Iztok Hrga2

Iztok Hrga, PhD, is a Slovenian freelance theatre costume designer. In the last 30 years, he has designed costumes for more than 200 performances in Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, and Spain. He designs and makes costumes for performers in classical dramatic theatre, musicals, dance, and puppet shows, both for children and adults, for performances, exhibitions, installations, and street theatre. He completed his BA in Textile and Clothing Design in Ljubljana and an MA in Theatrical Studies in Barcelona. In 2024, he finished his PhD at the University of Ljubljana under the external supervision of Dr. Sofia Pantouvaki. His thesis is titled ‘The Scenographic and Dramaturgical Potential of Wearable Technology in Costume Design.’

His doctoral research focused on costume as bodily scenography and the potential of wearables in changing its perception. Experimenting with electronics allowed him to explore the costume as an essential catalyst of events and stories, and at the same time as an interactive theatrical element, which blurs the boundaries between the actor, puppet, prop, set, light, and sound. As a reflective practitioner, he is seeking new knowledge with practical and didactic implications that could be of use to the professional costume community. He has published articles in costume journals, given lectures and workshops at universities in Finland and Croatia, presented his research, and exhibited the electronic costumes at several congresses. At CiF’s seminar in April 2019, he presented his paper ‘How Would You Define Costume? Conducting Research Interviews on Costume.’