Albania is known for its great food and beautiful scenery, but one of the lesser-known gems is its rich tradition with fabrics and crafts. Every part of the country has its own styles and methods, handed down over generations and intertwined with meaning and symbolism. One region with a particularly fascinating textile culture is Dukagjini, a mountainous region in the northeast of Albania covering parts of the Shkodra area and Malesi e Madhe. It is home to the Accursed Mountains and people who treasure their history and culture. I spoke to Marjana Koceku, a local woman who is working to protect these cultural treasures and preserve them for the future.
Where is Art I Zanave based?
I was raised by a mother who always knitted and embroidered everything my siblings and I needed to wear. The Albanian culture is vibrant and unique, and artisan work is a significant part.
Since their genesis, Illyrians, the ancestors of Albanians, have been masters of crafts and wool processing, and we are proudly inheriting their traditions. When I was a kid, I wore a handmade woollen vest from late autumn to early spring, and I still wear it nowadays, and it’s just magical for my muscles.
I think that Arti I Zanave was born with me because I have always been in love with the beautiful, authentic, and magical Albania, especially the mountains. Being raised on the wild highlands of Dukagjin, I became one with the mother earth, and I have been inspired by it, just as I am inspired by my mother and all the mothers who are inheriting these sacred traditions from us. So, the female power has always inspired me in a very divine way.
Arti I Zanave is based online, on the website, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, from where we sell our products. The products are made in the houses of the women artisans in Dukagjin and some villages in Shkoder.
Who is behind it?
Dukagjini Fairies.
Firstly, I was greatly inspired by my mother, who started knitting and embroidering when she was eight; today, I still wear clothes she made in her teenage years. Puna e dores (handcrafting) used to be a skill that almost everybody owned in different ways in the highlands. So the young ladies, when they were getting married, they would make by their hands all the clothes they needed to wear, including here the wedding dress, the very old and glamorous Xhubleta.
Five extraordinary ladies create for Arti I Zanave. They are loyal, strong women who never give up and work hard to pass on our traditions to the new generation. I cover the online part, marketing, communication with the client and the delivery. I also help design new patterns that might be more likeable for the new generation. Communicating with the artisan ladies, meeting them often, and carrying the products to Tirana- I do all this all by myself.
Tell me about this part of the world
This part of the world is the real Albania, and we are people who care for and love our motherland. Puna e dorës ( the Handmade) is another living testimony of the core values that a nation holds. We are more than honoured and happy to be the heirs of these infinite and extraordinary acceptable customs and traditions.
Women used to be and still are more into these knitting skills and embroidering as men were more into the “out on the nature” hard work as Kanun represents. The deeper you go into the mountains, you will find more and more special knitting patterns. Handmaking these products is a deep meditation for these women. They used sacred geometry symbols on their handmade socks, vests- these are some values that other places have lost or never had.
What kind of products do you create?
The products we make are all environmentally friendly, unique and authentic. Diversity is our favourite brand, as we give life to different products, starting from bags, socks, scarfs, hats, blankets, table covers, vests, dresses, skirts, jackets, carpets and everything you can imagine. We work with four processes: knitting, sewing, crochet and embroidery. We use top quality and authentic materials from highlands wool, cotton, acrylic, and linen.
What is the ethos?
I love Albania and our fantastic nature, culture, customs and traditions. That’s why I chose not to leave but to live here and make something beautiful that contributes to the environment and the community where I come from.
Starting in December 2021, Arti I Zanave aims to contribute to the cultural heritage of Albania by keeping it alive and passing our traditions to the next generations. It is a contribution to the economy but at the same time to the empowerment of the women in these areas. This allows them to strengthen their roles in the community where they live, have their own finances, and not depend on their husbands or fathers.
It is a promoter and awareness of our identity and the culture to the new generations. This is why we are trying to integrate the modern and the traditional gently so the young people could have a better approach to it. Arti I Zanave is a sustainable initiative using environmentally friendly raw materials.
Talk to me about Albanian traditions at risk of dying out and how we can preserve them for future generations?
Sadly our traditions are at risk of dying for a long time, but we can be their saviours. We can be a great contributor to preserving them on an individual level, and it is straightforward. Let’s talk more about them because when you talk about something, keep appreciating it and giving it your time, you keep it alive. Let’s read more about them, the history, the ethnography, how they were born and how they came here. Let’s buy them more often. In that way, you enrich yourself and encourage the artisans to keep going.
It is a big challenge in today’s market with artisan products, especially in Albania, because people tend to appreciate and buy more imported products sadly. Sometimes handmade products might be a bit expensive compared to the middle market, but every cent is worth it because they are personalised. The same thing can’t be done twice.
Our handmade products carry divine energy that our artisan channel from nature, from the mountains. They are very healthy for your body. The wool frequency is 5000 MHz, the highest of all fabrics. This makes the yarn a natural healer for our physical and emotional bodies.
What are the plans for the future?
Arti I Zanave is our baby now, and we want to grow it in the best sustainable way. We cannot talk about concrete plans as we started only a few months ago, but we are trying to set up an E-commerce platform where everyone around the world can be part of this incredible energy.
You have started working with recycled material as well- why? What’s the aim?
Recycled materials have always been part of our life. Since decades ago, one piece of cloth would take tens of shapes and functions. People were so connected to nature that they would never throw anything before it lost all the functions and capacities to be used again.
So the mothers on the highlands were using and re-using the clothes of the grandchild for all other children, and trust me..they weren’t just a few children back then! So, recycling is a part of our life forever. Using recycled and reused materials in our creations assists in reducing waste, and it directly affects our energy and health. And we are very proud to be doing this process very well.
We hope to raise awareness more and more so individuals and groups will start using eco-friendly and non-polluting materials. We are inspired by nature, so we want to protect it.
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