UNIC European University

UNIC CityLab Fashion and Migration: Garments as Memory Records of Identity, Memory and Emotions

During March and April 2026, the research project UNIC CityLab Fashion and Migration: Garments as Memory Records of Identity, Memory and Emotions was implemented within the UNICART Engaged Research Laboratories (UNICARTELs), under Thematic Line 7 – Arts, Culture and Creativity, as part of the project The European University of Cities in Post-Industrial Transition (UNIC). The project was realised through collaboration between the University of Zagreb Faculty of Textile Technology, the association Živi atelje DK and its collective Women to Women (Žene ženama), and the City of Zagreb. Through collaboration among academia, civil society organisations, and the local community, the project explored garments as a medium for dialogue, memory, identity, and emotional expression. The outcomes of the project were presented during a public programme held on 23–24 April 2026 at ZgForum, including a participatory laboratory, panel discussion, and exhibition of textile collages and photographic documentation.

The project was led by Professor Katarina Nina Simončič, PhD, with the participation of Dr Duje Kodžoman, Senior Assistant, and Jozefina Ćurković, Teaching and Research Assistant, as mentors.

The project aimed to explore the potential of garments as a medium for dialogue and exchange of experiences among individuals with migration backgrounds, students, and the local community. It was implemented as part of the Contemporary Fashion course within the graduate programme Fashion Theory and Culture at the Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb.

The mentoring process began with a series of lectures delivered by project mentors and guest lecturers from universities in Rotterdam, İstanbul, and Łódź. Students analysed garments through a cultural-anthropological approach, structuring their historical and symbolic narratives. Guided by principles of emotional design and the multisensory nature of textiles as an artistic medium, they co-created textile collages with individuals with migration backgrounds, using them as carriers of associative emotions connected to the analysed garments.

The project outcomes were presented during a public event held on 23 and 24 April 2026 at ZgForum (UNIC Centre for City Futures Zagreb). The programme included:

• Participatory laboratory (23 April), where citizens provided feedback to authors of the artworks • Panel discussion on integration practices in cultural and artistic projects • Pop-up exhibition of textile collages and photographs produced during the project (24 April)

The panel discussion brought together Professor Anica Hursa Šajatović, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Textile Technology, University of Zagreb; Željka Sartori, Head of the Department for the Promotion of Human Rights at the City Office for Culture and Civil Society of the City of Zagreb; and Petra Matić, museologist, independent researcher, curator, and project collaborator. The discussion was moderated by Professor Katarina Nina Simončič, PhD.

The exhibition presented textile collages co-created by graduate students in Textile and Fashion Design (Višnja Cerovec, Marta Jurišić, Irena Kosmačin, Doris Lenarčić, and Ana Piplica) and members of the Women to Women collective (Jasenka Kosir, Mensura Juranović, Samaneh Reihani, Arpy Zkoushian, and Hibba Katassh).

Photographs by Luka Pešun formed an important component of the exhibition and project documentation, while Tomislav Paviša served as videographer and editor.

The project would not have been possible without the support of the UNIC UniZg Team.