Romanian Apparel
This collection is the development of the ethnic print concept and the Romanian traditional motifs while it investigates deeper my obsession with the folklore and its various sides.
The naming is an ironic reference to the hipness of a global brand like American Apparel and to the desire of many Romanians to have something like that in here. I wanted to create these clothes that are very Romanian in their essence and, therefore, Romanians can wear them proudly anywhere in the world. Local going global or why wear global when you have local, that's the manifesto behind it.
On one side, some pieces show my ethnic revivalist attempt and the rediscovery of a lost source of creativity. On the other hand, I tried to put some issues on the table. One dress has the image of a major art piece of the famous Constantin Brancusi, The Endless Column, an artist that based his vision on the primary shapes specifc to ancient and old traditional art. In the photo shoot for this item, I juxtaposed the Brancusi dress with a infamous recent monument from Bucharest, also a column, made by a known artist, that, in most art critics' opinions, fails to express the intended idea, being just a subject of mockery for the casual viewer caused by its amusing shape.
Folklore as an inspiration for the artist is a questionable choice, that's what I wanted to point out. There is also another issue I tried to address: during the last century, folklore became more and more kitschy especially because of National Communism and its cultural propaganda techniques. After that depressing period, is folklore ready to be again an authentic source of artistic energy or its recent kitschy past is still too strong even in the present?
Photo Credits: Dani Ionita
Model: Diana Bobina