Towards sustainable fashion: youth against textile waste

Vesna Ristovska from Bogdanci has been making clothes for herself since an early age. Now, as a long-serving teacher in the local school, she is training her pupils not to only sew and design clothes, but to also do it in a sustainable manner. Equipped with fresh knowledge from a course on circular economy, within an EU-funded project, Vesna is also introducing her pupils to the basics of sustainable fashion and encouraging them to put these principles into practice.

“We do not just collect waste materials, but we also actively cooperate with textile companies in the area which give us the pieces of fabric they would otherwise throw away,” says Vesna.

People in Need

Environmental awareness is an important feature of her lessons. “This year, we started a course in sustainable fashion, so that students can understand the consequence that fast fashion has on our environment. I am glad that students understand the importance of this topic and rather than buying new clothes they repair or redesign old ones. And they can even sell their crafts on the local market”, adds Vesna.

Sunchica Kostovska-Petrovska from People in Need, an organisation that leads the EU-funded project “Civil Society and Youth for Inclusive and Sustainable Development through Circular Economy in North Macedonia", explains that the goal is to support local schools and organisations in their circular economy initiatives. “The problem of waste management in North Macedonia is one of the biggest issues that endangers citizens’ lives. We are supporting the country’s transition towards circular economy,” says Sunchica. 

The classes Vesna teaches include both boys and girls. Some of them want to become designers, others are just interested in the topic. Her main advice to her pupils - and to everyone - is: “First, repair, do not throw away. Second, redesign, do not throw away. Third, donate, do not throw away.”