Sirogojno Style story

In the region of Mount Zlatibor, Serbia, the tradition of making hand-knitted, woolen clothing has been cherished for centuries. In order to protect their loved ones from long and cold winters, local women processed, spun and weaved wool and knitted warm covers and clothes. Through different patterns and motifs, they tried to color their often grim daily life marked by poverty and pre-defined role in the patriarchal family. They used wool dyed in the mountain herbs, bark and leaves. Their work was inspired by landscapes and colors of the mountains where they had been born and raised.

The story of "Sirogojno Style" began in 1962, when the first exhibition was organized in order to show works of the women knitters from small village of Sirogojno and its surroundings. The exhibition resulted in great admiration for the works of self-taught knitters and was a complete success. Thus, the Agricultural Cooperative at the village of Sirogojno organized a section for traditional home crafts.
Shortly after that Dobrila Smiljanic, notable Serbian fashion designer, came to Sirogojno to work with the knitters. Her designs and motifs, based on the natural beauty of Mount Zlatibor region, brought new life to the traditional craft and contributed to the creation of an authentic fashion line. Sweaters, coats, hats and scarves from Sirogojno quickly became popular at the fashion shows, trade shows and in the windows of boutiques in Sweden, Italy, France and Japan. Fashion magazines around the world wrote about Zlatibor knitters and their skilled hands.