SPEAKERS

Author of the TEDx Talk: “Cultural Fashion: Transform the Fashion Industry From Villain to Hero”, Founder of the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative® and Co-Founder of WhyWeCraft, Monica Boța-Moisin is a cultural intellectual property and fashion lawyer and cultural sustainability consultant. Keynote speaker and facilitator, Monica is a regular speaker at conferences and events on topics related to law, cultural heritage, cultural sustainability, cultural appropriation, sustainable development, digitisation of cultural heritage, leadership, resilience, ethics and transparency in textile supply chains & more. Titles include: “Cultural Sustainability in Fashion”, “Cultural entrepreneurship: Co-creating business models with the crafts sector”, “The 3Cs’ Rule: Credit. Consent. Compensation© as a tool for decolonising the fashion system”. With a double specialisation in EU law and international arbitration, Monica mediates and designs benefit- sharing business models in the fashion business based on integrating traditional craftsmanship and collaborations with craft and artisan communities in contemporary fashion supply chains. She advises businesses on culturally sustainable product development and conducts cultural ethics due- diligence reports. As a cultural sustainability consultant she supports local communities and artisan groups to develop protection and promotion strategies for their Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions.

Architect, product developer. Independent Business Development consultant for micro and small craft enterprises, capacity and skills building specialist. Vesna Avramovska is a freelance architect, product designer and developer, and skills and capacity building-trainer/mentor with more than 30 years of experience. Since 1985 Vesna run her own business in product design and production, and skills development in furniture production and home furnishing sectors. She is co – founder and President of the Macedonian Artisans Trade Association (MATA), which is a non-profit organization that aims to foster the development of the design and craft sector in Macedonia and achieve tangible social changes and benefits for designers, artisans and craft micro enterprises. Vesna’s experience and competence in Project management and as a professional designer, product developer and implementer of the design management processes, and as a traditional skills mentor for various local and international contractors/donors (ILO, EU, British Council, OSI, USAID, UNDP, GIZ, CHwB etc.) is valuable asset to design and crafts sector’s development in Macedonia and in the Region.

“The past and the future come together”. NEO design strives to bring traditional techniques of making clothing and jewelry to a new age in which functionality will benefit from the simplicity inspired tradition. NEO design is based on a new vision of functionality. Clothing, jewelry and accessories are intertwined and they form a multifunctional unit, which adapts to the one who wears it offering the possibility to personalize.  Connection between the past and the future is necessary for a strong and healthy society and NEO is trying to provide it through clothing designed for powerful, artistic and mystic souls.      Photo by Zoran Rašić

Nika Ravnik is a Slovenian designer based in Ljubljana. The ethos of her brand is sustainably oriented focusing on smart design approach like the zero-waste principle, the concept of one-size-fits-all and versatility allowing one piece of clothing to be worn in several ways. Simple geometric shapes form the starting point of her designs that by exploring, amplifying and manipulating concrete details of some inspiration turn into authentic wearable creations. Her aesthetics resembles multifunctional minimalism with an avant-garde spirit combining artistic craftsmanship and timelessness.

Photo by Ivian Kan Mujezinović

I’m a weaver. I like the sound of the loom. I like to place the threads very precise. Preferably by hand. Like writing a letter. The weaving combines my love for color, texture, material and space. The handwork gives me time to think and to process. To make decisions when they are at hand. Textile is a language, a very abstract one. Even before there was the written text word textile was used to express all important stuff in live. It is a language: like music. 

“Bosanske rukotvorine – Bosnian Handicrafts”, local NGO.  Executive director since 1999. “Bosnian Handicrafts” ltd. – NGOs trading arm.  Director. Responsible for overall management of the organization, including supervising all export activities, local and foreign marketing and training activities. Starting and running both legal entities, as legal successors of NPA-HCP project, was, and still is, a big challenge in the country where social entrepreneurship is still not clearly defined and  legalized. Despite the non-friendly business environment in BiH, and global crisis in the last few years BHcrafts manages through all obstacles, getting into new markets and expanding its production. Since March 2009 BHcrafts is certified fair trade producer, at that time the only one in the region, which enable the access to new markets and more and more socially responsible buyers. BHcrafts was the first BH Company with on-line shop, which was started 13 years ago.

Marija Kulusic is a womenswear slow fashion designer based in Zagreb, Croatia. Behind the design there is always a story around which I creates a collection. The attention is especially focused on sophisticated hand finished details and delicate fabric techniques. Fabrics are often dyed with natural dyes-various plants. Aiming for juxtaposition in design, contemporary silhouettes are tailored and finished by respecting tradition and exploring the difference between modern and traditional to achieve timeless pieces with the element of surprise.

Hana Zeqa is an MA Costume Design  graduate from London College of Fashion, researching on Wearable Technology and interactive garments.
She established a slow fashion design studio Fight or Flight in Prishtina, Kosovo, developing fashion tech garments and  producing everyday wear.  Hana Zeqa’s work with Fight or Flight has been showcased at Ars Electronica, Costumes of 21st Century Exhibition Moscow, Sadlers Wells Theatre, Oxo Tower London, H&M Starting House etc. Hana is also a Costume & Fashion History lecturer at AAB University in Prishtina.

Edvin Lamce is project coordinator with Gjirokastra Foundation. He has been involved in many projects which aimed at revitalization, development, crafts revival, arts and tourism. In general his core strengths stem from proposing and coordinating the successful realization of the projects in the field of cultural heritage and development

Milica Terzic is Assistant Coordinator in Ethno Network (Belgrade, Serbia). Since 2020, she has been employed in the Ethno Network, and since then she has been dedicated to the preparation and implementation of donor projects, the organization of handicraft production and the improvement of the association’s activities. She has a degree in journalism, and master degree in social politics. Apart from work, she writes part-time for a magazine named Lice ulice (Face of Street), first magazine sold by people who live and work on streets. She also worked on education programs for Roma children.