From Ancient Cloth to Global Runway: Dress & Identity in Albanian Heritage

What does a garment remember? In this talk, two scholars from the University of Korçë, Albania invite us to look at clothing not as style or trend, but as a living archive of history, identity, and community. At the center of this conversation is the xhubleta, one of the oldest garments in the Balkans, recently recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage, and recently reimagined on the runway at Milan Fashion Week. Dr. Alba Kreka traces the xhubleta’s journey from prehistoric Illyrian origins to its stunning contemporary revival, while Dr. Albina Pajo explores how traditional dress has been woven into Albanian oral poetry, mythology, and literature. Together, they reveal how fashion, at its most powerful, is not about consumption or novelty, but about belonging, and the memory we carry on our bodies.

Sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures, & Culturesand the School of Arts & Sciences.