Our heritage shouldn’t live in museums alone, and the catalogue of this year’s ‘Premju Ġieħ l-Artiġjanat Malti’ – People’s Choice Award 2025 – reflects a drive to develop concepts of wearable heritage.
The Malta Crafts Foundation is currently pursuing an initiative to boost local artisanal talent inspired by both international innovation and vernacular craft handed down and refined through generations. Each piece, particularly the garments and jewellery, illustrate such sentiments. The collection, currently being exhibited in the Parliament Building, Valletta, incorporates tradition with a modernist twist. Such reimagined tradition and craft, seen through the wearable pieces on show, reflect our evolving heritage.
Held annually and hosted by the Malta Crafts Foundation, ‘Premju Ġieħ l-Artiġjanat Malti’ aims to stimulate innovation by Maltese makers. Local artisans were invited to submit applications in three categories. The result: a blend of traditional craft and modern expression which you are invitied to visit. The exhibition will be open to the public, free of charge, until its closing on July 13.
The first category features pieces created this year, with a winner and runner-up selected in seven sub-categories. This is the category on which you are invited to share your opinion by casting your vote.
The second category focuses on collaboration and innovative initiatives by artisans and local designers who, chosen last year, now present the final results of projects for which the designer-makers were awarded up to €8,300 to develop their concepts and introduce the products to the commercial market.
Lastly, the third category pushes for a recognition of individual artisans, and includes awards such as ‘Maker of the Year’, ‘Emerging Makers Award’ and ‘Lifetime Achievement Award in the Artisan Sector’.
Upon entrance into the Parliament Building, you will be presented with a line-up of pieces ranging in size and texture. One of particular note is ‘Weavature’, designed by I+A Ltd. and produced by Antoine Vella (Weaving Malta) and Christian Bezzina (Medina Steels). This concept won the second category in the 2023 edition of this event. The finished work blends international modern furniture design with local weaving techniques, hence rooting it in Maltese heritage.
James Dimech, known for transforming paper into sculptural couture, presents a number of hand-crafted paper dolls, blending intricate sculptural quality and decorative arts. As a conceptual artist, Dimech excels in sculpting avant-garde yet eco-conscious pieces. This set displays the artist’s ability to craft silhouettes which balance fragility and structural ingenuity.
Aspects of transformation and renewal are also explored by Tara Lois Mansell in a set of amethyst and gold jewellery. These pieces were produced and derived from two heirloom bracelets, with the intention of maintaining the pieces’ original sentimental qualities. Isabelle Dalli and Theresa Brincat also include an element of transformation in ‘Friefet’, as the earrings created with the soutache technique can also be used as a necklace or applique.
And building on the theme of nature is the stunning set by Marisa Micallef titled, ‘The Papaver: blooming in even the most inhospitable places’. When establishing her brand Peprin, Micallef combined her passion of nature and miniaturist skill, and such inspiring qualities radiate from her delicate poppy-shaped collection.
Patterns of inspiration from natural motifs are echoed in Adrienn Bartolich brass jewellery set, ‘Eternità’, which shows a pomegranate amongst stylised leaves. The blend of heritage and modernity rises as a common trope in this year’s selection of participating local artisans.
Much of the jewellery includes traditional cultural motifs – perhaps most notably, Alina Georgiana Sârbu’s submission titled, ‘Reinventing the Għonnella’. These necklaces, with their streamlined stylised design, produced of polymer clay, reflect local contemporary designers’ and artists’ interest in reviving elements of historical Maltese clothing. Another fresh take on the historical Għonnella is presented by Marylynn Naudi in her charcoal and pencil portrait of a woman, titled ‘Qalb il-Kultura’.
Statement jewellery is a prominent in this year’s catalogue, and a standout piece by George Farrugia includes intricate Maltese Filigree designs and a chrysoprase stone into a modernist necklace design as he transforms silver into wearable art. Alongside, visitors can see Antoine Vella’s ‘Drapp tal-Fidda’, a silver fabric hand-woven on a frame loom.
Joanne Bugeja has also produced breathtaking handcrafted statement pieces, an extremely intricate and meticulous set, ‘Divina’ in which she blends her lifelong skills in crochet, knitting, and sewing with mixed media, beading, and wirework. Drawing inspiration from current trends and personal vision, she designed a stylish and one-of-a-kind collection that celebrates originality and innovation, while paying homage to traditional weaving techniques.
The clothing presented this year also includes upcycling, as seen in Alda Bugeja’s ‘Feniċe’, a modern jacket made from upcycled hand-woven cotton. The piece is embellished with silk traditional bobbin lace, as Bugeja employs the traditional emblem of the Sacred Heart, rather commonly present in Maltese vernacular. An emphasis on tradition is also present in Marika Camilleri, in ‘Bizzilla taċ-Ċombini Maltija fuq Żarbun’, while Sue Mifsud and Heather McNamara further this shared inclination towards upcycling materials in ‘Sew Usable – The Recycled Shirt Apron’, an apron produced with 100% recycled fabric.
The leather submissions are particularly exciting with participating designers including Keith J. Caruana ‘Arma Tura’ and Gabriel Grima ‘Deconstructing Eden – Leather Jacket’. With equal parts breastplate and high fashion drama, Caruana channels the spirit of a fantasy warrior, with his piece’s red colouring and unapologetically bold silhouette. Grima reimagines Paradise Lost in metallic leather. With etched, sinuous lines tracing across its surface, the jacket is rather clearly inspired by modernist abstraction, as Grima blends this artistic technique with polished leather craftsmanship.
The public are invited to participate in the selection process, by voting for their favourite products in this year’s People’s Choice Awards. The Malta Crafts Foundation encourage the public to visit the exhibition and vote for their favourite designs, or browse the submissions on line to place to place your vote.
The exhibition will be open daily until 13th July. Opening hours are between 09:00h to 16:00h on weekdays and 09:00h to 12:00h on Saturday and Sunday. The voting polls will be closed on the 9th July and the winners of each category will be announced during the People’s Choice Awards ceremony on the 11th July.