{"id":446439,"date":"2019-01-15T18:00:27","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/?p=446439"},"modified":"2022-01-24T15:31:56","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T15:31:56","slug":"stories-diaspora-irina-madan-i-live-two-worlds-i-try-bring-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/stories-diaspora-irina-madan-i-live-two-worlds-i-try-bring-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories from diaspora \/ Irina Madan: \u201cI live between two worlds and I try to bring them together\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 5<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

It\u2019s time for a new story from Diaspora \u2013 the series of articles meant to demonstrate once again that there are so many exceptional people from Moldova who can move mountains even though they are far from their homeland.<\/p>\n

This is a story of a dedicated and extremely creative woman \u2013 Irina Madan<\/strong> who gave a new definition to painting. She blends fashion with art painting and spices it up with traditional ornaments brought from Moldova. Each of her works is a unique masterpiece.<\/p>\n

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About the path to achieve her biggest dream<\/h3>\n

Irina is passionate about art and fashion design since her childhood. That was the moment when her talent started to crystallize. \u201cI remember my favourite activity back then – drawing and making dolls’ clothes,<\/em>\u201d recalls Irina. She always wanted to learn professional painting but was given this opportunity only at the age of 19, when she took her first painting course in order to prepare for the entrance examination at the Academy of Arts in Chi\u0219in\u0103u. \u201cThe art education offered me the possibility to fulfil my childhood dream and showed me the path I want to follow,<\/em>\u201d she says. During the 5 years of activity, she managed to accomplish a lot of her dreams and tried to enjoy every step to her biggest dream.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI dream of having my own fashion house, go to the street and see happy people dressed in my painted clothes. I want paintings to be dressed all over the world.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

About leaving home<\/h3>\n

It wasn\u2019t easy to leave Moldova and to move to San Diego, a city located in California, the Unites States. \u201cI faced many difficulties in the US, but there were beautiful things as well. Every day is a new challenge as one must start it from scratch<\/em>,\u201d states Irina. \u201cSan Diego is a truly artistic city and I am glad that I can live here<\/em>.\u201d A young artist like her manages to make a living by selling art work, but at the same time, there are many other possibilities for employment.<\/p>\n

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According to Irina, the hardest thing in the adaptation process is to cope with the internal struggle, not to surrender to the obstacles. \u201cA part of my soul remained in Moldova because that is the place I was born in and that is the place where my dearest people live. That makes me think of home and miss it a lot,\u201d<\/em> Irina says. She returns home every half a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted to make my dream come true at home, but from the inability to do it, I had to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

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Irina believes that a person that lives abroad can contribute to the well-being of his home country by promoting its values. \u201cMost Americans do not know where Moldova is, although in California it happened several times to meet people who had heard about our country and had known more details about its history,<\/em>\u201d declares Irina. The thoughts about Moldova offer her peace of mind. \u201cI always try to emphasize the beautiful things about my homeland. Moreover, I feel proud to represent Moldova through my creations that show how wonderful my country is,\u201d<\/em> Irina states.<\/p>\n

About her works<\/h3>\n

The idea of painting on clothes came in 2013 while Irina was working on her bachelor\u2019s graduation collection. The source of inspiration for her first collection was Venice – the city that helped our protagonist discover her vocation. \u201cI did not know that I was going to create a hand-painted collection. I was sure that I won\u2019t find such fabrics in the regular shops, so I started to produce it myself by painting it<\/em>,\u201d mentions Irina. In the summer of the same year, she obtained her bachelor\u2019s degree in fashion design. At the beginning of autumn 2013, Irina began to create custom-made clothes and continues to do it.<\/p>\n

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The today\u2019s stimulus for Irina\u2019s creations are her own feelings. \u201cI’m trying to play with colours and tell a tale through each of the paintings on the vestments. I am also inspired by artistic and vibrant places from nature, and by music<\/em>,\u201d specifies Irina. She never looks into the works of other artists because that would be unconsciously translated into her creations. Thus, there would be no room for originality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we can create trends by ourselves because what comes from inside, characterizes us. Every person is unique, and the inspiration can be found in nature and in our inner world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A manually painted dress hides a large amount of work and emotions behind it. The entire process lasts for two weeks on average and begins with shaping the idea. Then, the composition is sketched on a piece of white cloth. The next stage is painting. After the painting has dried, the clothing details are cut and the entire process of sewing a garment follows. \u201cI have to execute the entire process by myself. Therefore, it lasts longer<\/em>,\u201d says Irina. Yet, the result of her efforts and the fact that it is appreciated by people inspires and motivates her to create more. \u201cThere is no greater happiness for an artist than the appreciation of his creations,<\/em>\u201d says Irina with a bright smile on her face. The works of Irina Madan won a multitude of international awards, including the 3rd place at the Top Designer Award Fashion Week in San Diego, in October 2018.<\/p>\n

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Irina\u2019s most precious work is called \u201cFata Mo\u0219neagului\u201d, a fantastic dress<\/a> inspired by a Romanian fairy tale character \u2013 a hard-working and kind girl that managed to make her dream come true. \u201cThat is the work I would certainly never sell. I remember when I was at a presentation in London, in 2015, and a lady wanted to buy this particular dress. She was really insistent, but I did not sell it anyway. This dress reflects my personality and I have a spiritual connection with it,<\/em>\u201d confesses Irina. Some of her works can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The dress “Fata mo\u0219neagului” by Irina Madan<\/p><\/div>\n

We are happy that Irina found her vocation and wish her all the best in the future. Her work springs from her soul and spirit and it deserves to be recognised.<\/p>\n

More of Irina’s works as following:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t