The ninth episode features a conversation between Monstera and Natalya Konforti. Natalya is a designer, artist and workshop facilitator based in Dubai. As a veteran of the fast fashion industry, a decade designing collections for high street retailers across Europe, North America and China sparked a desire to shift towards more creative and sustainable projects.

She launched Glitches & Stitches in 2017 to promote the value of artisanal craftsmanship and the importance of having a creative outlet through interactive workshops and tutorials -aiming to “help design junkies become self-sufficient”.

She has since collaborated with renowned companies including Dubai Mall, Charlotte Tilbury and Levi’s; as well as regional fairs such as Dubai DesignWeek. Natalya’s workshops and events have been highlighted in numerous publications including The National, Cosmopolitan ME, and Friday magazine. Natalya was cited as one of 12 UAE Environmental Thought Leaders by Livehealthy in 2020 and her writing has appeared in Pop Sugar ME and Marie Claire Arabia. In keeping with the mantra “community over competition”, she also runs monthly non-profit community events to bring together members of the local creative industry in a supportive environment.