Close to 400 visitors, including women entrepreneurs, government officials, diplomats and fashion fans had an opportunity to enjoy a superbly displayed collection of fashion clothing and accessories designed by fashion designers and artists coming from all over BiH, at the FACE TV studio on 8th April.
Opening the EU-supported Days of Women Entrepreneurship 2019, BiH designers Adnan Hajrulahovic HAAD, Dijana Kozadra, Nerma Begović, Melisa Hujić, Vera Bujak i Sana Linea together with artists Sanja Vajić, Sonja Bikić i Dragani Čorokalo put on show a rarely seen display of talents and skills.
Pushing the limits of inventiveness they demonstrated how modern touch on traditional fabric incorporating craft of over 20 women from all regions of BiH can result in creating high fashion design worth showing on any of the world’s top runways.
Opening the ceremony Khaldoun Sinno, Charge d’Affairs of the European Union Delegation to Bosnia and Herzegovina, emphasised that empowerment of women was one of the key goals of EU policies. As he stressed, the EU supported projects like this one because the empowerment of women cannot be achieved by formal legislative actions solely but requires a true and sustainable social and economic equality.
“Gender equality is not just a human rights matter; it is also a key for stability of the society. Empowered and in financially independent women can provide strong contribution to the society” – said Sinno and added that key goal of this project was “to assist women from rural areas and women whose work contribute to preservation of cultural heritage to have an improved access to both local and even international market without being exposed to additional costs“.
As part of its ongoing support to the “Association of Business Women in BiH” the European Union also funded the design and production of the first web shop to be at the disposal of over 50 women, many of whom living and hand making heritage-inspired clothing and accessories in rural and remote areas across BiH.
During the past 10 years, the EU invested over €7 million towards gender equality and women empowerment projects in BiH and will continue placing them at core of its policy and mainstreamed in all of its programs and projects around the world.
