Year Award moments that truly marked 2025. My ninth cover followed, and this one felt special. It celebrated women. Anyone who knows me knows my long-term dream: working with women from underprivileged backgrounds, and one day building a safe house.
At the end of everything, it always comes back to my family and my team. The friends who listen. The people who believe in my vision. The family who understands how sensitive I really am and supports me quietly.
I learned Italian. I invested in property. I laid foundations for projects beyond fashion. Therapy two years in finally taught me what boundaries actually mean. I’m not losing relationships anymore. I’m strengthening them. I live in an abundance of love, thanks to my fiancé Filippo who I’ll be calling my husband next year.
It all looks dreamy on paper. But there were tears. Sweat. 5am alarms. And that doesn’t make for a cute New Year’s post. So here we are..
I wish you a beautiful 2026 filled with health, love, and energy. Turn envy into ambition. Passion into knowledge. Be the best version of yourself, bravely and honestly.
Sending you so much love, my darling heroes.
Happy New Year. ✨
Some Of My Favourite Reels
