Under the auspices of the Big Institute, the organizer of the event, one of the central events of the Month of Design is represented by the IDENTITY fashion project, which is organized for the second time this year by curators Eric Maj Potočnik and Matjaž Plošinjak.

After eleven years, the Month of Design has become the leading platform for critical evaluation, promotion and identification of significant achievements in the field of design in Slovenia and in Southeastern Europe. Under the guidance of its organizer, the Big Institute, the Festival offers a diverse range of events, conferences, workshops and exhibitions in the field of creative and cultural industries. The organizer wants this event to become a focal interdisciplinary and intercultural event.

"Since its inception, the Month of Design has been recognizing good design. We want to interconnect different creative spheres and put Ljubljana on the map of creative capitals. We want to participate in creating a space for young people who are increasingly looking for inspiration and opportunities abroad," said Zmago Novak, the director of Big Institute before the opening of this year's event.

One of central parts of the Festival will once again be devoted to fashion design, which will this year be strongly represented within the activities organized under the IDENTITY brand by the curators Eric Maj Potočnik and Matjaž Plošinjak.

IDENTITY Composition
IDENTITY fashion project will consist of two parts, namely the opening fashion show, which will take place on 7 October 2014, and an exhibition which will be open to festival visitors until the end of the Month of Design. The composition of exhibited designs, both in the case of the opening show on the models, as well as during the exhibition, will build upon a modern scenography, caught in a typical post-war architecture by Savin Sever. This will help transform the overall identity of the project into a real art installation.

"The IDENTITY project moves away from the traditional fashion-related formats. It is not focused on commercial fashion industry, but gives priority to exploring the freedom of expression. It is a creative experiment, where both well-established fashion brands as well as young fashion hopes design clothes making their own design statement and using a common basic cut. Single cut/many interpretations is an independent concept, which could, with a great deal of perseverance and consistent curating throughout the years, put Ljubljana in a prominent position among European fashion events. This is the direction in which the boutique story in boutique Ljubljana should develop," explained Eric Maj Potočnik and Matjaž Plošinjak, IDENTITY fashion project curators, before the start of this year's event.

IDENTITY is becoming one of key events at the Month of Design, with a vision to become one of the most influential fashion events in Southeastern Europe.

Last year, when the IDETITY project took place for the first time, 17 designers participated - from young talents to highly renowned artists. Among others, the following designers created and presented their own IDENTITY dress: Lara Jensen (Great Britain), Branko Popovic (Netherlands), Hemyca (Great Britain), Degenerotika (Germany), Leyre Valiente (Spain), NiOka (Slovenia), Feyrouz Ashoura (United Arab Emirates), etc. This year, the project will offer dresses that will be created specially for this occasion by designers from around the world - from Japanese brand Divka to established European names such as Spanish designer Leandro Cano and last but not least Slovenian designer Jelena Pirkmajer, which creates under the name Cliché. At the evening event, the dresses will be complemented by United Nude shoes, which are famous for their architectural sharpness.

ERIC MATYASH
Eric Maj Potočnik and Matjaž Plošinjak have been working in tandem since 2004, today under the name ERIC MATYASH, previously known as "MEM couture". They share a creative passion, primarily focused in fashion design. In addition, the duet, which lives in Ljubljana, takes part in costume design and styling challenges and acts as creative director of design-related projects. Since 2013, Eric Maj Potočnik and Matjaž Plošinjak act as editors in the field of fashion design and as exhibition curators within the Month of Design festival platform.

Nina Gaspari, SINFO