Romanian Designers

Affair 37

Andrea Tincu

Andreea Tincu is a Romanian fashion designer, who founded Andrea Tincu fashion house in 2007. Andreea Tincu` s vision in fashion is enriched by her artistic nature.
The designer had an early debut in fashion, in 1991, when she started to collaborate with fashion houses from Iassy. In time, Andreea has become the head designer for many important Romanian brands.

Andrea Tincu is a Romanian ready-to-wear brand, dedicated to women who appreciate complex patterns, unique prints, and exquisite finishes. The aesthetic of Andrea Tincu’s collections is recognizable by the fusion of Art with Fashion and the seamless blending of contemporary lines with feminine details. The prints, which are a trademark for the brand, are the result of the creative synthesis of art, literature, and fashion. Behind Andrea Tincu’ s prints there is a complex creative process – from graphic sketches to paintings, and ultimately to the final product, which is digitally processed.
Andrea Tincu is a brand that stands out through premium quality and creativity. Each product is carefully manufactured by a team of professionals. The production is sustainable and eco-friendly. The collections are manufactured from natural fabrics, that represent the guarantee of any high-quality ready-to-wear product.
Starting in 2007 and up until now, Andrea Tincu has been involved in many important fashion events. The first Andrea Tincu collection was inspired by Man Ray`s artwork, and it was presented at Romanian Fashion Week in 2007. Amsterdam, London, Vienna, Kyiv, Athens, or Bucharest are just a few of the places where Andrea Tincu’ s collections were displayed. Besides fashion shows, Andrea Tincu was involved in many fashion projects, such as Mode Fabrik-Amsterdam, Fashion Forward (TCBL 2019), or Romanian Textile Concept.
In 2015, the designer created the first Andrea Tincu silk scarves. Her motivation originated in the desire to offer the customers an artwork in the shape of a chic and fashionable accessory.

Thanks to the variety of patterns and colours, Andrea Tincu’ s scarves are the perfect gift for people who love Romanian design and who enjoy wearing them, even in travels all over the world. The motto of the brand, Painting Dreams, was inspired by the Surrealist artistic cannon. It also stands for an imaginary bridge between the first Andrea Tincu collection, inspired by Man Ray, and the more recent ones.

Given her 20 years of experience in fashion, Andreea Tincu is permanently preoccupied with innovation. She is directly involved in all aspects related to the brand, including marketing and styling. She is one of The One Hundred designers, like Dries Van Noten or Rei Kawakubo, because of her involvement in every department that assures the good running of the brand.

You can discover Andrea Tincu’s collections at www.andreatincu.com

Atelier Hamza

Atelier Hamza is a luxury fashion brand that embodies the finest quality, craftsmanship, and attention to detail. Our carefully curated selection of materials, combined with our dedication to creating unique and timeless pieces, sets us apart from the rest. We believe that fashion is not just about what you wear, but how it makes you feel. That’s why every garment we create is designed with the utmost care and attention, so that you can experience the feeling of true luxury. From our atelier to your wardrobe, let Atelier Hamza elevate your style and inspire your confidence.

Axente

Heavily influenced by the unconscious punk undercurrent of a small underground city, AXENTE mixes the harshness of trash with the softness of elements as fragile as lace.

AXENTE’s first project, a drop of 3 graphic t-shirts was all about shining light on the darker, more raw side of humanity, using a piece of clothing as wearable as it can get to exhibit statement messages that highlight today society’s controversial issues, from sexuality – “MURMURE-MOI TES FANTASMES”, all the way to political issues – “ONLY SUITABLE FOR INSENSITIVE LAWBREAKERS”.

A year later, the first capsule collection entitled “Lace handkerchief” was launched, being a sincere unveiling of past emotions and experiences, materialized through garments. The main source of inspiration for the collection is the Victorian handkerchief with lace details that women used to carry, which they often wiped their tears with, used as a symbol to illustrate the acceptance of emotional development through the complexity of feelings. The collection has brought together several directions in a common aesthetic, ranging from basic pieces, activewear, to complex compositions and combinations of materials for decorative purposes. This project aimed at highlighting the emotional and vulnerable side, representing the beginning of the transition to the next project.

The following collection is called BLACK SUN and illustrates human typologies passed through a filter with punk influences in the form of ten very well defined outfits. It is very much a manifest with the purpose of destroying stereotypes in contemporary society, as well as remodeling the instinctive thinking of modern man. Metaphorically, BLACK SUN was a counterattack aimed at restrictive rules that limit the uniqueness of the individual, creating an abstract space in which we are allowed to outline an authentic appearance, in the absence of fear of rejection from the outside.

AXENTE illustrates the graceful process of emotional evolution through both positive and negative experiences, exploring the duality of human nature, driven by power and sensitivity simultaneously. The wide range of garments, from active wear to intricate shirts and corsets, encourage people to dig into themselves to find their most authentic, raw side and later express it on the outside through clothes.

Bol Fashion Of Nature by Oana Lupaș

Immersing myself in nature, I am able to glimpse the meaning of happiness. Walking through life, I see its complexities… I yearn with the desire to unravel them.

The pure attention that kids turn to everything around them is my key to unlocking the wonder, beauty, joy and the interchange in nature. I gracefully pursue and cherish this miracle, while being in nature.

With this same passion, BOL creations are emboldened with my pure contemplation of the Natural. Its harmony overflowing into my spirit – a vivid exchange of affections and being alive. An interchange of thrill and pulse.

BOL mirrors the art of observing life in all forms, through the unfolding of the nature of happiness.

BOL is an elegy for love and ephemeral beauty, composed with passionate patience and sensuous tempo.

A Transylvania based label which aims to contour an innocent, playful and curious image for creative and sensitive people.

Carmen Secareanu

Her career spanning over 20 years defined and influenced the world of art and fashion in Romania. Her work is defined by avant-garde elements, chromatic austerity, elegant innovation, surprising juxtapose textures, elaborate fabric manipulation but also by a special intelligence and artistic sensibility.

Chic Utility

Chic Utility is a versatile and dual brand that prides itself on combining utility with aesthetics in its truest form. Founded by Diana Flore, a fashion designer and stylist from Cluj-Napoca, the brand offers high-quality designs oriented in two directions, as reflected in its name: chic and utility.

In each collection, Chic Utility presents a range of chic and functional clothing and accessories, catering to both a mature audience seeking luxury and elegant design, as well as a younger demographic drawn to current trends and fresh, cool elements.

Chic Utility represents the perfect fusion of two creative directions, resulting in playful and unique designs. The Chic aspect of the brand embodies timeless and classy elements, while the Utility line is more experimental, fusing sport and underground styles with elegant ones.

Overall, CU provides the ideal solution for those seeking an original, functional fashion style that doesn’t promote the “fast fashion” industry or compromise on quality. The brand’s commitment to fusing aesthetics and utility sets it apart in a crowded market, and its dedication to quality ensures that its designs will stand the test of time.

House of Compulsion

Founded in 2018 by fashion designer Alina Morar, HOUSE OF COMPULSION is a leatherwear brand born from a love for craftsmanship and leather. Alina’s journey began with a Masters in Fashion Design from the University of Arts and Design in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where she garnered accolades such as the Elle Style Award for Best Young Designer in 2014 and Elle Style Award for Best Designer in 2022.

Interning at Meadham Kirchhoff’s London studio ignited her passion for craftmanship, inspiring her to establish HOUSE OF COMPULSION in 2018 as a homage to her favorite garment, the biker jacket. Returning to Romania in 2019, Alina opened HoC Studio, where leather pieces are meticulously handcrafted into life.

Through handcrafted, limited edition pieces, we speak to the ones that appreciate clothes beyond trends, seasons and styling tricks. Each seam, cut and finish is tried and tested over and over again in a celebration of true craftsmanship, in a constant strive for the ever-unattainable perfection.

Ioana Ciolacu

Ioana Ciolacu is a contemporary womenswear fashion label from the Romanian designer by the same name. With an MA in Fashion Design and Technology from the prestigious London College of Fashion of University of the Arts London and with design experience from one of the best international brands – Stella McCartney, Ioana has developed a strong understanding of creating high quality clothes and unique designs. With a focus on shape, craftsmanship and sustainability, Ioana takes inspiration from architecture and nature combining signature graphics with tailoring techniques.

Her simple yet tailor inspired silhouettes work as canvases for signature graphics – transposed in prints and embroidery -and fabric combinations that all show a deep understanding of shape, proportion and craftsmanship. Ioana’s effortless pieces show a love for playing with custom developed techniques to create a modern and alluring look.

irina schrotter

Modern sophistication, refined elegance, avant-garde details, diverse silhouettes, versatile items, impeccable execution, all made out of respect for the numerous and exigent clientele – are some of the features of irina schrotter collections.

With an experience of over 30 years in the fashion and creative industries fields, Irina Schrotter, the founder of the eponymous label, has built a brand that is anchored in the Romanian fashion industry, with own shops and factories (of over 800 employees), but also with a constant, consistent presence in over 17 countries.

irina schrotter brand is official supplier for the Romanian Royal House.

irina schrotter creations were presented at the most important professional fairs in Paris, New York, Milan, Berlin. The press clippings with numerous reviews in prestigious publications like: Vogue Germany, Style, Das Modebuch, Berliner Zeitung, ELLE Germany, ELLE Romania, Harper’s BAZAAR Romania reveal the impact of the catwalk shows held at Romanian Fashion Week Iași (in all 12 editions), Mercedes-Benz Berlin Fashion Week (2011-2013), MQ Vienna Fashion Week (2013-2019), Romanian Pavilion from Shanghai 2010, in her own showroom from Milano, so on.

The creative universe is made possible through the involvement of the extraordinary team, many of its members being next to Irina Schrotter, for the past 30 years. Aurora Gongescu is Head of Design, having Ela Ancuța and Raul Lazăr as team members. The specialized Atelier of the brand has been constantly improving and has reached a high level of execution for complex items. Continuity, perseverance and constant specialization are key parts in this success story.

The most prolific and long-term stylistic collaboration and brand communication is with Ovidiu Buta. Through the years, Irina Schrotter has collaborated with talented designers such as: Răzvan Ciobanu, Andreea Tincu, Lucian Broscățean, accessories designers, stylists, make-up artist Alexandru Abagiu and the teams that he coordinates, hair stylists, communication experts, visual artists, architects, theater and film directors.

Laura Lazăr

Laura Lazar is a Bucharest based fashion brand that specializes in glam-rock inspired designs.

Since launching her namesake label 10 years ago, Laura Lazar has featured signature designs and distinctive details, daring figure-flattering cuts and fabrics which convey the brand’s unique Rock and Royal feel.

The label’s aesthetic is heavily influenced by the glamorously decadent era of Studio 54, the everlasting appeal of ‘70s bohemian style, and the designer’s own personal style and unique take on rock and roll and punk rock scene of late ‘70s, grunge music genre, culture and lifestyle.

These attributes – reinvented and reworked season upon season, and adjusted to fashion’s latest trends by creative director Laura Lazar – come to life in label’s signature fringe dresses, daring stage costumes, bold-shoulder jackets, distressed and shredded T-shirts, rock-inspired essentials, embellished leather pants with rock-studs, zippers and safety pins; keynote pieces also include plunging V neck jumpsuits, thigh-grazing disco dresses, bohemian-inspired silhouettes and effortlessly dramatic floor-length stunners with a glam-rock flair.

“Each collection is a page added to the rock and roll story that I build and constantly refine from season to season. My clothes tell the story of a muse who becomes the rockstar of her own scene. Any of my creations can be worn as you feel, because the woman who chooses to wear it does it for herself, not for others, and she has the audacity to be the way she wants to be, without feeling bound. She is a free spirit who feels like living a rockstar life.”

Sandra Chira

Sandra Chira exposes a new vision of the role of clothing in the process of expressing the individual identity. Clothes are not only the expression of global trends that determine manipulation of the masses by depersonalization. They become the expression of personality and a main mean that communicates the individual aspect of one’s identity. Sandra Chira reconfirms the value of image authenticity in a globally unstable context marked by uniformity.

The era of consumerism generates identity losses, neutralizes and erases personalities. We choose similar packages, loaded with impersonal social symbols, controlled by pressures and unstable criteria. Visual identity becomes the expression of collective trends, of an improper rhythm of honest communication, in a fake balance between the need of individualization and the need of belonging.

As a graduate of fashion design college and masters at Faculty of Arts and Design in Timișoara, with a scholarship in Paris and doctor in visual arts since 2016, Sandra Chira debuted during her studies in 2011.

Her brand’s image speculates elements of local identity, with timeless value, which respond to the consumer’s need for personalization and social individualization. Against excessive consumerism, Sandra Chira’s collections support the Slow Fashion phylosophy, restoring a stable connection between image and its immaterial content.

Scapadona

The brand was created because of the passion and the need for freedom and ease in today’s lifestyle and it wishes to bring these to their customers with a sense of earthbound and confidence, through long lasting designs and a good deal of charm. SCAPADONA creates garments which bring comfort, with a subtle, elegant approach.

The brand’s aesthetic proposes classic and clean lines enhanced by adornments such as flowers, drapery, textured fabrics, or prints. Whether they get peculiar, romantic, or masculine, their garments always fit into concepts inspired by the relation between elements like nature and emotions. The designer’s origins from a Black Sea-shore town have inspired a true love for the sea and its poetry, which can be persistently noticed in most of the brand’s stories.

While creating vulnerably, SCAPADONA constructs a certain feeling which comes with wearing their clothes. The brand believes in individuality and creates with the purpose of helping their customers feel self-assured, free, and powerful.

The brand’s founder and designer, Andreea Ivan, a Graduate of the National University of Arts in Bucharest, put her vision into work by approaching all the above and has instilled definite values into building the brand, such as: respect for heritage and history, responsibility, sustainability, and well-being. She believes in the dual quality of design – decoration and functionality, so the pieces she creates are made to satisfy both sides.

The aesthetic style approached is casual, natural, and eclectic. Regarding the succession of the collections in particular, the stylistic atmosphere remains true to the concept of each collection. Hence an unpredictable chromaticity, the use of mixes of prints and textures or spontaneous combinations of materials. The defining aesthetic style for the designer is based on the idea of challenge, unpredictability, and stylistic subtlety.

The collection which launched the brand was the designer’s graduation project. “Undersea River” had a concept built around the idea of duality and contradiction, metaphorically derived from this suggestive natural element: a river within the sea – a sweet, fast-flowing river in a salty and static water. The idea was born from the designer’s personal interests, closely related to the sea and water, both from an aesthetic and conceptual point of view. Stylistically, the direction of the collection was mature and precious, fine, subtly approaching the chromatic side, the textile factor, and fabric manipulation.

From here, the brand launched in a transitory process, towards the idea of Ready-to-Wear and towards collections that include both artistic pieces and the practical and functional side, all products being made in accordance with the needs which the brand aims to satisfy, of comfort and refinement, for a contemporary, yet nostalgic, sensitive lifestyle.

Smaranda Almășan

Smaranda Almășan is a high fashion design label , the collections are build around eloquent designs ,finely cut and sharp silhouettes.The style is ,,avant-garde,, for everyday use , giving individuals a better opportunity to dress experimentally.

Tearless Street

Tearless street is a high luxury brand that focuses on identity, made by Crina Stefanca and Luis Drajan, partners in life and in creative endeavors.

We create a world where freedom and power intertwined through garments suited for everyday use. 

Tearless Street came to life from our desire to create stories catered to strong individuals. 

Taking inspiration from cinema as well as everyday objects we blend them together in a sharp and unconventional image. With every collection we launch new skins for people who strive for individuality.

New shapes unfold from classic elements of the wardrobe, defined by bold details accompanied by high quality fabrics and infused with craftsmanship.

Tudor Halațiu

For those who don’t know me, my name is Tudor Halațiu and I am one of the well- known young romanian designers. I studied fashion design at the University of Decorative Arts and Design in Cluj-Napoca license level, and then I came toBucharest where I continued my studies at UnArte, master level and later I started to build my personal brand step by step. When you are active in the creative field, it is quite difficult to describe yourself in words! In general, the clothes I create tell 99% of my story. A good story in this area starts with a bold character that perfectly captures a successful action! Over time I came to believe that every designer is born with this aspiration, to create something fantasticallyand the result I enjoyed when I was a mini Tudor was to have the most beautiful dolls, and today I am one of the most discussed names of young romanian designers.

Tudor Halațiu brand is and will always be a brand that talks about the visual power expressed through extravagance. The word power comes with extravagance, because in this industry I believe that visual power push you to the top of the best designers. The enemy of the word “good” is the phrase “very good,” and this is very well associated with power. I havenever wanted my brand to be positioned in a lower area and I strongly believe that my efforts to make this brand shine day by day are supported by the activity I present in the online zone, in the care that I want my story to go on in a clean way, but also about the characters I associate with when I talk about projects. I think it’s very important to know whatyou want to tell as an individual brand and a fashion designer, and I think at this point I’m at a clear enough maturity to realize that fashion is closely related to global socio-political and socio- cultural events. Over the years of activity in this field I believe that the most important and strong concepts in fashion are those that make direct reference to thestages in human evolution, starting from self-knowledge, spirituality, sex, etc. I have an affinity for the mystical and spiritual area in which human is integrated, concepts that I integrate in all the collections that I propose, on the runway and in the ready-to-wear collections. This is one of the elements that makes my brand recognizable, in addition to the explosions of sequins, the abundance of metallic shades, the bold combinations of textures and the bold silhouettes that Ipropose.

The creations signed by Tudor Halațiu talk about confidence, courage, strength and success! Success requires courage,and for me success means solid and well-defined values which helps you in the journey you have chosen to follow. Iconsider that at the moment the most important value that my personal brand and I have is the fact that I have alwaysbeen a person who stood out in any context. This comes with the risk of trying new areas and experimenting modern aesthetics in the direction I follow when I creat my collections. In addition, there is the courage to express my style in an original and recognizable way and as an example in a room where there would be 100 items created by romanian designers, my item would be recognized very easily and certainly would stand out. I follow a very solid principle in this industry, a principle with I also educate my personal brand: “it takes courage to dethrone the aesthetics of Tudor Halațiu”. Some people would perceive this as self-access, but I only correlate it with the courage to do something different.

Going back to the values I don’t think that you can establish your values as a personal brand from the very beginning, but I think that it is rooted along the way, depending on the image and the message you want to express. When I stepped into this industry I did not know even 1% on what values my identity as a designer will be built, but after a few years spent inthis industry I consider that my main values that I have acquired are integrity and originality. On a personal level I became a much bolder and much more radical person, and on a professional level I became much more professional thanks to this recipe. I consider myself a very lucky person from this point of view, because I don’t have to bother much to carry on my story because it relates itself and sometimes you don’t need words. The self-confidence I have gained over the last few years allows me to talk about myself and my work in the superlative way and because I am so confident of my power as a designer, in some cases words are unnecessary.

Sorin Stratulat

Legacy and Innovation

With an illustrious career spanning two decades, Sorin Stratulat has redefined the art of hairstyling. Recognized as a leading figure in the fashion and beauty industry, his mastery extends beyond the salon chair.

Sorin’s journey began with a passion for creativity and an unwavering commitment to excellence. Over the years, he has become a trusted collaborator among top designers and photographers, gracing prestigious runways and editorial spreads with his transformative touch.

As a team leader, Sorin inspires those around him to push boundaries and embrace innovation. His dedication to mentorship has shaped the next generation of hairstylists, ensuring his legacy endures for years to come.

A skilled image maker, Sorin understands the power of hair to convey emotion and narrative. Whether crafting sleek, sophisticated updos or pushing the boundaries of avant-garde styling, his work continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

Sorin Stratulat: a visionary artist, a master of style, and a true icon in the world of hairstyling.