The Republic of Macedonia is located in the central Balkan region, with a population of just above 2 million. It is one of the successor states of former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991. As a result of an ongoing dispute with Greece over use of the name Macedonia, it was admitted under the provisional description of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" abbreviated as FYROM. The largest ethnic group in the country are the Macedonians who are mostly Eastern Orthodox and make up 65% of the population, the second being the Muslim Albanians who represent about a third of the inhabitants. Tourism plays an important role in the economy of Macedonia with 700, 000 visitors a year. The country has a variety of natural and cultural attractions, which make it an attractive destination. It has a rich cultural heritage in art, architecture, poetry and music as well as a variety of protected religious Christian and Muslim sites. Headquartered in the town of Štip, eastern Macedonia, Astibo Fashion Group is one of the big players of this developing industry. On its website, Astibo states it is acting as a complete textile agency, as a production management company and an ultimate partner for garment production. “The company is committed to achieve total customer satisfaction, based on top class service and efficient expedition policy.” I was able to shoot inside an Astibo factory, and thus provide rare visual documentation of working conditions in the Macedonian garment industry.
