New York Fashion Week in September was a celebration of diversity and inclusion as designers backed by the UN-backed No Nation Fashion initiative presented their creations on the podium.
It’s not quite a journey from rag to riches, but No Nation Fashion has come a long way since its beginnings in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2021, when the initiative was launched as a means for people in transit centers to improve their skills of sewing.
People involved have gone from creating reusable face masks, offering protection against COVID-19, to designing unique clothing and accessories.
The sewing spaces became fashion studios and a No Nation fashion show was held at the Sarajevo City Hall at the end of the year on the occasion of International Migrants Day.
The beneficiaries of the project are migrants and members of the local and wider community, such as local fashion brands and designers, artists, artisans, private sector, media and volunteers.
This year, the initiative traveled to one of the most prestigious fashion events of the year, New York Fashion Week, for a special event involving No Nation Fashion, the International Fashion Academy and Kent State University students. Ohio.
Reflection on the journey of migrants
The No Nation Fashion collection is the product of the creative collaboration of migrants and the Bosnian fashion industry, under the creative direction of Aleksandra Lovrić, a renowned national designer.
The three outfits presented during the event were designed to reflect the journey of migrants, from the most ancient nomadic way of life; resilience and the ability to rebuild and adapt; and inclusion, through social and cultural integration at the destination.
“We are thrilled that the No Nation Fashion brand has traveled to New York, a city famous for art, fashion and cultural diversity,” said Laura Lungarotti, head of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “She reminds us that migration and the inclusion of diversity can produce beauty and opportunities for all”.
No Nation Fashion’s mission is to build a brand and a social enterprise that promotes the inclusion of migrants in host communities and actively participates in making societies more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.
Following the success in New York, the initiatives will continue to support migrants in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with talented people from different parts of the world sharing their knowledge, skills and culture to create wearable works of art.
