RFW Academia Competition

Andra Ichim

Ichim Andra-Maria is a third-year undergraduate student in Fashion Design. Her creative practice is defined by a constant desire to explore and transform materials through experimental techniques, aiming to develop new and expressive textures.

Interested in textile manipulation and construction, Andra investigates the relationship between surface and volume, transforming flat materials into three-dimensional forms. Texture becomes a central element of her visual language, moving beyond decoration and gaining conceptual value.

Although she approaches diverse themes, her work consistently returns to organic forms, especially flowers, reinterpreted as sculptural 3D structures. Her creations explore the balance between fragility and structure, fluidity and resistance, shaping a personal style situated at the intersection of fashion and artistic object.

Andrada Haiduc

My name is Haiduc Andrada. I am a second-year undergraduate student at the Faculty of Arts and Design in Timișoara, part of the West University of Timișoara, in the Fashion Design department.


I come from Baia Mare, Maramureș County, and I graduated from the Art College in Baia Mare, Textile department. During the 11th and 12th grades, I participated in the National Art Olympiad.


What I can say about myself is that from a very young age I felt that art is a part of me. I discovered it when I was doing puzzles, and later I started drawing and painting. It may sound cliché to say that “we express ourselves through art,” but that is exactly how I feel. For me, art is a way of living. I like to observe, analyze, and draw conclusions. I am drawn to everything that is “beautiful,” even though it is quite an abstract word.


I admire traditional art, even if I did not always understand it; over time I learned to appreciate the beauty of traditions and to accept my own roots. My sources of inspiration come from various fields, both from art and from life. I do not try to present only a beautiful sketch, but rather to show a story in motion.


I chose fashion as more than just a passion; I chose this form of expression so that my works could have a voice and speak my thoughts. Being an introverted person, I usually limit myself to short sentences, but through clothing I can say much more. That is why the themes I choose have a sensitive side, as I transpose my own thoughts and opinions onto the subject.

Azime Önder

A student at Universitatea de Artă și Design Cluj-Napoca, she dedicates her practice to the field of contemporary fashion design, combining a conceptual perspective with an experimental approach. The central element that shapes her identity emerges through the analysis of form, texture, and dynamism, creating a coherent artistic rhythm. Through her projects, she aims to fuse the practical dimension of garments with a medium of personal expression.

Eszter Domokos

My name is Domokos Eszter, and I am a third-year student at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca. In the presented collection, I aim to represent poor urban block neighborhoods, drawing attention to the social issues that emerge there through the language of visual expression. I try to indirectly incorporate the peculiar atmosphere and aesthetics of these crumbling places into the visual world of the collection. Buildings in poor condition and abandoned factories that provide shelter for homeless people. Through their aesthetics, I wish to highlight social inequalities and the everyday struggles faced by people living in deep poverty, while creating a connection between different social layers and emphasizing the importance of empathy and support, which are indispensable factors for the development of society.


On the one hand, an increasingly degraded environment; on the other hand, boundless consumption and waste — these are the challenges of environmental protection.

This is why it is important to me that my textures are created using techniques that make use of textile leftovers, thereby reducing waste and contributing to environmental protection.


I am especially glad to have the opportunity to participate in Romanian Creative Week, and I thank those who made this possible.

Fruzsina Bartha

Fruzsina Bartha is a first-year Master’s student in Fashion at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca. Her artistic journey began in childhood through music and visual arts, later complemented by philology studies — experiences that shaped her sensitivity toward expression and language.


She is in a constant process of transformation, a quality that is clearly reflected in her work. Each collection represents a stage in her evolution, becoming a space for exploration and self-redefinition. Her creations stand out through careful attention to detail, incorporating embroidery and handcrafted accessories to bring a more intimate and personal dimension to every collection.


In 2024, she was a finalist at Romanian Creative Week – RCW Platform – Call for Project, an experience that strengthened her artistic direction and confidence in her creative vision. She has also volunteered at various fashion events, gaining valuable practical insight into the industry.


Through her creations, she aims to construct sincere visual narratives and evoke emotion. For her, fashion is not merely about aesthetics, but a complex language through which reality can be understood, reinterpreted, and transformed into a personal form of expression.

Luca-Alexia Ilco

My name is Ilco Luca Alexia and I am currently a first-year Master’s student at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca. In 2024, I graduated from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, an experience that reshaped my perspective on image construction and my creative process.

The emerging brand, Alexia Alexis The Brand, operates as a visual research laboratory where the relationship between texture, perception, and illusion becomes central. Digital printing functions as a tool of exploration, generating layered surfaces, transparency, and controlled distortions that transform the garment into a space of visual depth.

The brand’s direction is built around the tension between sportswear and the delicate study of lace. Utilitarian and ornamental elements coexist in a controlled balance, where fragility gains structure and structure acquires sensitivity.

Through digital printing techniques and detailed surface research, flatness evolves into perceived volume, and materiality is reinterpreted through technological mediation. The process seeks to merge utility with uniqueness, producing garments that embody layered identities and contrasts.
The aim is to develop a fashion territory in which the final piece can be freely interpreted and integrated into the wearer’s own visual narrative.

Réka-Kinga Bartha

Bartha Réka Kinga is a first-year Master’s student at the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca. Since childhood, she has shown a strong interest in the visual arts, her educational path being consolidated through graduating from the Vocational Art High School in Târgu Mureș.

Her constant passion for painting has deeply influenced her artistic vision, and in her perspective, the visual arts occupy a defining role within the field of fashion. In 2025, she was awarded First Prize at the international Mare di Moda Link Fashion Contest, held in Cannes, with a lingerie collection that highlighted both the conceptual refinement and the aesthetic coherence of her creative approach.

The fundamental values of her brand are slow fashion and sustainability, with a strong focus on reuse and environmental responsibility. Her style is characterized by an experimental approach, exploring avant-garde silhouettes and unconventional pattern cutting. She creates original surfaces and textures using innovative materials and techniques.

Among the techniques she frequently employs are embroidery, dyeing fabrics with natural pigments, digital processing and printing of hand-drawn designs, as well as the application of the “free cutting” technique. Through her collections, she aims to address an audience that is aware of the importance of environmental protection and that appreciates the artistic value of the garments they wear.

Her aesthetic is strongly influenced by avant-garde Japanese fashion, which shapes her conceptual direction and formal expressiveness.

Ruxandra-Elena Busuioc

Busuioc Ruxandra-Elena studies fashion and apparel design at Universitatea Națională de Arte „George Enescu” Iași (National University of Arts “George Enescu” Iași). Concerned with the durability of garments and the principles of circular fashion, they apply upcycling and redesign techniques in their work. They repurpose existing fabrics and textile products, reinterpreting them through a contemporary aesthetic in terms of form and structure driven by their commitment to adopting a responsible approach within the fashion industry.


Inspired by folklore, culture, and the social and political issues facing contemporary society, they integrate traditional motifs and artisanal techniques into an urban context. Through their vision, they promote ideas of equity, autonomy, and the reconception of gender norms, positioning fashion as a tool that fosters innovation. In doing so, they build their creative identity at the intersection of modernity and tradition.


They have presented their work at national and international festivals, exhibitions, and fashion shows.


Victoria Rusu

KIWAKULT rebuilds from what the world leaves behind. The pieces are created from leftover and reclaimed fabrics. Some materials are built through patchwork, where each fragment is carefully selected by the designer for its color harmony and texture, then assembled into new textiles from which the garments are cut and sewn.

The brand’s authenticity lies in the originality of its cuts, patterns, and hand-sewn decorative or textural details. Every piece follows a unique creative process — intuitive, chaotic, and beautifully irregular — which makes replication impossible. No two KIWAKULT garments can ever be identical, as the brand works exclusively with deadstock, recycled, and upcycled materials.

KIWAKULT embraces a visual identity that speaks without words — one that embodies the essence of upcycled, reused, reloved, and relived. This is expressed through a stamp-like, engraved logo, hand-crafted visible garment labels, and an overall aesthetic rooted in intentional imperfection. The lifestyle it promotes mirrors these values, resonating with a conscious, creative audience that seeks meaning, memory, and authenticity in what they wear.

Yevheniia Balan

Balan Yevheniia is a third-year student in the Bachelor’s program at the Fashion–Clothing Design Department of the George Enescu National University of Arts, Iași.
Her creative work emerges from a deep focus on inner experiences. The central theme of her creations is the exploration of how a person encounters herself, her own freedom, and her responsibility toward her inner world. She believes that clothing can be not only a form, but also a space for reflection—a dialogue between inner states and external reality.

She draws inspiration from symbolic and philosophical works, where every image and detail carries subtext and opens a space for contemplation.

Her clothing is characterized by layering, freedom of cut, and ease of movement. It does not constrain but supports inner freedom and allows the body to breathe, while remaining both feminine and elegant. Unisex elements harmoniously intertwine with feminine lines, creating a balance between universality and individuality.

Her pieces represent an invitation to mindfulness and offer a space for personal experience, allowing each person to remain herself in a world where the inner state is just as important as outward appearance.