Ethnographic Artwork Debuts on the Catwalk
USAID's Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) program was started throughout Serbia in 2001. One of the program's areas of emphasis is the country's ethnographic arts and crafts industry, which USAID helps by improving craft marketing, sales, and quality standardization within Serbia's artisan community.
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| A model showcases the handiwork of Ethno Network's members |
In October 2005, USAID celebrated the formation of a professional handcraft organization comprised of nearly 300 traditional Serbian artisans in Zemun, part of eastern Serbia's ethnically diverse Vojvodina region. The organization, named Ethno Network, mixed modern clothes marketing with traditional Serbian ethnographic art by showcasing their authentic handcrafts in a fashion show. Models attired in the hand-knit workings of Ethno Network's artisans prowled the catwalk, entertaining an audience that included Serbia's Prince Aleksandar Saradjordjevic and Princess Katherine, representatives from all levels of the Serbian government, and numerous members of the international diplomatic community.
The fashion show drew significant media attention to Ethno Network, whose mostly female members hope their union will open more national and international marketing opportunities for their craftwork.
Ethno Network's artisans weave by hand, knit, crochet and produce a variety of products characteristic of Serbian cultural heritage. Their unique products will be marketed
under the "Ethno Network" logo, with authenticity certificates and packaging designed and provided by the American people through the CRDA program. The group receives strategic market planning and quality standardization input from a local marketing consultant.
The CRDA program in Vojvodina and eastern Serbia, implemented by America's Development Foundation (ADF), places great importance on improving the lives of low-income producers in the regional handicraft industry and seeks to restore and rehabilitate local markets and provide access to the ones outside the country. Through assistance provided by USAID, members of artisan collectives like Ethno Network gain the resources needed to make their handiwork more than a pleasant pastime.
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