Realized project 

From November 2021 till December 2023, TTA-Textile cluster was project partner in the IPA cross border project Greece – North Macedonia – “Fashion Employment HUB”. The project aim was creating a Fashion Hub which will act as an Employment Hub of cross border character and impact offering integrated and innovative support services, tools and knowledge to professionals and prospective fashion entrepreneurs. The focus of the project was on the latter crucial parameter, the human capital capacity building, especially of young educated graduates that form a significant part of the national workforce of the two countries.

Young designers and entrepreneurs  (414 persons) benefited by participating in the project activities (Info Days, Study Visits, Training events and Seminars Individual consulting) by gaining essential knowledge about “Certified Export Trade Executive- fashion business management”, “Digital image processing”, Certified Special Fashion Designer – Costume Designer – Stylist”, “Entrepreneurship”, “Digital Marketing”. The establishment of the Creativity Hub resulted to enhance the added value to regional/local development by strengthening the skills and entrepreneurial capacity of graduates, young designers and business executives in the fashion sector. The services provided through the hub include technical information, business guidance, consultancy, business collections and search for new trends. Through the hub it was possible to bring together all stakeholders and facilitate the exchange of innovative ideas and sustainable methods, enhance the transfer of know-how and promote creative thinking and development.

Textile cluster was lead partner in USAID BEP Project- component for Building Capacity for Business Support Activities 2022-2023: implementation of social standards in textile and apparel companies and preparing companies for social audit.

Starting from May 2020 till end of 2022, TTA-TC was external collaborator in the “Waste to Energy for Western Balkan Cement Industry” project, where the project aim was to determine the preconditions for the use of municipal and industrial waste (including very huge amount of textile waste) and waste tires for the production of alternative fuel from waste (RDF/SRF) 2 for the cement industry, in order to achieve opportunities for economic utilization of various waste streams, by utilizing the potential of the existing infrastructure and the network for collection, preparation and processing of the communal and other priority waste for production of RDF/SRF.

TTA-Textile cluster was a consortium partner in the Erasmus+ project ‘Innovative design practices for achieving a new textile circular sector’ 2019/2020 where under the project we were working on developing and creating of innovative learning curriculum in line with the needs of designers of the textile and fashion industry. The idea was to motivate the designers from the textile sector to create products that will reduce their environmental impact during the product’s life-cycle, and to develop new and innovative businesses within the principles of circular economy. Under the project we developed Design4Circle learning platform where students, young people and designers can learn more about circular economy trough the 7 learning modules.

Also TTA-TC was lead partner in the Interreg IPA CBC Programme Bulgaria – North Macedonia project: “Modern Textile industry as Attractive Career Path for Young Generations and Contributor for Economic Development and Social Prosperity of Cross Border Region” 2019/2020 and under the activity: “Organisation of Days of Textile industry – Promotion among young generations pupils and students” we are working with 6 textile high schools in Macedonia on the issue “sustainable fashion”, meaning design and preparing of collection from garments or fabric leftovers with implementing hand made workmanship for improving the design and wearability.

In 2017 TTA-TC under the USAID project organized two day conference named: TexRec opportunity and challenges in textile waste recycling, with the experts from The Netherlands.  For the purpose of the conference, TTA-TC conducted a survey among textile companies about determining quantities, costs and current processes of discharge waste. The results show that the amount is significant high both in quantities as well as in the costs. It must also be noted that fulfilling the CSR standards, buyers require ecologically treatment of waste that will not pollute the environment, so the apparel producers working on a CSR base have to implement circular economy principles in their production chain.

Textile cluster was part of the Interreg-IPA CBC Programmed Bulgaria –North Macedonia, “Building international competitiveness of the textile companies in the cross border region MK-BG” 2016-2018 with activies for evaluation, promotion and initiation of implementation of social compliance programs at the companies in North Macedonia and Bulgaria, where was created regional compliance label named “TRUSTED BALKAN APPAREL”.

Further, TTA-TC is having close cooperation with the Universities and textile vocational schools located all over the country, as well as representatives of designers. Some of activities are: organization of seminars and trainings on different topics, working on improvement of curriculums, visiting students in companies, organisation of fashion events, ets. The parts of leftovers from the apparel companies mediated by TTA-TC are often given to universities and high schools so they can work on modeling and product design.