Alisa Dudaj: The Albanian Fashion Designer Behind ALISADUDAJ*

Alisa Dudaj is an Albanian fashion designer and the founder of ALISADUDAJ*, a made-to-order womenswear label that brings Albanian heritage and handwork into modern, minimal silhouettes.

Education and early recognition

Alisa graduated in fashion design from Parsons School of Design in New York in May 2022. That same year she won first prize in Albania's Muza Competition, selected from 350 entrants, as reported by Business Magazine. In that interview, she credited her perspective on tradition, combined with a minimalist and contemporary approach, for the win.

Heritage as a starting point

Speaking to The Vanilla Issue in 2026, Alisa described how her strongest memories of watching her grandmother knit and crochet shaped her work. Rather than looking elsewhere for inspiration, she turned to her own family history and to everyday Albanian cultural traditions.

Techniques and materials

According to the same feature, hand embroidery, weaving and wet felting are central to her garments, and she often sources natural fibres from deadstock materials, letting the available fabric guide the design. The photographic archive of Pietro Marubi was also a visual reference. Her aim is to honour tradition through subtle, contemporary details rather than recreating traditional garments literally.

You can see this handwork in pieces such as the HAND-EMBROIDERED BLACK WRAP DRESS and the SCARLET THREAD DRESS, with hand-stitched red embroidery at the neckline and waist.

New York: Alpine Whispers

In February 2024, Alisa presented her collection Alpine Whispers at New York Fashion Week. Rootless Agency, which photographed and filmed the show, described a collection that brought Albanian folklore details into modern pieces, handcrafted in Albania under Alisa's personal oversight.

London: Silent Engravings

In September 2025, she showed Silent Engravings at London Fashion Week with Fashion Scout. The collection was inspired by her great-grandfather's woodworking. Explore the pieces in our Silent Engravings collection.

Made in Albania, made to order

Today, every ALISADUDAJ* piece is made to order in our atelier in Albania. Discover the VASHË collection, the SILENT CRAFT collection and our Summer 2026 collection, or read more coverage on our Press page.