9 Romanian Designers to watch right now

Dozens of new brands #MadeInRo appear every month. Hundreds of events – from spring fairs to yard sales, from fashion boutiques to art & cultural hubs are taking place constantly. Yes, sometimes it is very hard to keep track. And it is even harder to know what are the brands that will pass the time test, the designers that are committed to their work versus the one-summer-hobby handcrafted pieces.

From my point of view, it is wonderful that everybody wants to buy something local, to encourage the local business and Romanian designers and artists.

But, if you really want to have something sustainable to keep (more than a season), you have to look carefully, to test, to try, to read a little more about the designer and to see if his (hers) products are reliable, made out of sustainable materials and if they are perfect for you in many outfits from now on…

Let me introduce you some of my favorite brands (well, not all of them, because I think I will need more space than internet itself). Below, 9 designers #madeInRo worth watching and buying right now. Why 9? That’s simple: because I am waiting for you to recommend me your favorite Romanian designer 🙂 to make a perfect top 10.

1. MONOM

I will start my story with monom – the jeweler brand founded in Cluj in 2016 is one of the most loved and trustful local brands I know. And one of my favorites. Behind those very structural and somehow mathematical designed pieces stays one architect soul: Georgiana Ciceo, the designer.

“For me, making jewellery is very similar to architecture. I need to understand who will wear our jewellery, what kind of people they are, what interests they have, what they like, how they live. In architecture, the city is the context, in jewellery making, the human body is. I would say that, for me, jewellery pieces are wearable sculptures”, she said to me.

Do you need a proof? Look at the jewellery or, even better, go try some. Do not forget: all the pieces are locally manufactured in monom atelier, in a sustainable way, the Romanian brand keeping a slow fashion philosophy of manufacturing and recycling old silver or gold pieces into new lovable ones.

Plus: all the jewellery are shipped in some special boxes, with instructions for taking care. At request, you can ask for services of cleaning and refreshing your monom jewellery.

Where to find it: https://monom.studio/. Instagram @monom.studio. Concept store: Cluj-Napoca, Romania – David Ferenc street, no. 7.

(Photography: Andreea Bogdan for www.dreamingof.net, Monom web page)

2. LAURA OLARU

I know Laura Olaru for… ages. I know, by heart, all of her collections and designs. She convinced me to try a pouch (and I hated pouches), I wore one of her bags for years and I truly couldn’t sleep until I hadn’t the suede ribbon slippers from her recent collection (you can try see them on the website, usually they don’t resist there more than a couple of days).

Clutches, triangular bags with gloves included, candy-like messenger bags, funny backpacks – there is nothing that Laura didn’t try.

The bags and the shoes are well done, the stitches are perfect and the colors… all you can imagine. “Nothing is impossible”, she says all the time. And for her, the passion for her work, for colors and shapes, and on top of all, for people, is the drive for every day’s energy and good mood.

Plus: Look for Laura Olaru at any fair that she is a participant. You’ll never regret it! She is fun, tonic and very passionate about her work. And she will find the bag (or shoes) of your dream.

Where to find it: https://lauraolaru.ro/, Instagram @laura_olaru.

(Photography: Cristina Plaian for www.dreamingof.net, Laura Olaru website page)

3. MARIA PALTIN

I met Maria Paltin once, at a fair. And I fell in love instantly with her vivid, almost organic rings. Step by step, I have discovered the delicate floral earrings and the beautiful necklaces.

Finally, I have to meet her and try all the pieces. I encounter (another) architect that loves the fashion jewellery world, a very sensitive designer with a passion for big statement rings.

“In my final years at University (Architecture) I tried to experiment with the plexiglas – to change its colour, to paint on it, to curb it – but in the end it seemed still plain and common. On the other hand, ceramics can be modelled, stamped, casted, sculptured. And the final result was so delicate and so precious that I fell in love with the ceramic”, she told me the story of her beginnings in the ceramic jewellery world.

Plus: your piece of jewellery will be unique, because Maria Paltin doesn’t have series, but every piece she designs is individual and very special, created to fit the personality and the mood of the wearer.

Where to find it: Instagram @paltin.maria, in Molecule-F Concept Store, on https://www.thesenseofbeauty.com and in AlbAlb store (@albalb_shop).

(Photography: Cristina Plaian for www.dreamingof.net, Maria Paltin Instagram page)

4. OCTAVIA CHIRU

Octavia Chiru told me once that she has never wore jewellery until 2020. But yet, her rings are some of the most wanted accessories in town and… she wears now her own designs (rings and earrings included) 24/7.

“My collections will always include a specific colour; I love colours and shades, I’ve learnt to feel the energy that each of them spreads around”, says the designer Octavia Chiru (alumni of UNArte Bucharest).

And that is exactly what her designs are transmitting: a special energy that comes from the organic shapes of the ceramic rings, the colours of the brooches (I fell in love with the golden ones), the unusuallines of the earrings and the interesting cuts of her jackets or pants, for example.

Not surprising that her accessories (and her cool jumpsuits and funky jackets) appeared on the cover of Vogue Mexic and in the fashion pages of a lot of publications around the world.

Plus: she is not only an accessories designer, even here I talked only about that. Enter her website and you will find there some beautiful and very interesting pieces of clothes, captured in some (almost) surreal photoshoots. Not to mention that the fabrics are chosen to be sustainable.

Where to find it: www.octaviachiru.com. Instagram @octaviachiru.

(Photography: Ștefana Lungu for www.dreamingof.net, Octavia Chiru web page)

5. RALUCA BUZURA

I have to confess that Raluca Buzura pieces (to be more specific, her necklaces) made me fell in love with ceramic & porcelain pieces of jewellery.

I met Raluca Buzura almost 10 years ago in Cluj, in her atelier and I wanted to leave with a beautiful piece, with a dozen ceramic mice – she didn’t want to sell it and she still has it (look for the cover of “New Necklaces” book, in museums or on Amazon), and you will get the picture.

“At every collection I got nervous, I think how it is going to end, if I will have enough ideas to finish the work… But I try hard to overcome myself, to be better with every new collection.” And she managed to do so, surprising me with every new line – from marine creatures inspiration to a delicate embroidery of ceramic poetry, from flowers reminding of intimate parts of a woman to cubist and extravagant necklaces.

Plus: she is a very kind person, and an artist in the full understanding of the word. Isaw her creations in a lot of countries in the world, somehow none of them similar to the other.

Where to find it: mostly, on her Instagram page @ralucabuzura and on http://ralucabuzura.blogspot.com/, in some shops from Romania, Vienna and Spain.

(Photography: Ionuț Dobre, courtesy of AUTOR, for www.dreamingof.net, Raluca Buzura web page)

6. DEMIUR

When I need something to dress quickly, I will choose a white shirt (well, and a pair of jeans, of course). Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that I chose to recommend demiur, a local brand that surprised me a lot.

Founded in 2020 by designer Daniela Olaru, the Romanian brand demiur creates iconic white shirts for women. The designs combine an impeccable attention to detail, creative expression and luxurious fabrics.

“Every day you can be a different character and highlight interesting sides of your personality and state of mind. I believe that by choosing the clothes you wear, you actually wear your story”, said to me the designer in an interview.

I loved the Victorian cuts of some shirts and the fluid sleeves of the others. For sure, it is the perfect choice when you have to go to a formal office but… you don’t wanna feel so formal.

Plus: the shirts are designed, sourced and manufactured locally in Romania and the fabrics are chosen after the sketch is done – permitting the best choice for an impeccable cut.

Where to find it: www.demiur.com / Instagram @demiurstudio and for in-store shopping at: Arc Maison Social Hub, Check Vintage Shop.

(Photography: Felicia Simion for www.dreamingof.net, Demiur web page)

7. RAMONA BAHRIM

She has a relatively young brand. Ramona Bahrim just graduated UNArte (the Fashion and Design University in Bucharest) and she surprised everyone with her beautiful prints.

“Those 4 essential elements – water, fire, air and earth – are the main focus of my latest collection. I used, in my prints, the leafs because they absorb the light and the water; the leafs guard the Earth and the Earth feeds them. The Earth’s cracks are provoked by the lack of water but also by the presence of fire – all are interlocked”, the designer Ramona Bahrim explained to me the significance of the blue/green/black prints from her Equilibrium fashion collection.

In the end, It is all about the equilibrium between the feminine energy and the masculine one.

Plus: the clothes made by Ramona Bahrim are very fluid, organic like, easy to wear with sneakers or heels. I personally like the feeling that the prints have something very organic and yet very industrial in them.

Where to find it: Instagram @ramonabahrim / www.ramonabahrim.com.

(Photography: Demeter Alexandru @im.demeter pentru www.dreamingof.net, Ramona Bahrim webpage)

8. KAN

Meet KAN. A brand that has started with friends, some handmade Mexican embroideries and some cool pieces just ready for a fiesta. It continued with a couple of beautiful collections made out of natural fibres and an engagement for sustainability.

I fell in love with the autumn/winter collection – a combination of coats in soothing earthy tones, jumpsuits in mint, hued tartans, edgy dresses with billowy sleeves in dynamic prints and dramatic open back dresses. But just when I was writing this thing down, I received the new pictures – from spring/summer 2024 collection and a beautiful fashion shooting made in France.

And I tell you what do I like most about KAN pieces: I will find in every collection pieces in black and white (my favourites), I will always see a piece that is perfect for summer parties or night events (just look at the black dresses) and the majority of the clothes has… something surprising (like an enormous bow, a cleavage on the back, a ruffle on the shoulder).

“Our mission has been to offer dynamic women with wardrobe options that harmoniously blend style, function and sustainability”, said the founder, Manuela Van Vloten.

Plus: it is very easy to mix & match the pieces from KAN. The garments designed and made in Europe are created in partnership with leading.

European textile houses that share the commitment to superior, sustainable fabrics – high-quality, organic and Oeko-Tex garments.

Where to find it: www.kan-brand.com / Instagram: @kan_brand

(Photography: KAN web page)

9. SABINNE

Interesting. Very unusual, sometimes. Cool. With these words in mind I could characterise Sabina Georgescu’s designs when I first saw Sabinne brand clothes (a fashion house established in 2015).

“My designs are glam with a practical side”, she used to say. And… by practical I think I mean sustainable. I do not own a lot of clothes, I do not believe in status-shopping, I customise everything and take the labels off my items, because I am wearing myself and my clothes are a part of who I am, they are part of the message I am communicating. I like statement pieces, out-of-the-box elements and classic cuts, so… magic and practicality!” the designer said.

My favourite of all pieces? Well, my rock’n roll soul says, for sure, the black faux leather jacket, with jeans and sunglasses, but recently I tried some white wool coats from Sabinne and my mind is telling me now “go get one, it will be perfect for a cold spring”. 🙂

Plus: you will feel like a rock star in the black and red jackets. If you don’t feel so confident, you can always choose just one accessory – like a faux leather red flower to put it on top of a basic buttercream coat.

Where to find it: on www.sabinne.com, Instagram – @s.a.b.i.n.n.e, in Bucharest at Galateca shop.