Cypriot youth network revives fashion heritage through sustainable design

The Fashion Heritage Network Cyprus (FHNC), a youth-led initiative supported by the Royal Commonwealth Society, is working to preserve and redefine Cyprus’s traditional fashion heritage through sustainable fashion and art. The network pairs emerging Cypriot designers with heritage researchers, artisans and sustainability mentors to create contemporary designs rooted in local craft traditions.

Founded four years ago, FHNC aims to bring endangered traditional techniques — such as Lefkaritiko embroidery, weaving and natural dyeing — into contemporary fashion practice. Participants in the network’s accelerator programme take part in workshops, hands-on craft training and museum visits, culminating in public exhibitions that highlight innovative, zero-waste approaches to design.

One recent outcome was Crafting Continuity, a bi-communal exhibition in Nicosia that showcased fashion pieces blending heritage techniques with modern creativity and sustainable materials. The event also featured Defteri, FHNC’s first independent publication, which explores fashion, cultural memory and sustainability through essays, interviews and visuals.

FHNC’s work bridges generations and communities, engaging both young creatives and traditional artisans while contributing to cultural preservation, environmental awareness and inter-communal dialogue on the island and beyond.