Create sustainable art at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Romania Pavilion

 DUBAI: In response to an industry not providing enough sustainable choices for wiser, more conscious fashion consumers, the Romania Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai presents Tradition Reloaded, sustainable art workshops by six Romanian artists and artisans, across the six months of Expo.

With traditional craft reinterpreted in a contemporary manner in an artistic process that uses only natural materials – such as sustainable leather, metal, and wood –art is created live in front of visitors during the interactive workshops.

In a world based on technology, and focused on speed and execution, the ‘New Nature’ concept, which urges the world to co-create with nature without destroying it, can be found in every chisel stroke, geometrical Romanian stitch, and intertwined metal. Visitors to the pavilion – located, fittingly, in Expo’s Sustainability District – are invited to enjoy a hands-on experience in the variety of creative processes.

Someone who is determined to protect the environment, while still being a champion of style, is Simina Irina Filat, who describes herself as a “thinker and a maker”.

The designer, whose fanbase includes members of the Romanian royal family, said, “To me, design is about finding solutions for past problems and those problems we could encounter in the future, through sustainable solutions.”

Employing leather, the oldest material used to make handbags, Filat stressed that real leather is misunderstood: “I’ve been working with leather for over 12 years. The leather I use is waste from the food industry which would normally just be thrown away, so we are helping the environment not to waste; we are not killing animals or using any exotic leathers.”

Working only with naturally tanned leather without chemicals and plant-based colours, the eponymous Simina Filat design studio and workshop uses every part of the leather, so nothing gets discarded, which has another benefit: every product is 100 percent unique. Smaller pieces are donated to schools for students to get creative with different materials.

Dedicated to creating products that last a lifetime, to be passed down through generations, the design studio has started a spa service for its clientele to bring in their bags for TLC. They also offer an exchange service for customers to trade in their existing bags, with the materials used to create new designs.

Sustainable, recyclable, and upcyclable, the studio’s output also embodies Expo 2020’s spirit of innovation, with Filat tirelessly developing new techniques from refuse. She now has her sights set on recycling food waste that would usually end up in landfills to make bio-plastic products: “We live in a fast-fashion, fast-food, fast-everything world where we don’t think twice about throwing things away, but I’m making it my mission to re-educate my consumers.”

With sustainability and the responsible use of recycled resources, the common denominator for all attending artists, workshop participants, and visitors will be moved to make more environmentally conscious shopping choices.

The workshops take place from Mondays to Fridays until 31 March.

Source: Expo 2020 website