The help that young designers need – FEERIC HUB supports emerging talent through the CROPS project

FEERIC HUB, an innovative educational project aimed at supporting young talent in fashion design, was publicly launched in 2022 in response to the economic and social challenges brought about by the pandemic. The project’s goal is to support new generations of creatives by providing access to prestigious educational institutions, mentorship with top professionals, competitions, and scholarships. As part of FEERIC HUB, the CROPS project was organized as an experimental research initiative, coordinated by FEERIC HUB and supported by NEPI Rockcastle and Promenada Mall. The CROPS competition offers emerging designers valuable educational opportunities, focusing on the development of essential resources for entrepreneurship, such as sustainability, heritage, research, and Web3.

CROPS aims to provide organizers with answers and solutions related to the implementation of a collection and market approach. The results will be freely shared with students, offering them significant support in the early stages of their careers, helping them develop professionally and preparing them for market challenges.

Competition Results and Participant Diversity

The CROPS competition generated an impressive 204 sketches from designers around the world, with 34 designers from 8 countries applying to participate. Countries represented included Romania, Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Egypt, and Moldova, with 16 partner universities involved in the project. The competition winners are: Cristina Andreea Petraru, Daiana Stancioiu (for accessories design), Erin Beatrice Gregor (READ HERE an interview with her), Iulia Gabriela Vlejoanga (Romania), Antonija Bracanovic (Croatia), Fatme Hasan (Bulgaria), and Roksana Sendecka (Poland). Each winner received a prize of 200 euros.

Sustainable and Innovative Production for the CROPS Collection

The CROPS collection was produced through a NON-PROFIT experimental process aimed at collecting and analyzing data from the entire production process, from initial sketches to the final customer experience. The patterns and garments were handmade by NAGUN Atelier in Sibiu, Romania, utilizing recycled materials and waste from established designers such as Ioana Ciolacu and NAGUN. Additionally, the collection’s bags were developed in collaboration with master Lucian Sopa, an expert in luxury design who has worked with prestigious international brands. The packaging production also included recycled cutting dies and waste materials, further emphasizing FEERIC HUB’s commitment to sustainability.

The media campaign for the CROPS project was executed by a team of professionals, aligned with the strategic vision of FEERIC HUB. The creative direction was led by Landiana Cerciu, with visual content created by Florin Opriș, both assisted by Andrada Munteanu and Alin Lazăr. The beauty concept was created by Jacqueline Barth for the campaign model, Daria Ignat, while Adrian Murgea from Marc Media handled the “making of” footage. The entire production was coordinated by Mitichi Preda, president of FEERIC HUB.

Educational and Commercial Impact of the Project

Although the transformation of sketches was limited to prototype production, the sale price of the items was calculated based on a series production of at least 50 pieces per item, in order to test market interest in the collection’s design under competitive pricing conditions. Therefore, the items will be sold below production cost, with the budget provided by NEPI Rockcastle to support the educational program of FEERIC HUB. The commercial activity is carried out with the involvement of Flash Jewels.

Through this project, FEERIC HUB continues to provide concrete, practical solutions for managing an entrepreneurial designer, including production organization, marketing, and the commercialization process. As such, FEERIC HUB remains an important support for young creatives around the world, offering them unique opportunities to learn and build their careers in a sustainable way. (www.feeric.ro)