Born in Bosnia, a refugee in Germany, raised in Pennsylvania, and a transplant to NYC, Irma Elezovic, has a style that stands out in our dear city… and in our small office. With her perfect eyeliner, long jet-black hair, and her love for all things black in fashion, Irma is certainly a HerHattan girl worth spotlighting.

Street chic, herself, it is obvious how she got her role as “Street Chic” blogger for HerHattan NYC. But, Irma’s PR experience makes her work essential here, working constantly on making contacts in the fashion world and prepping our Press Releases for our launch.

Lunching with Daphne Guinness, Irma knows how to hang with the best of the fashion world. Not to mention, the way she walked the Fusion stage this past Sunday, modeling designs from Charles Haddad, Avery Vaughn and Yunan Wang.  

What was your experience like in Bosnia?

I was born in Bosnia but my family moved out of Bosnia when I was only nine months, because a war broke out. We ended up moving to Germany and we lived there for six years as refugees. I was very young, so I don’t remember much, but I attended 1^st grade there. I still keep in contact with my best friend from 1^st grade. After the war in Bosnia, we had to leave Germany so we moved to Houston, Texas because my aunt was living there. My parents didn’t want to move back to Bosnia because everything was destroyed and they felt my sister and I would have a better future in America. We lived in Houston for a year before finally moving to a small town in Pennsylvania. That’s where I basically grew up. However, I go back to Bosnia every summer and visit family, so I never lost my true heritage. 

 What brought you to NYC? 

I have always been obsessed with fashion and NYC in general. It was my dream to live in NYC from a very young age. In 10^th grade, I told my guidance counselor that the only thing I was interested in was fashion, and asked her what I should do. She actually was the one who told me about FIT. I didn’t think it was possible at first because my parents are very strict and traditional. They wanted me to go to college at the local University. It took a year of persuading my dad before he finally let me move to NYC.

What are you studying at FIT?

I received my Associate degree (AAS) in Fashion Merchandising Management and I am currently studying Advertising and Marketing Communications for my Bachelor of Science (BS) degree.

How would you describe your own personal style?

Gothic chic. I love wearing a lot of black so my style is very dark and edgy. However, I’m obsessed with shoes and I have endless amounts of extremely colorful shoes.

Who is your favorite designer?

Alexander McQueen is my foremost favorite designer, but I love Riccardo Tisci and Jean Paul Gaultier as well. 

Tell us about modeling in the Fusion Fashion Show recently. What did you wear? 

This was actually my second year modeling for the Fusion Fashion Show.  It is such a great experience and I love meeting so many talented students. I wore lingerie for FIT designer, Avery Vaughn. Her collection was called “Bacteremia” and it was inspired by the spread of bacteria in the bloodstream. I got to wear these nude sleeves with red sparkles, which were supposed to look like veins. I was obsessed with it!

Another FIT designer, I had the pleasure of modeling for, was my good friend, Charles Haddad. His collection, “Requiem for Beirut,” was inspired by the war that broke out in Lebanon. He witnessed things that nobody should have to see. I wore a molded leather jacket with a black and gold chiffon skirt, and a black widow’s veil. It gave me goose bumps to wear!

Another talented designer I modeled for was Yunan Wang who is a Parsons student. Her collection was called “Unfold” and it was inspired by origami art and the process of folding. I wore high-wasted capri pants with a tucked-in collared origami shirt. I loved it so much that I asked her if I could borrow it sometime!