Creativity with a wider purpose

Ily’s Design Hub is a developing creative and community initiative based in Albania. It brings together illustration, fashion, literature, creative education and social impact, creating space for art to become a source of expression, connection and community development.
 

The Hub began with the creative practice of illustrator and designer Ily. What started as a space for fashion illustration and visual storytelling has grown into a wider vision: a multidisciplinary platform where people can make art, share knowledge, encounter new ideas and take part in projects that contribute to their communities.
 

Our vision

We believe creativity should be accessible, socially engaged and rooted in care.

Ily’s Design Hub aims to develop opportunities for people to explore illustration, fashion, art-making and literature in ways that feel welcoming rather than intimidating. Our long-term vision is to create a physical and cultural space where artists, learners, readers, community groups and socially engaged organisations can meet, collaborate and create.

The Hub is being developed around three connected ideas:
 

Creativity

We support illustration, fashion, visual storytelling and interdisciplinary artistic practice. This includes original creative work, exhibitions, workshops, collaborative projects and opportunities for emerging creatives to develop their skills and ideas.

Community

We want the Hub to become a place for shared learning, conversation and participation. Future activities may include fashion illustration sessions, accessible art workshops, reading groups, literary events, community exhibitions and creative programmes developed with local organisations.

Care

Care is central to the identity of the Hub. This includes care for people, communities, culture and animals. Through our developing Kleoputra programme, we aim to connect creative activity with cat welfare, responsible care, public education and sanctuary-led support.
 

Our creative practice

The artistic work of Ily’s Design Hub includes fashion illustration, portraiture, editorial illustration, visual narratives and culturally inspired projects.

The work is often feminine, expressive and detail-focused, drawing inspiration from clothing, gesture, identity, Mediterranean life and Albanian culture. Illustration is not treated only as a finished image, but as a way of telling stories, documenting experiences and opening conversations.
 

The creative portfolio forms the visual foundation of the Hub while also supporting its broader community mission.
 

Kleoputra

Kleoputra is the developing animal-welfare and sanctuary programme within Ily’s Design Hub.

Its vision is to create a safe, ethical and carefully managed environment for cats while promoting education around responsible care, adoption, animal welfare and compassionate coexistence. Rather than existing separately from the creative Hub, Kleoputra is intended to become part of its community identity through art, storytelling, education and collaboration with experienced animal-welfare organisations.
 

The programme is currently in development and will grow through appropriate partnerships, safeguarding measures and sustainable funding.
 

Building an inclusive creative space: Ily’s Design Hub is committed to developing creative opportunities that recognise that people participate in different ways.
 

We want future programmes to be accessible to people who may feel excluded from traditional artistic, educational or cultural spaces, including disabled and chronically ill creatives, beginners, younger artists and people without formal arts training.
 

Participation should not depend on already knowing how to draw, having professional materials or feeling confident enough to call yourself an artist. Curiosity, imagination and a willingness to create are enough.
 

Where we are now: Ily’s Design Hub is currently at an early stage of development.
 

We are building the Hub’s creative identity, developing its programme ideas, presenting original illustration work and exploring partnerships with artists, educators, charities, funders and community organisations.
 

As the initiative grows, this website will document new projects, events, collaborations and opportunities to take part.
 

Join the journey: We welcome conversations with artists, writers, educators, animal-welfare organisations, cultural institutions, community groups, potential partners and supporters who connect with the vision of Ily’s Design Hub.

Together, we hope to build a space where creativity is not only displayed, but shared—and where art, learning and care can create meaningful change.