EARTH TO WEAR Exhibition

Autorin: Tays Jennifer Köper-Kelemen
Twice a year, designer Neli Mitewa stages unique creations by independent, young Bulgarian fashion designers in Sofia under a specific motto. She is not only the curator of the exclusive exhibition, but also the founder of the conceptual designer platform:
IVAN ASEN 22.

WERBUNG

The summer edition 2025 of the Bulgarian design salon IVAN ASEN 22 is held under the title ‘Earth to wear’. Up-and-coming Bulgarian designers showcase exclusively made slow fashion pieces that place nature as the greatest creator at the centre.

With its variety of textures, shapes and colour combinations, nature is an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In particular, flora, flowers, plants, trees, shrubs and grasses, form the main theme for the designers. Their life cycle, different states and transformations throughout the seasons set the tone. Particular attention is paid to summer, the season of glorious blooms, vibrant colours and fragrant aromas. It plays a decisive role in the colour palette, which includes green in all its shades, as well as fresh pink, yellow, blue and white. Pastel-coloured watercolours are also represented.

The structures of the surfaces of plants, tree trunks and leaves are also translated into the designer creations. They are depicted in three-dimensional textures of fine, uneven folds, overlapping transparencies, organic lines and fine engravings. The different species and their natural colouring provide ideas for exquisite botanical or bold macro prints, colour gradients, graphic drawings, textured watercolours and photorealistic landscapes. Multi-layered silhouettes, organic shapes and layering characterise the designs, as do pleated textures and transparent details with embroidery and interweaving reminiscent of the veins of a leaf.

The return to handcraft techniques plays an important role. It ranges from embroidery and knitting to the artisanal processing of yarns, threads, beads and fringes. Natural fabrics such as linen, cotton and silk are used. The focus is on slow fashion. The designs must include at least one sustainable aspect: Zero waste, recycling, upcycling, use of fabrics from old stock or fabrics that are proven to be ecologically produced, natural fabrics, eco-printing, or natural dyeing.

WERBUNG

A team of 36 designers present their own sustainable products especially created for the exhibition. The fashion designers include Georgi Florov, Rosica Mrsik, Anelia Antova, Maya Karanesheva, Milena Nacheva, Slavina Petrova, Youliana Yanakova, Dilyana Cholakova, Maria Popova, Stilyana Dzhongova, Iva Grigorova, Polina Sotirova, Kristina Lyubenova, Niya Yordanova, Amest Glndjian, Nicole Hagedorn, Danail Kapchin, the labels Ham&Eggs, Prototype 23, nelmit, YOD by Yana Dvoretska, Diliana Ivanova-YEDA, Dinka Kasabova-DK, Evgeni Petkov-Eugenio, Vintage Sofia and Stylyne. Jewelry on the theme is created by Boryana Dankova, Velislava Bozhinova, Gergana Trukanova and KIA FIL. Art Studio Giovanna shows new models of designer bags on the theme.

Five ’new names‘ debut at the event – graduating fashion design students and young designers who have been selected through a competition: Maria Anisimova, Hatche Alieva (National Academy of Art), Kosara Zelenikova (New Bulgarian University), Radina Slavova (Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts-Plovdiv) and Ivayla Usheva (New Bulgarian University).

The theme of the summer event of IVAN ASEN 22 corresponds to the focus of the design platform for 2025 – sustainably created fashion. The thematic exhibition is part of the ‚Rethink, Reuse, Upcycle‘ program, implemented with the support of the National Culture Fund.

CREDITS

photos: Elena Spasova
model: Elitsa Hristova
makeup: Hristiana Teova
hair: Stanimir Barutchiev-Miro (Kevin.Murphy)
styling & set design: Stanislava Dimitrova and Dilyana Ivanova
interior design: Diliana Ivanova
graphic design: Georgi Florov
social media: Preslava Petkova