Presentation
Fourteen teams successfully developed their brands as part of the Creative Incubator
3 oct 2024
| 14:00
MAO, Ljubljana

The third edition of the Creative Incubator, educational and mentoring program of the Center for Creativity, which helps creators develop entrepreneurial competencies for a more successful performance and presentation on the market, ended with a public presentation at the Demo Day event, which took place on October 3, 2024 at the Museum of Architecture and Design. Fourteen teams participated in the program and developed their creative brands. First place and a financial incentive of 10,000 euros were awarded to the creators of Lou and Co., a company specializing in the sale of fashionable and sustainable dog accessories, who, according to the expert committee, made the greatest progress in the development of their project.
The prize winners, who received financial incentives and other prizes, were chosen by the expert committee of the Center for Creativity, composed of Assoc. prof. Rok Kuhar, Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Peter Ličen, director of Lushna d.o.o., Assist. prof. dr. Aleš Pustovrh, Faculty of Economics, Niko Slavnić, investor and entrepreneur, and Meta Štular, assistant director, head of strategic development and programs at Rog Center. Participating teams that took part in Creative Incubator were selected by an expert committee from 37 applications received in May of this year.
The second place was taken by Aljaž Škarabot, a passionate mountain biker who, out of his own need, developed the idea of a new product – a carrier for the Apeak full face helmet and received a financial incentive of 5,000 euros. The third place and a financial incentive of 3,000 euros went to Little Otja, a brand of home products designed for modern families and created in the visual communication studio Pikto. Fourth place and a financial incentive of 1,000 euros went to Andraž Grulja, who founded the Stitchuation, an imaginative tapestry-making kit that defies productivity and encourages enjoyment of the sewing process. The package for the use of the Rog Center’s laboratories for a whole year worth 390 euros for the project with the best presentation, chosen by the participants of the program, was awarded to the design studio Jugošik, founded by the architect and designer Nina Savič, who connects modern design with the heritage of the Yugoslavian lighting and furniture industry through renovation and transformation of the old pieces of furniture into unique products. The FOLDS team, which focuses on creating metal objects for home, and the Kaaita team, which produces slippers for boutique hotels in Europe, received special praise from the expert committee for the successful development of the projects and the progress achieved in the program.
Aljaž Škarabot
Aljaž Škarabot is a passionate mountain biker who developed the idea for a new product out of his own need - a full face helmet holder. We can use so-called "full face" helmets when going downhill on mountain biking trails, which protect us from more serious head injuries in the case of a fall, but such helmets are very impractical to wear when cycling uphill. For this reason, he developed a more practical special holder. With experience in sales, organization and marketing, he independently tackled the project, which is currently in the prototyping phase.
Berwood, Marko Bertoncelj
After twenty years a childhood desire to build a wooden house developed into a wholesome project of creating a glamping house. The innovative design enables modular construction and better utilization of space. The house is made of sustainable materials, mostly by Slovenian wood. A special detail is the larch door, made by the author. The glamping house is ideal for escape from the everyday hustle, where you can rest in peace and enjoy the embrace of nature.
Brinas Studio
Brinas Studio brings to life the colors of nature and its pigments. The organic iridescences on the textile reflect those hidden in the stone, bark, on the surface. The colors express her wild strength and gentle grace. Each piece is hand painted and completely unique. In addition to clothing, accessories and ritual pieces, a new line of products is being developed within the framework of the Creative Incubator - the most important, the most intimate ones.
FOLDS
FOLDS is a design brand founded by Anja Mencinger and Nikolaj Salaj during their studies. The brand focuses on creating metal objects of larger and smaller dimensions. The creations are characterized by the idea of playful simplicity and functionality, many of them are based on interaction with the user. FOLDS currently collaborates with twelve small producers in Slovenia and Italy. The brand combines creativity and entrepreneurship and connects young Slovenian creators with local producers.
Jona Bednjanec
With her knitwear brand, Jona Bednjanec is present in stores, specialized in young independent designers across Europe and America. She presents her knitwear collections as part of Ljubljana Fashion Week and regularly collaborates with Slovenian designers and artists. Her work is also represented by special art projects. She is also actively present in various pop-up events, such as Pop-UpStart in collaboration with the Center for Creativity in Maribor (2019), a pop-up sales exhibition in collaboration with 5WAY in Milan (2020), Res-res pop-up in Copenhagen (2022) and the annual December Christmas tree in Ljubljana.
Jugošik interier
Design studio Jugošik, owned by the architect and designer Nina Savič, combines modern design with the rich cultural heritage of the Yugoslav lighting and furniture industry. Today, forgotten "jugo" pieces often end up in the bulk waste pile. Jugošik carefully stores, disassembles and restores them. Lamps, cabinets and tables are not reassembled back to their original state. Individual parts (glasses, doors, drawers, legs ...) are sophistically used in the creation of new "chic" products, where forgotten pieces get their happy ending.
Kaaita
Creative studio Kaaita, in its own manufactory in the very center of Ljubljana, designs and manufactures slippers for charming hotels scattered all over Europe. The team consists of Alenka Repič, Jacqueline Keck and Zala Česnik. In times, when sustainable concepts are completely changing the attitude towards hotel slippers, Kaaita adds Kaaita Waterproof slippers to its portfolio. A product, searched for by existing and potential hoteliers and in line with a concept that puts quality over quantity.
Little Otja
Small gifts that create big memories. Little Otja is a brand of home products created by the company Pikto, a studio for visual communications from Ljubljana. Their products are meant for modern families and all those who would like to bring playfulness and liveliness into their home. Their work is based on quality design with an emphasis on the development of limitless imagination.
Lou & Co.
Lou and Co. is a company specialized in selling fashionable and sustainable dog accessories that match the owner's style. All products are designed and made in Slovenia. At the Creative Incubator, they are presenting a dog snood product that protects the dog's ears from dirt, infections or grass that gets into the ear canal. Snoods are sewn in-house, which allows for personalization and differentiates the product from the competition. The company donates part the purchase to charities.
Lufta
Lufta is an interdisciplinary collective, which currently consists of a team of three individuals: architect Matic Hlede, entrepreneur Jan Jandl and scenographer Lin Martin Japelj, brought together by a common interest in designing useful everyday objects. This is how the inflatable chair Lufta, made of dropstitch material was created. Lufta are innovative, environmentally friendly products! They identify with modern, ecological awareness and versatile design. The easy assembly and disassembly of the recyclable components make them a smart choice of furniture. Lufta is the perfect blend of technology and sustainability.
Pecūliar
Something always remains of you. With Pecūliar, you can freely spill over the frames into which society so diligently presses you, through - your own and that of others - (mis)understanding, which stinks of artifice, past beliefs and habits that force you into the same regrets over and over again. With totally weird digital templates that firmly reject the capitalist greyness, you can easily and memorably stand out and start visualizing your story in a completely different way. Pecūliar is created by Luka, Lovro and Lucija from lifelong creative deposits.
Stitchuation
Stitchuation is for everyone who likes to stitch tapestries on one side and to patch life on the other. Resist productivity with a needle and enjoy the dopamine microdosing that every stitch brings you. Stab after stab. Even those of you who are still tapestry innocents, don't worry. In the starter kit, you get everything you need to sew your first piece of art. Their first "Maze" collection will discover ways to orgasms, search solutions in the balance and avoid anxiety.
Vuvu
Vuvu is a ceramic soil moisturizer that works according to the olla principle of passive watering. It is suitable for indoor and outdoor plants in pots. It is made of porous low-temperature fired ceramic. Through osmosis, this porosity allows plants to be watered according to their needs. Vuvu is a product that helps to understand the needs of house plants, promotes rational use of water and has a positive impact on the environment. It was designed by Črt Štrubelj and Luka Bernik based on the principles of regenerative design and vernacular models. The team also consists of Andrija Mihajlović, Domen Klinc and Nia Gombač.