Key objectives
Fashion Heritage
Cypriot fashion heritage is very unique as it consists of influences from various minorities across the island. The FHNC strives to showcase these influences through its content and fashion pieces. We aim to re-introduce traditional garments, techniques, and materials but with a modern and innovative twist by taking into consideration the present. We aim to celebrate our fashion heritage and its connection with sustainability by engaging the youth.
Sustainability
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Sustainability should be an objective in our daily life. Therefore, the FHNC commits to creating designs that are environmentally friendly and zero-waste in order to have the minimum impact on the environment. Furthermore, Cypriot Fashion Heritage is classed as sustainable, as fashion sustainability tactics (i.e reuse, natural dyes, repair, upcycle) were generally used in the past. For this reason, we would like to re-introduce this notion back into people’s lives, especially now as we are living through a climate crisis.
Innovation
Research and re-introduce the fashion sustainability techniques and general fashion design technics found in Cypriot Fashion Heritage. These methods will be either used or further innovated/developed by our fashion designers in order to be incorporated into their designs. The aim is to celebrate and preserve these cultural fashion techniques, which will enable both the fashion designers and the general public to shift the ways in which they treat their clothes, thus reinforcing the notion of fashion sustainability.
Youth Engagement and Peace-building
As an inter-communal project, the FHNC brings together young Cypriot fashion designers and artists from different communities and gives them the opportunity to work together collaboratively, exchange ideas, and showcase their work. Moreover, the network also organizes educational workshops and seminars for its members as well as the chance to present their work on both local and international platforms and network with industry professionals. Through art, we can create dialogue and create bridges.
