MEIA introduces New Members to its Design Subcommittee
The Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association (MEIA) is pleased to welcome new members to the Design Subcommittee. Ella Fleri Soler will lead as Chair, joined by Co-chair Maria Eileen Fsadni. The committee is further strengthened by the addition of Tom Van Maldaren, Saz Mifsud, Matthew Demarco, Anna Horvath, Karolina Rostkowska, and Zach Ritchie. These creative professionals bring extensive expertise and deep knowledge of the design sector, aiming to strengthen MEIA’s goal of further professionalisation and sustainability within the sector.
Looking ahead, they aim to foster an open and evolving dialogue within Malta’s design community – mapping who’s out there, bridging gaps between disciplines, and creating space for emerging voices. They are committed to championing collaboration and inclusion, while raising public awareness of design’s cultural, emotional, and societal impact — not just in the creative industries, but across education, policy, business, and everyday life.
The MEIA Design Subcommittee will play a key role in advancing the visibility and cohesion of the design sector in Malta. With a cross-disciplinary team spanning architecture, fashion, product, visual communication, and more, the committee will act as an advisory body to MEIA’s executive and a sounding board for the wider community. In its early phase, the group is focused on connecting individuals and practices across the local design landscape, ensuring that emerging and underrepresented voices are included and celebrated. Equally, it seeks to build a stronger sense of community within a sector that is often fragmented — where many practitioners work independently or across disciplines, and where opportunities for shared dialogue can feel limited.
The committee aims to uphold design as a critical force shaping everyday life — from the environments we live in, to the objects we use, the communications we engage with, and the systems that organise our social, economic, and cultural experiences. Through public engagement, strategic advocacy, and collaborative initiatives, it will work to build broader awareness of design’s vital role in shaping society and daily experiences. Central to this is a commitment to practices that are attuned to local heritage and sustainability — not only in material terms, but also as cultural and social values. At the same time, the committee seeks to foster dialogue beyond Malta, nurturing connections with international design communities and opening up space for shared learning, cross-cultural exchange, and new ways of thinking about the role of design in shaping our world.
Ella Fleri Soler
Chair of the MEIA Design Subcommittee
Ella Fleri Soler is a Maltese architect, researcher, and educator whose work spans architectural practice, research, and collaborative explorations through Text Catalogue — a creative collective working across design, architecture, and the allied arts.
Ella graduated with a B.Sc in Built Environment Studies (2015) and an M(Arch.) in Architectural Design (2017) from the University of Malta. She was awarded the 2018 Galizia Award for Best Architectural Design Thesis, by Kamra tal-Periti (Maltese Chamber of Architects). Ella is currently a visiting lecturer at the University’s Department of Architecture and Urban Design, within the Faculty for the Built Environment, where she co-tutors design studios and leads workshops.
As a warranted architect she has extensive experience working independently and formerly within a leading local architecture firm. She manages projects from concept to completion with a strong focus on site-specific design, architectural detailing, and project leadership.
Through Text Catalogue she has designed, produced and exhibited large scale artistic installations at the Valletta Design Cluster (Ix-Xuwa for Fuse, 2021), Spazju Kreattiv (Common Ground for Shifting Contexts II, 2022) and Ħaġra Festival (Documenting Difference at St Elmo Examination Centre, Valletta, 2025). In summer 2025, Ella will be an artist in residence at Berlin’s Spreepark Art Space.
Maria Eileen Fsadni
Co-Chair of the MEIA Design Subcommittee
Maria Eileen Fsadni is a cultural practitioner, curator, writer, and activist. Her work delves into the intersections between art, culture, and environmental justice. She holds both a B.A. and M.A. in Art History from the University of Malta and during her university years, she served as President of the History of Art Students’ Association. Over the past ten years she has worked in some of the island’s leading heritage and art NGOs.
She is currently the Gallery Manager at Valletta Contemporary, an independently run contemporary art space.
In recognition of her environmental advocacy, Maria was honoured with the JCI Ten Outstanding Persons of the Year award for Environmental Leadership in 2023. In 2018, she began volunteering with Friends of the Earth Malta, eventually transitioning to a part-time role within the organisation. Maria forms part of the team which is restoring and regenerating il-Forn ta’ Kemmuna.
Karolina Rostkowska
Karolina Rostkowska is an entrepreneur in the creative sector, focused on supporting local designers, artists, and makers. She is the founder of il-lokal, a concept store dedicated to showcasing the work of Maltese creatives, and of Nice Things Market, a craft market providing a platform for independent makers. Karolina also serves as President of 808 Association, the voluntary organisation behind Malta Design Week. Her work centres on creating opportunities for the creative community in Malta and contributing to its ongoing growth and recognition.
Matthew Demarco
Matthew Demarco is a graphic designer and co-founder of Bloom Creative, a studio he has led for the past decade. Alongside his client work, he also runs Maltatype—a personal project dedicated to documenting and celebrating Maltese public typography, with a particular focus on traditional shop signage. His practice is rooted in a love for branding, type, and the visual language that shapes Maltese identity. Outside the studio, Matthew is a husband to Emma, father to two boys, and caretaker of an oriental shorthair cat named Shrimpy.
Zack Ritchie
Driven by curiosity and a passion for technology, and branding, Ritchie explores how art and innovation can bring people together. His work connects the digital and physical worlds, using sculpture, Web3, and storytelling to create engaging experiences.
With a background in graphic design and advertising, Zack has collaborated with brands like Charles & Ron and worked on public art projects, including sculptures with Mercury by Zaha Hadid Architects. From large-scale installations to digital collectibles, he turns ideas into interactive and meaningful designs, helping people experience art in new and exciting ways, whether in real life or digital spaces.
Anna Horvath
Anna Horvath is an award-winning, Hungarian-bom narrative designer and architect with a far-reaching experience on an international stage.
Horvath has participated in numerous design and architecture projects, from small to large scale structures in London, Berlin, Lisbon, Budapest, and Malta. Her portfolio includes projects such as the permanent exhibition at the prestigious Jewish Museum in Berlin, furniture design for a favela in Rio de Janeiro, and a pop-up store for Hermes Petit h collection in Lisbon.
She started her playful brand: AHA Objects that works in the field of exhibition design (Identity Design, Cromwell Place), set design (Zfin Malta Production), retail experience (Te fit-Tazza Showroom) and furniture collections (Collezione L!Puff). The studio is Malta and Budapest based where the designs menit inspiration from local aesthetics and craftsmanship with numerous international projects, sales and collaborations.
Her passion for storytelling was made manifest in the initial project for SORGI, which she conceived, sought funding, and produced within her adopted context of the Maltese islands. With an MA in Narrative Environments from Central Saint Martins from the University of the Arts London and an earlier architecture degree, her foundation and convergence of educational expertise provided fertile ground for the layered impact outcomes of SORGI to take root. The startup finds creative solutions to recycle construction waste into unique contemporary furniture collections for public spaces. AHA Objects is a world of colours, textures and narratives, rooted in sustainability.
Saz Mifsud
Saz Mifsud is a fashion textile designer and founder of her namesake brand, known for creating distinctive, print-led pieces that blend fine art with fashion. With a background in textile design from Central Saint Martins and University for the Creative Arts, Saz launched her label with a clear focus: to craft collections that are visually expressive, rooted in storytelling, and elevated by quality craftsmanship.
Working primarily with silk, Saz designs limited-edition collections across accessories and ready-to-wear — including scarves, dresses, beach-wear, evening bags, and hair pieces. Her signature aesthetic draws on her own travel photography, which she translates into abstract, nature-inspired prints. Each piece begins with a visual observation — whether a flower in bloom, a detail on a building, or the tones of a coastal landscape — and evolves into a layered design that balances bold composition with a refined colour palette.
Saz’s work is shaped by a deep appreciation for texture, colour, and the relationship between art and fashion. Her collections often explore themes of place, heritage, and femininity, while maintaining a strong focus on versatility and wearability.
The brand has gained recognition for its artistic approach to print, its commitment to natural materials, and its distinctive perspective within the contemporary fashion landscape. Today, Saz Mifsud continues to build a world where design and narrative meet — offering thoughtful, expressive pieces made to be worn, collected, and cherished.
Tom Van Malderen
Malta-based architect Tom Van Malderen uses his work to probe the intersections of art, design, and architecture. He draws pleasure from contemplating the ways we utilize our environments, closely examining the intricate web of cultural references woven into their objects and materials. In doing so, he prompts reflection on aspects of utility, value, ambiguity, and accessibility. Van Malderen invites visitors and users to imagine and experience the fictions and frictions of our inhabited space-its politics, its history, its materiality, and other real and unreal constructs.
After completing a master’s in architecture at Sint-Lucas – KU Leuven, Van Malderen worked with Atelier Lucien Kroll in Brussels and AP Valletta in London and Valletta. In 2018, Tom established his own studio alongside his position as director of management at AP Valletta, creating space to deepen his work in visual art and design and to engage with several NGOs.