PILOT CONSULTING SERVICES
Consulting Services
With the aim to motivate professionals and businesses of the fashion industry, from both Greece & Bulgaria, to use the infrastructure and services of the “CREATIVE HUB”, the fashion lab of cross-border character that was established in Thessaloniki in the framework of the Project, the Hellenic Fashion Industry Association (SEPEE-PB2) and the Textile and Clothes Branch Organization (TCBO-PB4), implemented pilot consulting activities.
Under these activities, the participants received free consulting services on topics such as fashion trends analysis, developing creative thinking skills, connecting cultural heritage and new fashion trends etc., and were encouraged to use the facilities and the software of the HUB to design and develop original fashion collections.
The pilot consulting services by the Hellenic Fashion Industry Association (SEPEE-PB2) were provided by fashion experts at its premises, at the center of Thessaloniki, where the “CREATIVE HUB” is located. On the other hand, for the implementation of the pilot consulting activity, the Textile and Clothes Branch Organization (TCBO-PB4) organized a 3-day study visit in Thessaloniki for designers and fashion professionals.
STUDY VISIT OF BULGARIAN YOUNG DESIGNERS IN CREATIVE HUB IN THESSALONIKI, GREECE
From May 3 to 5, 2023, the TEXTILE AND CLOTHING BRANCH ORGANIZATION organized and held a STUDY VISIT of young designers in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece in the CREATIVE HUB created within the project “Development of a Creative Hub for offering support to fashion graduates, young artists start-ups and development mechanisms to the fashion sector of the cross-border area”, financed under the cross border Cooperation Programme INTERREG V-A “Greece-Bulgaria 2014-2020”.
The visit was hosted by the Hellenic Fashion Industry Association – a project partner, in whose premises the Hub is located.
Ten Bulgarian participants - young designers, finalists of the contest for young designers - first stage - Category "Artistic sketch" - were invited to exchange knowledge, experience and skills and learn more about the activities and services provided by the Hub and the Greek fashion industry.
Within the program of the on-site visit, the participants had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the activities of the host organization, which unites over 300 companies from the Textile, clothing and fashion sector in Greece, as well as with the current state of the sector in our neighboring country.
A leading lecturer in fashion design presented to young Bulgarian designers the latest trends in inspiration for the creation of fashion collections, not only in terms of colors and shapes, but also dictated by the relationship with nature, human and the soul. Many examples were also given of breathing new life into older clothes, incorporating a touch of sentiment into them, which fits the current “slow fashion” trends.
After the interesting presentations, the participants, divided into two groups of 5 people, continued the exchange of experience in the equipped premises of the Hub, where a representative of the Greek association introduced them to the specialized software and programs for designers available in the Center. The young designers had the practical opportunity to work independently with the platform for forecasting fashion trends, which was extremely useful for them, as they shared in the debriefing in the closing session of the visit.
Overall, the event itself aimed to give everyone the opportunity to broaden their horizons, renew their vision of good fashion practices and get new inspirations for creative work, which goal was fully achieved in the general opinion of the participants.
As the end of the study visit, the program was supplemented with a visit to the company Piros in the city of Sandanski, where with the kind hospitality of Miss Nevena Stoyanova – manager in the company, the young fashion designers were able to immerse themselves in the entire process of production of knitted clothing from the creation of the fabric to the final product.
