The pop singer Dara’s unexpected victory at the 70th Eurovision Song Contest was not just a first for Bulgaria, but also an adrenaline shot for the creative team behind her.
The 27-year-old performer’s stylist Ivan Tsutsumanov brought WWD up-to-speed about her style choices and what Dara is really like to work with. Her life took a more public turn as a reality star in 2015, when she was cast on the Bulgarian version of “The X Factor.” Dara, whose given name is Darina Yotova, won over fans and the Eurovision jury with “Bangaranga.” Her middle-parted raccoonish dark tresses and intricate stenciled tattoos aren’t her only signature looks.
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Eurovision is as much about image-making as it is about performance, not just for musicians and their respective designers of choice, but also for fans and the countries vying for the title. And millions are watching, with last year’s event having raked in a record-breaking 166 million in viewership.
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Having first teamed up with Dara to shoot the cover of her last album, “ADHDARA,” a year ago, Tsutsumanov said they have been working together ever since. Deciding on the 27-year-old’s racy look for Saturday night’s finals in Vienna — pale pink halter, black miniskirt, and pink latex-looking stulpen — was “a really big team effort” with everything starting from the creative concept for the stage and dance, Tsutsumanov said.
Working with the staging director and choreographer Fredrik Benke Rydman, Tsutsumanov led the team, which dreamt up the color scheme first. “From there, we knew that Dara had to be able to move freely and that we wanted something rather simple, but impactful and visually appealing,” he said.
Relying on a highly skilled team of professionals and artisans in Sofia, Bulgaria, Tsutsumanov said that every part of the costume was produced by different people, and it was truly a collaboration and team effort. Hundreds of fans, including Sofia’s mayor Vassil Terziev, welcomed Dara home at Vasil Levski Airport on Sunday. As the 2026 Eurovision winner, Bulgaria, a country with just 6.6 million residents, will host next year’s edition of Eurovision — more than two decades after the country joined the European Union. The country’s triumph came after Bulgaria sat out the past three years of the contest.
The team spent days in Vienna, preparing and rehearsing. Tsutsumanov also designed the costumes for Dara’s dancers. “Eurovision was quite intense, but it was also so inspiring to see so many people laser-focused on one performance. I have done many big productions, but this was truly beyond,” he said.
The hairy-looking dress that Dara sported for Eurovision’s “turquoise carpet” opening ceremony event was also designed by fellow Bulgarian Viktor Garbeshkov. Tsutsumanov said he admires the designer’s “eye for drama,” and had been watching his career progress since Garbeshkov was in high school in Sofia. The long-sleeved short dress that Dara wore for the event’s curtain raiser was inspired by the “kukeri” tradition in Tsutsumanov’s hometown of Razlog. Suited up in elaborate traditional costumes, men perform rituals that are meant to scare away evil spirits and cultivate a good harvest, health and happiness.
Tsutsumanov said that Dara’s frock (which looked like lustrous long dark hair with lighter streaks), was “exactly what we needed to create a moment on the carpet.” Made with “synthetic hair,” as in fibers, the dress is meant to resemble Dara’s striped hairstyle and the color scheme reflected that.
Coincidentally, another dress that appears to be made with human-looking hair but is actually synthetic strands is getting international attention at the “Costume Art” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The attribution for “Corpus Nervana 0.0, 2023-24,” also has caused a rift between YH Studios’ designer Yoav Hadari and the British artist Anouska Samms, who previously collaborated on a similar style.
This year’s edition of Eurovision had its own dose of controversy. In advance of the event, five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — dropped out in opposition to the inclusion of Israel, due to the ongoing war with Hamas. Israel’s Noam Bettan finished second and Romania’s Alexandra Căpitănescu took third place. Dara’s 173-vote lead over Bettan was Eurovision’s largest ever. Căpitănescu’s risque “Choke Me” performance sparked some public debate too.
But Dara’s kukeri-inspired frock is meant to amp up Bulagarain heritage and emerging creatives. Aside from Garbeshkov having been “the perfect fit for what we wanted to say on the carpet,” the stylist said that he wanted to showcase “true Bulgarian talent.”
Another stylish individual, Victoria Swarovski, a pop singer and model, presented the Crystal Microphone to Dara with Michael Ostrowski at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna.
The pop artist and her stylist favor young designers and prefer working with a wide base of people. She is loving Jean Paul Gaultier’s mesh styles as the moment, he said. Describing Dara as “a force, who is extremely hardworking and beyond creative,” he added, “She loves playing with fashion and has an eye for mix-and-match styles, which makes my job fun.”
As for what fans might be surprised to learn about her, Tsutsumanov said, “She does not take ‘No’ for an answer in the best way possible. She is always super determined to push forward and find the right way. Also, she is the goofiest, and kindest person. “
Their aim is to inspire people in general. Tsutsumanov said that “if that manages to translate into something bigger, with an economic impact, that would be even better.” Always on the lookout for young designers and independent brands, he said that is where the true creative force of fashion is.
The stylist, who recently worked with Diesel, said he is excited for Dara and “everything that’s coming for her in the future. This win will bring amazing opportunities, I’m sure,” he said.