NOVI SAV
CONCEPT
“CREATIVITY IS NOT TAUGHT. IT IS RELEASED.”
Novi Šav is a mobile pop-up atelier on wheels that opens a free space for young people to make, experiment, and express themselves in the heart of Novi Pazar. Named after the Serbian word for “new stitch”, it is built on a simple belief: that young people deserve a place that belongs to them. Not a classroom, not a program. But a space where failure isn’t punished, and where something you made with your own hands is reason enough to be proud.
The structure is built from plywood framing with metal reinforcement, mounted on heavy-duty wheels. When closed, it is compact and lockable. When open, its sections fold outward to reveal sewing machines, tools, and materials ready to be used. No experience needed. No purchase required. No authority at the door.
The material cycle grows from the community itself: donated clothing becomes raw material, raw material becomes something new, and once a month the results go on public display — work made by young people, shown in their own city. What gets made is entirely up to the person making it. That is the point.
TEAM
“Good design is not only about what something is made from. It is about how well it is made and
how long it lasts.”
Josquin Fromangé is a French designer based in Eindhoven and a graduate of Design Academy
Eindhoven. He works at the intersection of product design and the wearable industry, with a
practice built around a deep respect for craftsmanship and the belief that how something is
made is just as important as what it is made from.
Trained in high-end fashion, Josquin developed a precise understanding of garment
construction that informs everything he makes. He sees himself as a designer-craftsman:
someone who thinks through making, and who holds the quality of the object to the same
standard as the concept behind it.
Currently developing his own brand around discarded inner bike tubes, Josquin works with
materials that most people throw away and transforms them into wearables that are functional,
adaptable, and built to last. His project INTERLOOM, selected for Next Gen Design, is the first
expression of that, an object made well enough that you forget where it came from, and made
to last long enough that it matters.
“Behind every thread lies a process that reflects not only how something is made, but also the aspirations of the people behind it.”
Lara Djolovic (born in Belgrade in 2003) is a graduate architect and a Master’s student in
Architecture at the University of Belgrade. During her studies, she participated in numerous
workshops, research programs, and projects within the NextGen, Design Link, and Mikser
Festival initiatives, gaining experience in international and interdisciplinary environments. She
was a member of the team behind the Forestry Faculty Atrium project, presented at the 48th
Architecture Salon and the BIG SEE Festival in Portorož (2026). She worked as a stage designer
for the Polje Festival (2023) and was part of the team involved in the centennial celebration of
the Svetozar Marković University Library in Belgrade (2026). Her work also includes participation
in the international competition for a Cultural Center in Jakarta, the exhibition Process at Silosi
(2023), and the Retrofuturism event organized by the Faculty of Dramatic Arts (2024), where she
further developed her interest in scenography and immersive spatial design.
PROCESS
CONTEXT AND RESEARCH
WE STARTED BY LISTENING, NOT TO INSTITUTIONS, BUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE IN NOVI PAZAR.
Novi Pazar is a city with deep textile roots. Over 80 registered manufacturers, generations of craft knowledge, master tailors who have spent their lives working with fabric. The skills exist. The materials exist. What is missing are spaces for creative expression, where joining without experience and the freedom of simply creating something is welcomed.
We had the chance to meet an amazing group of young locals with whom we spoke about this topic and how there’s a lack for youth to express themselves creatively. Something that came through in particular was that they are surrounded by authority. At home, at school, in almost every structured space available to them. When they want to create, they do not need another program with rules and outcomes. They need somewhere that treats them as capable of deciding for themselves. A place where the only question is what do you want to make?
IDEATION
FROM THE CITY’S OWN TEXTILE HISTORY, A SINGLE QUESTION EMERGED: WHAT MIGHT NOVI PAZAR DO IF IT GAVE THE POWER OF MAKING BACK TO ITS YOUNG PEOPLE?
The concept developed through dialogues between locals and external perspectives. We explored what form a free, accessible creative space could take in a city centre. One that required no permanent building, no ongoing instructor budget, and no prior experience from its users. The mobile wooden structure answered several problems at once: it moves, it locks, it opens, and it triggers curiosity simply by being there.
We also began exploring the role of the terzije, Novi Pazar’s master tailors, as potential knowledge holders within the sessions: not instructors standing at the front of a room, but participants open to sharing their knowledge to youngsters who have never touched a sewing machine.
FINAL DESIGN
AT ITS CORE, NOVI ŠAV IS NOT ONLY ABOUT SEWING. IT IS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A YOUNG PERSON IS GIVEN THE SPACE TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS.
The project runs in six steps. It starts with promotion: posters, leaflets, and social media aimed directly at young people of Novi Pazar. A community donation drive follows, filling the material supply and generating publicity before the first session opens. From there, weekly pop-up sessions run on a skill-sharing model: those who know, teach those who don’t. Simple repair workshops lower the entry point for those who have never touched a machine. Once a month, a public exhibition puts finished work on display. Selected pieces can be sold, and income funds the next cycle. Running through it all: the terzije, Novi Pazar’s master tailors, join as knowledge holders rather than instructors, bridging generations through making. And local textile businesses donate machines, thread, and fabric scraps in exchange for acknowledgment, keeping the supply chain circular and local. When a young person brings something home that nobody assigned them and nobody graded, that is already enough.
EXPERIENCE
It has been an incredible journey filled with inspiring encounters and unforgettable memories. The warmth, enthusiasm, and positive spirit of everyone we met made this journey truly special. Every obstacle was overshadowed by the joy of being part of such an inspiring event. Thank you for having us and for making us feel so welcome.
Lara Djolovic
Novi Pazar and Mikser Festival were full of wonderful surprises and having been part of such a festival surrounded by talented, forward thinking people is something I am supremely grateful for. Since the first second I felt welcome and the locals we had the chance to meet, made the experience even more rich. Thanks to all the organizers for making this experience possible and friends I made along the way.
Josquin Fromangé