Fashion Designer Vanessa Gjini's research centers around the unique and culturally respected phenomenon of the Albanian Sworn Virgins (Burrneshat).
Sworn Virgins are women with limited options in life who have sworn a life-long oath of chastity to “become” men, taking on the appearance of men, entitled to the same rights as men and socially accepted in the Albanian culture as men.
Trousers are a very important part of who they are for which the designer has used dead-stock men’s tailored trousers throughout her collection and transformed them into new garments.
Some of them refuse to dress like men and wear their traditional clothing instead, both skirt and trousers to cover their legs which is evident throughout Vanessa's collection.
Crochet is another key element of her collection. Albanian women spend their childhood hunched over fabric, needle in hand, learning to crochet doilies and embroider designs on tablecloths. Vanessa has upcycled old family crochet doilies which most Albanian families use to decorate their tables into new modern items and used organza, a delicate fabric with a strong feminine appeal to celebrate their femininity through transparency.
Sworn Virgins are women with limited options in life who have sworn a life-long oath of chastity to “become” men, taking on the appearance of men, entitled to the same rights as men and socially accepted in the Albanian culture as men.
Trousers are a very important part of who they are for which the designer has used dead-stock men’s tailored trousers throughout her collection and transformed them into new garments.
Some of them refuse to dress like men and wear their traditional clothing instead, both skirt and trousers to cover their legs which is evident throughout Vanessa's collection.
Crochet is another key element of her collection. Albanian women spend their childhood hunched over fabric, needle in hand, learning to crochet doilies and embroider designs on tablecloths. Vanessa has upcycled old family crochet doilies which most Albanian families use to decorate their tables into new modern items and used organza, a delicate fabric with a strong feminine appeal to celebrate their femininity through transparency.
Client : Vanesa Gjini | Fashion Designer: Vanesa Gjini | Models: Ani Dishnica, Ardita Rafuna, Dania Bazaiti |
| Location Theth, Albania | Photographer, Art director & Retoucher: Edvina Meta
