25.08.2026
What happens when young designers from around the world get the chance to explore fur with an open mind and plenty of room to experiment? At the Saga Furs Creative Hub, the result was a lively mix of new ideas, traditional craftsmanship and different material combinations.
A group of 11 students and professors from Canada, the United States, Italy and Türkiye came together for an international workshop at the Saga Furs Creative Hub in Finland. During the workshop, the participants learned about the fur industry and its value chain while getting hands-on experience with fur materials and different techniques.
Among the participants were Naomi Nicoleau and Alazeie Edwards from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. Their trip to Finland was part of their prize for winning the 2026 Eddie Reich Memorial Prize Fur Design Contest earlier this year.
From preconceived ideas to hands-on experience
For Alazeie Edwards, a second-year footwear and accessories design student at FIT and a former athlete, the workshop was an opportunity to discover a material and an industry he previously knew very little about.
Like many young designers, he says his perception of fur had largely been shaped by what he had seen from the outside. He wanted to understand what happens between the beginning of the value chain and the finished product. His goal was to learn more about the material, craftsmanship and sustainability.
“I wanted to learn all about fur, from its beginning to the end product. I have really fallen in love with the craftsmanship. I love working with my hands, and I love the many techniques you can use with fur,” Alazeie says.
During the workshop, he experimented with techniques including intarsia and combinations of fur, leather and fabric. His background in basketball also found its way into his work.
“Because of my basketball background, I created some personal basketball pieces. I would love to introduce other athletes to fur through them and hear what they think.”
Flowers, colour and fur
Naomi Nicoleau studies footwear and accessories design at FIT, where she has learned to build shoes from scratch as well as design accessories such as handbags and belts. Before coming to Finland, she had worked with fur only once, during the ERMP competition finals. There she learned to cut mink with a fur knife, create patterns for fur garments and manipulate mink to create shape and dimension, including hand-sewn fur flowers.
At the Creative Hub, Naomi brought another long-time passion into her work: painting.
She has painted throughout her life and is drawn to vibrant colours, flowing colour combinations, leaves and floral motifs. Vincent van Gogh has been a long-time source of inspiration. For one of her three workshop pieces, Naomi combined these influences in a floral canvas artwork using fur. She experimented with techniques including intarsia, windows and fox on fabric.
Looking at the whole value chain
For Naomi, the visit was also an opportunity to explore a subject that had interested her even before she began studying design.
“Before going to FIT, I wanted to study agriculture and environmental sciences. I guess I have always been interested in how we as human beings affect the planet and how we can be more sustainable,” she says.
Learning about sustainability across the fur value chain, from the farm to the finished garment, was therefore one of the things she was most excited about during the visit.
Three pieces, countless possibilities
The workshop challenged each participant to create three different pieces using different techniques. The students were encouraged to experiment and find their own ways of working with the material.
With students bringing backgrounds ranging from footwear and accessories to fashion design, the workshop became an exchange of ideas as much as an introduction to fur. Over just a few days in Finland, the participants explored new techniques and discovered how versatile a material fur can be.
The international group included professors Nikki Jessup from Centre des métiers du cuir de Montréal & UQAM and Stephanie Caza from Cégep Marie-Victorin as well as students from FIT NY, Collège Notre-Dame-de-Foy, Cégep Marie-Victorin, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Istituto Secoli, IED Roma, Mimar Sinan University and Marmara University.
The international group at Saga Furs Creative Hub
Nikki Jessup, Centre des métiers du cuir de Montréal & UQAM, Montreal (teacher)
Stephanie Caza, Cégep Marie-Victorin (teacher)
Naomi Nicoleau, FIT NY
Alazeie Edwards, FIT NY
Albert Simard, Collège Notre-Dame-de-Foy, Quebec City
Scarlet Delattre, Cégep Marie-Victorin
Kate Ustinova, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Federica Capone, Istituto Secoli, Milano
Sara Napoleoni, IED Roma
Zeynep Cebi, Mimar Sinan University, Istanbul
Dila Tepe, Marmara University, Istanbul