From Serbia to Matera: A Story of Talent, Fashion, and New Opportunities
From July 6 to 12, 2026, Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage site, once again gathered young fashion designers from various countries for the milestone 15th edition of the international event Premio Moda® Città dei Sassi.
This year, Serbia’s presence on this stage was stronger than ever. Through the project Paduri per Premio Moda® Serbia Edition, launched by the brand Paduri, nine designers from Serbia got the opportunity to present their collections to an international audience in Italy. What made this project special was not just the number of participants, but the fact that, for the first time, a bridge was built connecting the contemporary Serbian fashion scene with one of the most important international platforms for young designers.
The open call for Premio Moda® Serbia Edition attracted a large number of applications from all over Serbia. The expert jury selected two winners, Jelica Zrnzević and Fatma Halitović, to represent Serbia as the official winners of the national selection. The quality of the submissions was recognized by both Milica Bainović-Jović, the founder of the Paduri brand, and the organizers of Premio Moda®, who invited several more designers to present their collections in Matera. Thus, alongside Jelica and Fatma, Serbia was represented by Dorotea Sušić, Melanija Vasić, Ana Brdarac, Emina Fetahović, Teodora Stojanov, Dina Mehmedović, and Bojana Prokić. This brought the total to nine designers representing Serbia at this year's anniversary event, making it one of the largest international showcases of the Serbian fashion scene at this festival.
In addition to presenting young Serbian designers, this year's event featured the runway show The Code: Barili, a collaborative collection by the brands Paduri and Arte & Bellezza. Inspired by the work of Milena Pavlović Barili, the collection combined natural materials, handcraft, and modern design to pay tribute to one of Serbia’s most significant artists, translating her artistic expression into a contemporary fashion language.
Special joy came with the news that Dorotea Sušić, a young designer from Serbia, won the main prize in the Ready-to-Wear category at this year's Premio Moda®, proving that authenticity, courage, and quality can find their place on the international fashion scene.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the artistic director of Premio Moda®, Enzo Centonze, for believing in our vision from the very beginning and for placing his trust
in us by bringing Premio Moda® Serbia Edition to life. His openness to collaboration, continuous support, and confidence in our shared mission made it possible to create a meaningful connection between Serbia and Italy, giving Serbian designers the opportunity to become part of one of Italy's most inspiring fashion platforms.
A special thank you also goes to Stefania Caralluzzo, whose direction and set design once again contributed to the unique atmosphere of the event. We are equally grateful to the entire Premio Moda® team for their trust, warm hospitality, and the opportunity to build this collaboration together.
We owe special thanks to UNESCO and the "Culture and Creativity for the Western Balkans" (CC4WBs) program, funded by the European Union, for supporting the Paduri per Premio Moda® Serbia Edition project. Thanks to this support, young designers from Serbia had the chance to present their work on an international stage and take their first steps toward the European market.
For Paduri, this is just the beginning of a much larger story. The vision behind Premio Moda® Serbia Edition remains the same: to open doors to the international fashion scene for local designers and to make the "Handmade in Serbia" label recognized as a symbol of quality, authenticity, and contemporary design.
