Shabayeva is originally from Georgia and is of Georgian,[2][3]Jewish[4] and Russian heritage.[5] She has stated her favorite designer is Jean Paul Gaultier,[6] and credits her success to her feminine instincts and her diverse heritage.[7]
Project Runway
Shabayeva appeared in season six of Project Runway and won three challenges (Episode 5, "Fashion Headliners", Episode 7 "The Sky is the Limit", and Episode 10 "Around the World in Two Days). She ultimately won the season with her New York-inspired woman warrior collection. The season six finale notably featured three designers (Shabayeva along with Carol Hannah Whitfield and Althea Harper) that had not been in the bottom three during the whole season.
In 2015, Irina Shabayeva launched a lingerie collection in addition to continuing ready to wear and couture collection. Irina also has dedicated a lot of other time to working with numerous charities. In the past she has partnered with the MacDella Cooper Foundation to benefit Ebola, The Freedom Ladder to end child trafficking and The Carol Galvin Foundation to aid women with cancer. On February 12, 2016 she showed a couture and lingerie collection at the Monarch in NYC to benefit Women's cancer research.
