In the family workshop Vesne Rakočević The golden thread connects not only fabric, but also generations, memories and identity. Each needle prick carries a story that is almost half a century long - a story that began with a love of photography and folk costumes, and grew into a mission to preserve one of the most recognizable symbols of Montenegrin cultural heritage - gold embroidery.
The story of the Rakočević family begins in the 1970s, with Vesna's father Batrića Baća Rakočevića and his love for photography and the history of Bijelo Polje.
While photographing old Montenegrins, he was most fascinated by the national costumes, the splendor and dignity they wore. Vesna's mother radmila - Mika, she shared that love and also had a gift for sewing.
When they went to Cetinje and saw the embroideries from the King Nikola Museum, they made their first patterns and, almost by accident, the camera lens turned into a needle and golden thread. From that curiosity, their workshop was born, and they still live that story today.
Rakočević thus began her conversation with "Vijesti" about what three generations of her family have dedicated themselves to - the technique of gold embroidery, decorating fabric with gold or silver threads (called srma), a very old and expensive craft used to decorate folk costumes and, among other things, royal clothing. This technique, which requires exceptional patience, excellent skills and attention, is protected in Montenegro as an intangible cultural asset.
Her parents collected a photographic archive of portraits of old Montenegrins in folk costumes. Although her mother shared her husband's interest in photography, her primary passion was sewing. At first, these were skirts, smaller and simpler pieces of clothing, because there was a lack of ideas and materials. Baćo, traveling around the world, brought unusual gifts - beautiful and rare materials, and once from the Czech Republic he brought the magazine "Burda", which was the first fashion magazine in Bijelo Polje, with all the cuts and patterns.
Mika then began to develop her talent and Baćo, aware of her potential, went with her to Cetinje to take photographs of parts of the costume that they had not had before, from which the first patterns would emerge and, shortly after, the first tailoring workshop that brought together many women, the "Rakočević" Home Crafts.
That family idea is more alive today than ever, especially after they moved the workshop from Bijelo Polje to Podgorica, where they opened the doors of the "Zlatni vez" workshop, which produces all parts of the costume, protocol gifts, coats of arms and flags, belts, bracelets...
Rakočević said she preserved this technique because it inspires her to preserve something bigger than herself - a skill that generations before us have built over centuries. Each needle prick is also an act of remembrance, she says, and when she sees the finished piece of costume and knows how many hands and hours went into it, it gives her back all the energy that was invested. The desire to spread that voice comes from a sense of responsibility and the question: if we don't tell that story, who will?
The ancient technique of gold embroidery is more than two thousand years old, and it traveled the world from Persia and Byzantium, until it reached Europe thanks to Byzantine influence.
Costume as the crown of the workshop
So far, "Zlatni vezu" has made every costume in Montenegro, of which there are many, as well as numerous folk costumes in the region - according to original patterns, by hand and in the way it has been done for centuries.
Rakočević explains that the Montenegrin national costume is actually a ceremonial costume, which was worn at court, but that every part of Montenegro, city, and even village, nahija, has its own costume, and they have successfully created each of them, with complete authenticity.
Thus, the costumes of Boka or Paštrovići, who were under the influence of the West, the Venetian Republic, and later the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, differ significantly from the urban costumes of Bijelo Polje or Rožaje, where the oriental spirit prevails. Montenegrin court ceremonial costumes took their final form during the reign of the Petrovićs, both in terms of the shapes and combinations of clothing items and in the type and colors of materials.
The production process, she emphasizes, takes six months and cannot be rushed. That's why they are only able to make a few a year, and they are especially pleased that their workshop recently produced unusual costumes for the Boka Navy, made from authentic examples that are several centuries old.
As Rakočević says, it all starts with taking measurements, because each piece is made specifically for the person who orders it. Then comes the tailoring and placing the embroidery patterns in precisely designated places.
An important part of the process is the preparation of the gold thread, which at first glance seems simple and ready to use, but in fact goes through an entire preparation process. Thus, from the original thread of gold wire (the thickness of a hair), it is rewound into multiple layers and twisted, which is also done in the courtyard of the Rakočević workshop.
"The longest and most difficult part is the embroidery with gold thread itself, all done by hand, with needle and thread, according to the pattern. A single džemadan can count thousands of needle stitches and requires days, often weeks of work. What is not seen is the preparation of the gold thread itself - the thread is rewound and twisted in multiple layers, in different thicknesses for different parts of the ornament," she said.
It's a small, patient job that no one notices when looking at the finished costume, he adds, and without it the embroidery would have neither shine nor strength. And that's just one of the many preparatory tasks, because the costume requires time and dedication.
In their workshop, they have thoroughly researched every detail of Montenegrin and regional costumes for years and possess one of the largest archives of photographs and patterns of original parts and details of all costumes.
At "Zlatni vezu" they are particularly proud of the fact that all of their work is handmade, especially because there are machine-made parts of the costume that cannot be said to be authentic and credible, because it is precisely the gold embroidery that makes the costume precious, and it must be handmade.
"Extremely luxurious, elegantly cut, with bold color combinations, and rich gold embroidery, our costume is one of the most beautiful in Europe. What makes it special is the gold embroidery and flowing bodices that certainly make it unique and different from the others. The embroidery motifs on our costume are mostly floral, so leaves or branches can be found on various parts, and sometimes even wider images of plants that grow in this region. Thus, the motif of vines and clovers, as well as long flowers, is a common one," explained Rakočević.
Montenegrin women - guardians of history
Gold embroidery in the Rakočević family, as in Montenegro, survived largely thanks to women, and Rakočević says that the tailoring trade was once a man's job, while women did not even have the right to learn it.
"Today, it is almost the opposite - in our workshop, the craftsmen are women, and I am proud that several of them, having passed through our hands, have opened their own businesses. I think that Montenegrin women are the silent guardians of this heritage, through patience and perseverance they pass on knowledge that would easily be lost if it were not for them. It is important to note that the technique of gold embroidery is protected by law and represents our intangible cultural heritage," said the interviewee of "Vijesti".
The third generation of her family is already involved in the business because her daughter Jelena Rakočević grew up in a workshop. She says that thread and needle were her toys before they became a craft.
Today, she is in charge of preparing the golden thread, and she received this knowledge directly, from hand to hand, along with small family secrets that are not written down, but rather passed down through work and repetition.
"That's the most important thing for me, because gold embroidery is not something that can be learned from a book, it has to be passed down while doing it, from generation to generation," she points out.
She remembers her childhood exactly like that, with her mother in the workshop and gold embroidery, as well as the desire to try her hand at all this herself. For her, she claims, there was no other way and today she considers herself to be engaged in the most beautiful job in the world, although not at all simple.
When asked how difficult it is to remain faithful to original techniques while at the same time meeting the demands of the modern market, Rakočević answers that it is not easy, but for them it is not a matter of choice.
"The technique and materials remain the same as they were a century ago - handwork, natural fabrics, old patterns. What changes is the form in which the gold embroidery appears: sometimes it is an entire costume, sometimes a scarf, a protocol gift, or a detail at a fashion show. This way, we respond to the market through new products, and not through compromise in the technique itself," she said.
The technique must remain authentic.
The works of the “Golden Embroidery” workshop have gone from folk costumes to fashion shows and contemporary accessories. Rakočević says that the line between fashion and authenticity is clear - the technique itself and the basic ornaments must remain completely authentic, that is what they are.
"But the form in which gold embroidery appears can and should be modernized, whether it's a bracelet, a bag, or a detail on a dress for a fashion show. Fashion opens the door for gold embroidery to be introduced to those who might never wear a folk costume, and that's good as long as the essence of the craft is respected," she said.
She is optimistic that the original technique will be preserved, that it is not in danger of disappearing, because almost fifty years of work have taught her that as long as there is at least one family or workshop willing to learn and pass on knowledge, the craft will endure.
What she sees as a challenge is that young people today have less patience for such slow, manual work. That's why she thinks it's important to preserve it "because gold embroidery is not just a craft, it's part of our identity, a story about who we were and who we are today, and that story deserves to be told to future generations."
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
