Redefining Cypriot Fashion Heritage Through Sustainable Fashion
- Christina Dymioti
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus is a youth-led initiative founded four years ago through a collaboration with the Royal Commonwealth Society. It emerged at a time when sustainable fashion was barely part of public conversation on the island. Cyprus has a rich and distinctive fashion heritage, shaped by centuries of cultural exchange, craftsmanship, and necessity. Yet many traditional techniques were at risk of disappearing, practised by only a handful of artisans and largely absent from contemporary creative education.
The network was created to address this gap. Our mission is to preserve and redefine Cypriot cultural heritage through contemporary and sustainable fashion and art, created by emerging Cypriot creatives. We work with young designers in Cyprus and across the diaspora, pairing them with heritage researchers, artisans, and sustainability mentors. Through this process, heritage becomes something living and evolving, rather than static or confined to museums.
Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus is currently the only organisation in Cyprus dedicated specifically to supporting young fashion designers from across the whole island, regardless of background or community. It is also the only youth-led organisation whose work focuses exclusively on the intersection of fashion and culture, positioning the network as a key innovator within the island’s creative and cultural landscape.
Each year, Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus runs an accelerator programme that selects between ten and fifteen emerging fashion graduates. Participants engage in workshops, hands-on craft training, museum visits, and sustainability-focused education. Designers are encouraged to work with zero waste principles, reuse materials, and explore natural dyes and traditional production methods. The programme culminates in a major public exhibition, often accompanied by presentations or showcases abroad.
One of the most recent outcomes of this work was Crafting Continuity, the final exhibition of our fourth accelerator programme. Built around the urgency of preserving endangered artisanal crafts, the project paired designers with artisans practising techniques such as lefkaritiko embroidery, weaving, and traditional textile construction. Designers began by learning each craft from the ground up, understanding the materials, tools, and cultural significance behind each method before translating that knowledge into contemporary garments.
Many participants sourced fabrics from family members, repurposed tablecloths and curtains, experimented with natural dyes, or worked with unconventional materials such as potato sacks. What emerged was not only a collection of garments, but a powerful example of intergenerational exchange. Artisans and designers formed close bonds, sharing knowledge, humour, and mutual respect. For many artisans, whose work can be isolating as fewer people practise these crafts, the programme offered companionship and renewed purpose.
The response from the public was deeply moving. Many older women attended the exhibition because they had not seen these techniques in years. They spoke about the nostalgia of recognising patterns and stitches that once played a role in everyday life. For them, seeing young people not only interested in learning these crafts, but reinterpreting them creatively, was a source of pride and hope.
This bridging of generations is central to the work of Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus. As an intercommunal initiative, the network also brings together creatives from different communities across the island, using culture as a neutral and unifying space. By focusing on shared heritage rather than division, the programme contributes quietly but meaningfully to peacebuilding and youth engagement.
Over the years, Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus has grown into a creative hub supported by a volunteer team of forty people from across the whole island of Cyprus, as well as members of the diaspora. Our activities extend beyond the accelerator programme and include fashion shows, exhibitions, interactive workshops, community events, and participation in international conferences. We have collaborated with organisations such as UN Cyprus, the Cyprus Sustainable Tourism Initiative, and Zero Waste Cyprus, and have co-organised the first intercommunal fashion business networking event in collaboration with the United Nations.
The network has also received support from key institutions that recognise the cultural and social value of this work. These include the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus, the British High Commission in Cyprus, the High Commission of Cyprus in London, the Municipality of Limassol, the Royal Commonwealth Society and media partners such as RIK TV and Life.com.cy. Their support has enabled Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus to expand its reach and present Cypriot sustainable fashion on international platforms.
Some of our key milestones include the REVIVE exhibition presented in Nicosia and later exhibited in London at the High Commission of Cyprus. REVIVE London was the embassy’s first-ever contemporary and sustainable fashion exhibition inspired by Cypriot cultural heritage, welcoming members of the diaspora and international audiences. In Cyprus, the REVIVE exhibition attracted over 700 guests and included a programme of talks and activities alongside the fashion showcase.
In 2024, the Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus team participated in the Cyprus Fashion Film Festival, showcasing sustainable designs inspired by Cypriot heritage and architecture. That same year, I was honoured to receive the Culture and Art Award at the Cyprus Diaspora Forum, recognising the collective work of the network and its impact. In 2024, the organisation was also shortlisted for the Cyprus Environment Symposium Award, highlighting its contribution to environmental awareness and sustainable practices.
Innovation lies at the heart of what we do. Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus is not only preserving heritage, but actively redefining the sustainable fashion sector in Cyprus. By combining traditional techniques with contemporary design, research, and zero waste principles, the network demonstrates that sustainability is not a trend imported from elsewhere, but something deeply embedded in Cypriot culture. Our manifesto captures this simply: if our ancestors were sustainable, why can’t we be too?
In 2025, we took another step forward with the launch of Defteri, our first independent publication. Created through collaboration across the diaspora, Defteri blends sustainability, cultural memory, and contemporary creativity through essays, interviews, and visual narratives. It reflects our commitment to knowledge-sharing and long-term cultural impact beyond events and exhibitions.
Being part of the Royal Commonwealth Society has shaped how I understand this work within a broader global context. The Commonwealth is built on shared histories, diverse cultures, and ongoing conversations about identity, sustainability, and inclusion. Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus reflects these values by connecting local heritage with global challenges and by empowering young people to lead change within their own cultural contexts.
As an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, I see Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus not only as a creative initiative, but as a model for how youth-led cultural projects can contribute to sustainable development, peacebuilding, and community cohesion. By investing in young creatives and valuing traditional knowledge, we are ensuring that heritage remains relevant, inclusive, and forward-looking.
Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus continues to grow, guided by collaboration, volunteerism, and a shared belief in the power of culture to bring people together. We are always open to new partnerships and conversations, and we invite others across the Commonwealth and beyond to explore how heritage, sustainability, and youth leadership can intersect in meaningful ways.
To learn more about our work, visit https://fashionheritage.cy or follow our journey through our exhibitions, publications, and community initiatives.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Royal Commonwealth Society.
