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SPEAKERS

Prof. Ian King

Prof. Ian King, Prof. of Aesthetics & Management at the Istituto Marangoni – the thought leader behind the organisation of Fashion Colloquias across various destinations on the planet for last one decade.

Ian King was until recently a full research Professor at the University of the Arts, London.  He is currently visiting professor at three universities in Belgium, UK and USA. His background originates in the theatre and the music business.  His PhD was entitled: Strategic Decision-Making in the Popular Theatre.

Ian has published widely both in journals and books – in the fields of art, philosophy, organization studies and fashion.

He is a very experienced PhD supervisor (formerly chair of the research degrees committee) and involved with over 50 successful completions.

He originally started the Fashion colloquium series with four institutions associated with the big four fashion capitals:  London College of Fashion, IFM (Paris), Domus Academy (Milan) and Parsons (New York).  The success and interest that this series generated led further colloquium events in Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Ghana, Brazil, China, Vietnam, with India  (Jaipur) being held in January 2020.

Prof. Gordana Vrencoska, PhD

Gordana Vrencoska is an artist, designer and educator. She has obtained her PhD from St. Cyril and Methodius University – Skopje and holds an MA degree in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins School of Art & Design, London. Vrencoska graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts Skopje, studying Painting & Fashion Design. Vrencoska was appointed artistic director for applied arts at the XIV Bienial of Young Artists from Europe and the Mediterranean in Skopje, 2009. She has had 14 solo shows and has participated in numerous group art exhibitionsand design projects in Macedonia, Poland, UK, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Austria, US, China and other countries. She was the head of the “Fashion and cultural heritage” project (collaboration between British Council, European University, Museum of Macedonia and Fashion Weekend Skopje) and curated the fashion exhibition “Wedding Stories” in the Museum of Macedonia as part of the project in 2015. Vrencoska is the author of the book “Macedonian Visual Identity: Design as an opportunity for evolution of the traditions of visual cultural heritage”, published in 2020. Vrencoska was a UK Chevening scholar in 2005 and won the Twinings hat design competition in London the same year. She has been named a recipient of the prestigious Pollock-Krasner Foundation NY grant for the year 2014/2015 and was the regional winner of the UK Alumni Entrepreneurial Award 2018, awarded by British Council London.

 

Monica Boța-Moisin

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.

Willemien Ippel

Willemien Ippel is self-employed and co-founder of Crafts Council Nederland. She has her roots in the world of art, architecture and fashion and since 2013 in the crafts. Crafts Council Nederland bridges the gap between heritage and innovation and has a strong focus on transmission of knowledge and skills from the older to the younger generation. She will talk about The Linen Project a learning by doing project in which we grow our own textiles. 

 

Vesna Avramovska

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.

 

Nevena Ivanovic

Nevena Ivanović, brand “NEO design”

“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

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

Maaike Gottschal

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. 

Yelena Kharitonova

Yelena Kharitonova is a founder of Caravan Cultura CreArt Agency, which is based in the Netherlands. She has been creating educational opportunities for young international creatives in The Netherlands and Belgium! She advises on cultural projects concepts, creation and management. Yelena holds MA in Cultural Management, Policy and Education as well as MA in European Public Affairs from Maastricht University.

Elisa Guidi

Elisa Guidi is an Architect, she studied in Florence and in Paris, University of Architecture Paris – La Villette. She graduated with a dissertation concerning “The restoration of historical buildings in France”. She has worked since 1996 for Artex, Center for Artistic and Traditional Crafts for Tuscany, and has worked on projects concerning the link between artistic crafts and cultural heritage, and restoration of artworks. In 1999 she became the manager of the Research and Development sector of Artex, developing projects concerning innovation in crafts: shape innovation; market innovation; new formal trends and new consumers’ behavior. Since 2004, Elisa is the General Coordinator of projects for Artex. Elisa also worked for the University of Florence as a Contract Professor in Conservation of Ancient Building. In 2016, Elisa became a member of the board of the Foundation MIC – International Museum of Ceramics – onlus in Faenza. Elisa joined the board of WCC Europe in 2015. In September 2020, she was elected President of the World Crafts Council Europe who represent over 30 craft organisations from 20 EU countries.

 

Kristina Gligorovska

Kristina Gligorovska is a Fashion Researcher, Fashion Editor and Creative Industries Consultant with vast experience in the Fashion-Tech domain. For over 10 years Gligorovska has been exploring fashion as a multidisciplinary field, specifically focusing on the link between contemporary fashion topics and tech trends. She is a published author in numerous publications including the Fashion Theory Journal, and she is a regular guest and speaker at various global fashion conferences. The incentive to analyse fashion as а discipline that reflects various cultures has led her towards obtaining education and pursuing extensive professional experience in Stockholm, Paris, London, Shanghai, New York, Tokyo, and Seoul. Gligorovska holds MA degree in Fashion Studies from Stockholm University and MBA degree in Global Fashion Media from IFA Paris. She has also been a Guest Researcher at Parsons NYC. Gligorovska is a Co-founder and Fashion Editor of MINTSQUARE, an independent online magazine for fashion, photography, art and design, Co-founder of Window Displays Week (WDW), a unique festival acknowledging the artistic value of window displays, and Co-founder of STUDIO VIRTU – Association for Promotion of Visual Culture. She is a member of Culture(s) de Mode, the French network for fashion research. 

 

Natasha Sivevska

Natasha Sivevska is technology textile engineer with 2years’ experience in textile sector. She has involved in the field of export activities, lobby and advocacy, market research, CSR and project development. She starts her professional career as export executive, organizing production and export of garments from Macedonia to well-known EU brands as well as to WAL MART, USA. Since 2005 she holds the position of executive director of the TTA-TC (Textile trade association of Macedonia – Textile cluster) and with her expertise she contributes for fulfilling the cluster primary goal: improving companies’ competitiveness, thus registering world trends in global market. Natasha is member of the Textile committee in the Macedonian Institute for standardization, working on implementation of European textile standards. On a base of her great expertise in the textile sector, she was involved in creation of the Strategy for development of Macedonian textile industry and the action plan for its revitalization, ordered by the Ministry of economy. She successfully managed three cross border, one ERASMUS+ project and two international IPA projects as well as several regional and international projects. At the moment she is running the USAID Business Ecosystem project: Developing Business Support Services, where the main activity is supporting companies in implementing corporative and social responsibility requirements.   
 

Lejla Radončić

“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.

Nikola Eftimov

Experienced Fashion Designer, Design Lecturer and Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the design industry. Skilled in Trend Analysis, Fit, Fashion Illustration, Textiles, and Concept Development. Strong arts and design professional with a PhD Cand. focused in Philosophy and Gender Studies from Institute in Social Sciences and Humanities EuroBalkan.

Marija Kulusic

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.

Viliyana Karushkova

I´m Viliyana Karushkova, the designer behind the brand SEDDUM. At the time being based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The brand started it´s developing while I was still studying in the National Academy of Arts, after an invitation I received to participate in a multilabel showroom during Paris Fashion Week in 2018th. The first project and capsule collection which I did was centred in the equality between the eyesight and the touch using as a tool the braille alphabet. Since then SEDDUM´s focal point is to develop and be an ambassador of the world of slow and conscious fashion manifested in many aspects and an urge to create a small world where we are able to talk more about topics like the creative and production process, consumerism, minimalism, slow living, conscious choices, heritage and inspiration of all kinds.
The collections have a strong link to our roots and heritage but also like to explore different cultures. They were taking place not only in fashion events in Paris, Skopje and Sofia, but also in theatre productions, music videos, short movies and installations.


SEDDUM is a platform that wants to explore our past and merge it with our present as a way to express our philosophy of timelessness and give information about different topics that take part of our daily life.

Hana Zeqa

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

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

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.

Dr Kirsten Scott

Dr Kirsten Scott is Programme Leader for Postgraduate Fashion courses at Istituto Marangoni in London. She has a background in fashion, accessories and textiles design and has worked for leading international designers as well as running her own label for many years. She has worked extensively in Uganda on cross-cultural research collaborations, navigating ethical concerns, the legacies of colonialism, local to global and the realities of diverse fashion markets.

Her current research explores new paradigms of luxury, fashion and health, and the value and meaning of indigenous knowledge systems in a post-digital era. Thinking through making, her practice has become increasingly collaborative, holistic and multi-disciplinary, concerned with fashion’s potential in benign design.