As a designer who is actively working on the Macedonian scene, Irina opts to make her creations unique and exciting, through new channels of creative expression. Through hard work and open mindedness Tosheva makes effort to ensure her values are represented through her business.
Irina is actively involved in projects which goal is to improve social inclusion and provide better opportunities to vulnerable groups. she works closely with many artists and designers, youth organizations, the NGO sector and with the street magazine “Lice v Lice”. She considers these approaches as fundamental for creative activism.
Tosheva received the Young Leaders for the Sustainable Development Goals Award in 2019.
In the period of January – June 2021, the Macedonian Fashion Association “Concept Fashion Cluster” implemented the project “RESPONSIBLE FUTURE”, a mentoring and research project in the field of inclusion, crafts and fashion, designed for hearing impaired students from the Partenija Zografski state school center in Skopje.
The program for fashion vocational education started under the mentorship of the famous designer Irina Tosheva and professor Ljubisa Saveski. The program was carefully designed for the young people with hearing impairment to develop visualization skills, drawing skills, attention to detail and knowledge of materials, sewing, knitting and tailoring techniques, including marketing and advertising promotion, which is essential for career in the fashion industry. The end result of the project action plan is a capsule collection made by the students.
Education on sustainability has opened up opportunities for young people to learn and engage with existing local and global movements, as well as to help them develop their own skills and interests for a more sustainable lifestyle and design. The growing trend towards recycled and ethically designed clothing does not only contribute to a “greener” planet. Today, sustainable design education can be a significant employment advantage in the creative industry. Using only old textile scraps that were later implemented into a final product within the capsule collection, students made the most of the potential with zero environmental waste.
Remaining true to her fashion ethos, Irina Tosheva for her jubilee collection focuses deeply on cultural sustainability, spending half a year in tireless research, nurturing and affirming the cultural identity of the Yuruks in the country. This community has existed since the 14 century and remains faithful to its specific beliefs. Inspired by this socio-cultural phenomenon, using her fashion language, the designer skillfully translated certain elements of their clothing in a fashion context, recognizable for the brand and her work. The whole approach was documented in a fashion video “OYA”.
This project is part of the supported projects of national interest in culture for 2022 by Ministry of culture and EU WITH YOU Rapid Grants Program.
