Trapped Threads

Elona Popova is a womenswear designer specialising in woven textiles & mixed media such as embellishment, darning & patchwork. Researching into declining traditional handicrafts in her home country of Kosovo, ‘Trapped Threads’ began from the idea of preserving her mother’s handmade doilies - a practice that is in decline. Elona preserves every element of her process; discarded threads, scraps of fabrics, doilies, unwanted garments & socks by up-cycling them into wearable garments. She explores the interactions we have with the textiles that clothe us - the inevitable wearing away of our clothes and their environmental imprints; the holes in our socks and the way we fiddle with our sleeves as a soothing action. Elona’s work is sustainable, mix media & places the wearer at the centre: garments are adjustable to accommodate to the wearer’s needs, present and future, empowering them to extend the life cycle of their clothes.