Nicole Miller returned to Albania last week to help judge the Muza 2025 Finale, which spotlighted the work of 10 designers.

Having participated in last year’s event as a judge, the New York-based designer was reunited with one of her former runway models, the Albanian-born Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian at the Italia Square event in Tirana. Despite that she is now based in Miami and has three children, Nazarian remains committed to helping her home nation, championing its fashion and supporting various charities. She served as a judge with the American model and actress Carol Alt and the Albanian-born photographer Fadil Berisha.

Muza’s organizer and producer Andriola Kambo said the event is not just a fashion show, but it’s also a mission-driven project. “This year the most challenging and the most meaningful part was creating space for new, unestablished models. I wanted to give young people — many of whom had never even walked on a stage before — the chance to shape their identity as image-bearers of Albanian culture,” she said.

Describing the country’s fashion scene as being full of untapped potential, Kambo said, “We have a rich cultural heritage, vibrant craftsmanship and an incredibly creative younger generation. I wanted to shine a light on that through Muza — not just by showcasing designers, but by helping models step into the role of cultural ambassadors.”

Most of the approximately 800 attendees were invited guests — industry professionals, designers, members of the media, influencers and supporters of the finalists. There were also a limited number of invitations that were offered to the public for 30 euros each, and those quickly sold out. The aim was to keep the event exclusive but to also engage the creative community in Albania. The collections explored themes of tradition, identity, futurism and personal transformation.

This year’s winner was Moralda Durra with Ezmerina Kasa and Xheksil Muça being the second place and third place winners, respectively. As part of the win, each will have mentoring opportunities. For Durra, that means in Milan, whereas Kasa is bound for Miami and Muça will travel to Dubai. The fourth-place finisher Alma Salihi was awarded a scholarship from the Evolution Academy. The other finalists in this year’s competition were Beslinda Hashani, E. Frontin Hasani, Jetmira Shyti Memia, Sajmira Lena, Sarita Gjini and the Rebel Issue Group’s Gresa Krasniqi, Leandra Bërlajolli and Shaban Berisha. They started out by answering an open call and then took part in a monthlong process of mentorship and creative development. 

Felting, which is “very big” in Albania, was evident in some of the designs, as well as embroidery and crochet, but the key was to use those techniques in a modern way. “They’re just so hungry and eager, because it’s really an emerging market. They have been suppressed for so long. Obviously, they’re looking for international. It’s great that the winning designers got these mentorships in other countries,” Miller said.

With a population of 2.8 million, Albania’s GDP was $55 billion in 2023, according to the Heritage Foundation’s Index of Economic Freedom. As of November 2024, the country’s inflation rate was at 4.8 percent and unemployment was 11.6 percent. Visiting Greek Coast, a luxury development project that is being developed by the country’s first billionaire Samir Mane of the Balfin Group was a highlight from the trip, Miller said. “I’ve never seen anything like that in the States. It’s sort of built into the mountain. There are restaurants, stores, a hotel and condominiums. It was quite fascinating.”

Alt, a first-time visitor, spoke enthusiastically about the country’s potential and how many Albanian people, regardless of where they might now live, are loyal to the country and go back from time to time. “They stick together and they help each other. I must say it was quite an experience,” she said.

Alt noted that some of her friends now own villas in Albania. The nation’s tourism industry is expected to play a greater role in its economy, as Prime Minister Edu Rama pointed out in February. It was expected to contribute 26 percent to the country’s GDP in 2024. The World Travel & Tourism Council reported a 54.7 percent increase in foreign tourist spending, which tallied $4.8 billion last year. Albania recently set up a state-owned company to take a stake in the $1.4 luxury resort development on the Adriatic Coast that is being led by Jared Kushner, who is U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law. Miller said there were “a lot of mixed feelings” about that endeavor among the people whom she had spoken with in Albania.

Miller said, “Obviously, their cultural heritage has a lot of Eastern European influence, because the Ottomans had invaded Albania for so long and then there’s the Turkish and Italian influence, The [Muza] show had to be inspired by the heritage. It’s really interesting how some designers can make that modern, and other collections look like they are stuck in the past. That [currentness] was also an important factor in deciding what we liked, as well as how they moved that forward.”

As for the country’s design lore, Alt praised the Muza finalists’ ability to incorporate “an ethnic twist” on their creations like one designer who drew inspiration from elements of a 200-year-old wedding gown for one of their creations. “What stood out for me was how clever they all were in incorporating the ethnicity of the country into other their designs. Nobody did it the same way. Each designer picked something that was completely different. Ten designers did it 10 different ways,” she said. “There were some pieces that I would have bought. I love being at the forefront of things. So to see them opening up to the world, there are some things that aren’t fully developed yet and other things that they are just moving so quickly with.”

While in Albania, Berisha did an on-the-beach editorial photo shoot with Alt wearing an assortment of designs including some from Miller. The model-actress said she was doing shoots for an Albania magazine and Saudi Vogue. Needless to say, Alt said she is eager to go back next year, and that she really enjoyed having the chance to spend some time with Miller. “As a model, you never really get to spend time together with the designers. I worked for Nicole in the late ’80s or early ’90s for a shoot for Women’s Wear in her offices. I was up at my farm, and we had a really bad snowstorm. I remember saying to my husband, ‘I don’t care. Put the snow tires on the car. I have a Women’s Wear Daily photo shoot with Nicole Miller.’ We made it on time.”