Creation games

Even though we live in a Romania in which dozens of women announce the opening of their new tailor shops, as days go by, and entitle themselves fashion creators, the real designers are found at the opposite corner and can serve, any time, as a source of inspiration for the ones who want to impose in the fashion industry. That’s because a designer, by definition, is passionate about fashion from a young age, and is willing to be instructed in prestigious schools, works hard and builds an identity, without deviating from the defining elements and the central concept of collections. Not to mention the attention to every detail before launching a new clothing line and or the ambition.

And when I write these words, I have in mind Andra Clitan, a designer I believed in since we met in 2011. I admired the consistency with which she kept as a center of her collection, the Romanian traditional art motives and costumes from Maramures, which she mixed with contemporary elements borrowed from cultures of distant countries. The surprising associations, the unconventional mixes seem to be Andra’s motto, who signed a unique series of clothing, wearable but with a couture touch.

Recently, we met again in Bucharest, where she showed me some pieces from her collection that I was going to use in my shooting. It wasn’t easy for me to decide, but in the end, I chose a silk organza dress with fringed termination and beaded handmade cuffs from the MA RA MI collection. As I was saying before, Andra has intensively studied the Transylvanian costume, and technical solutions, decorative items, traditional fabrics obtained often rudimentary in local households, and wanted to update and restore it to life in her own interpretation. Andra’s philosophy is that each coat should be a statement piece and tell a story. Well, the dress I chose demonstrates that the designer transforms her desires in reality, and not just dreams of them. And… like any true designer, the clothes created by her are unique.