SOCRAT – CLL on Textile and Fashion Design, Round Table in Pula, Istria 24/01/2026

A round table titled "Textiles and Fashion Design" was held on Saturday, January 24, at the Novo Gallery in Pula as part of the "Creative Living Laboratory for Textiles and Fashion Design" within the SOCRAT project in organisation by Region of Istria and Association of Interdisciplinary Artists (HUiU). 

The round table—moderated by costume designer Kristina Nefat, president of the Croatian Association of Interdisciplinary Artists (HUiU)—focused on the contemporary interpretation of traditional Istrian garments, incorporating natural materials and "eco-printing" as a visual accent. Participants in the round table included: Dr. Lidija Nikočević, an independent curator, who discussed traditional Istrian clothing and the messages it conveys; Mirjana Margetić, from the Ethnographic Museum of Istria, who spoke on the museological interpretation of Istrian folk costumes; and Dr. Katarina Nina Simončić, who addressed the history of dress, fashion, and fashion design. Additionally, fashion designer Filippo Laterza—a mentor for the Creative Living Laboratory—presented his work and his breakthrough on both the local and international scenes. There was also the opening of the exhibition of fashion designs by Fillipo Laterza and the internationally acclaimed designer Staša Doblanović Randall from Pula, also a mentor of SOCRAT’s Textile and Fashion Design Creative Lab.

Clothes as a boundary between the individual and the community, the private and the public, the body and society, from prehistory to the end of the twentieth century, reveal the layered role and meaning of clothing items and trends defined by social and technological changes. Different historical contexts have created contemporary fashion challenges, as well as ecological and social aspects. In this context, tradition and sustainability issues may serve as the foundation for new collaboration models between artisans, designers and cultural stakeholders in the creation of authentic experiences and the reinterpretation of heritage.