Eco Aware Croatian Designers

“The brand is led by the principles of sustainable fashion. We base the production of our fashion and art clothing and accessories on the zero waste principle. Our models are designed such that they result in as little waste as possible or none at all. We use durable and recycled materials to give our hand-made products even more value and quality,” says Mihaela Plantak, whose work is on display in many renowned galleries and museums in Zagreb, such as the Museum of Modern Art and Ulupuh Gallery. Her sustainable fashion is also available at Kloto – creative association in Zagreb, as well as in fashion store “Kika” on Pelješac peninsula. 

Designer Silvija Kranjec has created the eco-brand “One with Nature”, which does ecologically sound printing on fabric. “I want to become an example in sustainable, ecologically friendly fabric printing and dyeing. For our ecologically sound printing, we use exclusively plants and plant-based dyes on natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and wool. All the plants are from my garden or the nearby forest, however, I also cooperate with local restaurants and florists to use leftover plant materials. I also compost them after I use them,” explains Silvija, who makes scarves, bags, and wallets. 

Promoting sustainability and ecology in textiles and fashion is also the guiding principle at SitoLab. Sanja Stojković creates clothes and bags with the eco certificate and all the colours she uses are water-based. Gala Marija Vrbanić’s Price on Request brand offers luxurious unisex fashion. In her recent collections, she has used the archive of famous Croatian brand Xenia Design by upcycling unsold models and making them into new ones. Iš from Split has launched sustainable fashion through its bags that have the eco certificate, and jewellery brand “Emma & Nala” creates unique handmade pieces from natural materials. 

These young designers are proving that sustainability is possible even in today’s hurried times.