Programme

This is the second event of the newly launched Bourgmeisterin: Fireside Chats bi-monthly series – a cultural storytelling format supported by the Ministry of Family Affairs, Solidarity, Living Together, and Reception of Refugees and co-produced with ARA City Radio that will run from winter 2026 till summer 2027. The series builds on Bourgmeisterin, a long-running cultural storytelling project that has been exploring Luxembourg’s history, traditions, and identity for over 2.5 years.

This conversation looks at how traditions don’t just survive – they are actively carried forward. It asks what it means to work with heritage today, and how artisanship becomes a living bridge between past knowledge and present expression 🧵✨

🧶 What’s being crafted

The conversation will take place at Neumünster in the Grund. What makes hosting it here especially significant is that the Grund emerged as a working and artisan district of Luxembourg City. Long before Neumünster became a cultural centre, the surrounding lower town along the Alzette River was shaped by tanners, millers, brewers, and other craftsmen whose skills powered the local economy. Water enabled production. Manual labour built livelihoods. Bringing this discussion to the Grund is not accidental – it places us in a space where craft was once not aesthetic, not nostalgic, but essential.

We’ll explore how traditional techniques, materials, and cultural references are reinterpreted in contemporary creative work – and why that process matters:

• Debbie’s personal journey – from her studies and early influences to the creation of Devï Clothing – and how her cross-cultural experiences shaped the vision behind the brand
• How artisanal practices such as textile work, embroidery, and pattern-making carry stories, memory, and identity across generations
• What “cultural continuity” really means in a globalised, cross-cultural Luxembourg
• How creative professionals balance respect for tradition with personal authorship and modern relevance
• Why craftsmanship still matters in an age of speed, mass production, and trend cycles

Rather than treating tradition as something fixed or nostalgic, the discussion focuses on tradition as practice: something learned, adapted, questioned, and re-made by each generation.

👗 Who’s leading the conversation

• The evening is hosted by Julia Khalyavko, the founder of Bourgmeisterin, a cultural storytelling project dedicated to exploring Luxembourg’s history, traditions, and contemporary identity through articles, podcasts, and public conversations.
• The discussion is joined by Debbie Kirsch, a Luxembourg-based entrepreneur and the creative force behind Devï, a sustainable fashion brand she founded in 2018. With a background in biology and a master’s in sustainable business and innovation, Debbie launched Devï after an internship with the women-empowerment social enterprise Saheli Women in Jodhpur, India🇮🇳., where she began crafting upcycled garments from vintage textiles alongside local artisans. Her brand champions ethical production, zero-waste design, and meaningful collaboration with artisan communities across India🇮🇳, Morocco🇲🇦, and Turkey🇹🇷, transforming leftover and vintage fabrics into unique, eco-conscious fashion pieces while promoting social impact and women’s empowerment.

🤝 Stay, talk, connect

The conversation doesn’t end when the fireside chat does. Catering and drinks will be served after the discussion, offering space to linger, exchange thoughts, and connect with fellow attendees in a relaxed, informal setting with up to 50 other attendees.

🎥🗣️NB! Recording, publication & spoken language

• Please note that the fireside chat will be video-recorded. Some before- and after-moments – as guests arrive and leave – may also be captured. The recording will be edited into a video-podcast episode and published on YouTube as part of the Bourgmeisterin: Fireside Chats series.
• The event will be held in English.

🤝 A big thank you to our partners for jumping on this adventure with us from the very beginning:

🎥 Super8, our videography partner bringing the Fireside Chats to life on screen,

📍Neumünster, our venue partner hosting this Fireside Chat in Luxembourg City,

📲 Intrépide Studio, our social media partner helping us shape and share the story

Follow Bourgmeisterin on Instagram and LinkedIn!

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🎟️ Admission is free thanks to the generous support of the Ministry, which makes this event accessible to all.

🚨 The order form includes a short pre-event survey: as this is a Ministry-funded initiative, we are required to report on certain aspects of the event, including audience demographics. Your responses help us meet these reporting obligations 🙏