Romanian Designers at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin 2011

Now I know I shouldn't really be posting an article about a fashion week I didn't attend but giving the fact that I am so proooud of our Romanian designers there is nothing stopping me. You might have read the blog post about Ingrid Vlasov (or maybe not), which is another reason that shows the Romanians have talent and can open doors in this industry; now the moment comes once again for the 6 designers that attended Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Berlin this month. The names Alina Botea, Irina Schrotter, Lucian Broscatean, Lena Criveanu, Mihaela Glavan and last but not least  Stephan Pelger - the already famously raging star- have starred on the catwalk with their latest collections.

Some of the above mentioned names have attended the previous Berlin Fashion Week and some of them are new to the stage. Now from what I've read in all of the online magazines and blogs these people haven't left their presence unnoticed.

So let's take a pick at what went on over there - Photo Credits :http://www.mercedes-benzfashionweek.com

ALINA BOTEA - my personal favourite - was a fresh breeze to the fashion week - not only because this was her first presence on the international stage but also because her clothes were so playful and full of colour. The dragonfly prints on her collection convinced me to go on a further research on why used it . In Japan dragonflies are a seasonal symbol of early and later summer , they are usually associated with courage, strength, and happiness - at least that's what Wikipedia says... now reading through I found another link to a cultural symbol that says that "A Romanian folk tale says that the dragonfly was once a horse possessed by the devil".   think it's a combination of both - it symbolises the courageous, strong and untamned woman which has a wild, colourful  happiness about her.

STEPHAN PELGER started making his name resonant quite along time ago - he studied at the Fashion Institute in Vienna, Austria and then came back to Romania to open his showroom and workshop. He starred in the reality show Fashion and Fame which had as juries some of the most influential people in the industry and every week people like Peaches Geldof and Mischa Barton were invited to make a selection amongst the designers. He won the show and became the official designer of the Gold Label for otto.de, which was an amazing accomplishment. He is one of the most talented designers in the new generation and you can see that he is not willing to stop. He already is a shining star but I can really see him building an entire empire around his brand.

As he has germanic origins - his adoptive parents are saxons from Transylvania and he was raised in a traditional german family - and also because of his huge success on the international market his name was presented separate to the other Romanian designers.

His collection was inspired by the fencing sport , from there the title 'En Garde'. It is designed for the modern, always up to date woman, a woman that is constantly on guard with everything surrounding her. The colors used for the garments are predominantly burgundy and live green, but also nude and golden beige. The accessories and details used include extravagant and delicate embroideries which give a more romantic side to the collection. The mixture between burgundy and olive green make me think about the costumes in the 'Adventures of Robin Hood', only with a very modern touch. It is once  again a victory on the German catwalk brought by no one other than Stephan Pelger! I LOOOOOVE IT!

And here some of the other designers such as

IRINA SCHROTTER "I AM"

LENA CRIVEANU

LUCIAN BROSCATEAN "Inverted Perspective"

Italian Fashion hits again - THE FABULOUS SIX

If you read my blog since the beginning you will know that my first post was about the ‘Il teatro alla moda’ exhibition in Rome. Italian fashion and style will always fascinate me – just like their culture and food it’s all full of passion , enthusiasm, excitement and romance.

So then I couldn’t turn down the opportunity of going to the Somerset House to see the ‘Masters of Style’ photographic exhibition brought together by Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Colin Mcdowell in collaboration with six great Italian designers to celebrate 150 years since Italy became a unified nation.

The symbol and values of the ‘Made in Italy’ label were fabulously exemplified in great photographs from various collection campaigns. The collaborating designers were Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana,  Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci,  Missoni and Prada.

Eventhough the photographs represent campaigns from the 80’s all the way until 2010 there is a common theme and motif beneath all collection for each and every designer in particular.

For instance Giorgio Armani – no matter the season and fashion trend and style he followed year after year –  he always reveals a very elegant, strong and gracious figure – that applied to both women and men collections and photographic campaigns. 

 




GIORGIO ARMANI      



‘understatement, assurance and elegance’

‘luxury is at its best as a whisper rather than a shout’

Now Dolce & Gabbana however take their style into a whole different place as we are all used to it by now. There is alot of sexuality and passion in those photos. They embodied the spirit of the true Italian woman which is full of sensuality , emotional , tragic and have a very strong personality.  Also the celebrities they have used in their campaigns are very expressive and have managed to portray the perfect Sicilian vibe.

 DOLCE & GABBANA  


  
'exquisitely delicate embroidery, fabulously cut suits'

                                               

 Salvatore Ferragamo focused strictly on product, colour, fabric and brand. His campaign photographs are intended to make a statement into the buyers mind and basicly keep the spotlight on the product rather than a certain theme. He uses his shoes, handbags and scarves as main characters of the adverts. It is a very confident decision to take this path but the company knew that it is the right one as the fashion house is one of the oldest one in Italy – it has its origins in the 1920’s.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

‘colour, class and confidence’

‘high calibre, high quality leather shoes’

‘true Italian dynasty’

Gucci I think also used a common theme in its advertising. All though its purpose in the beginning was to make horse and travel goods – over the years its variety of products changed and it became one of the biggest fashion companies in the world. Now what that common theme overlooking the photographs is the strong, dominating, fearless woman.  All campaigns promote the  bold, intense confident look.

 GUCCI                                     

‘sophisticated modern luxury’

                                                  
‘distinctive red and green snafflebit decoration’

                

Missoni is a brand which I love because I think it is very playful and I love the colours and prints they use. It is very cheerful, full of life, childish but at the same time glamorous and elegant. It also has a little hippy note because of the stripes and colours used to make the garments. I just love it. The models used in the photographs have a childish look about them – they look young , fresh and vibrant , ready to play and have fun and that’s what the brand is all about.

MISSONI                               

‘glorious colour, subtle or bold’

Prada was the last of the six exhibited designers and it was a very emotional encounter. There is a unique vibe that the Prada photographs portray – it is very hard to define. They have this tragic, romantic , sensitive thing about them. All of them feature  these  fragile, sad women which look almost if they were deserted – left with only their dressed, shoes and jewellery. It is all about a stylish seduction scene.

PRADA                                

‘simply stylish modern art’

Now after digesting the exhibition for a couple of days I can really see what role photography plays in the world of fashion. It is all about the visual and sending the message out there - making the people understand for whom you are trying to design and sell your products. Educating and styling the world around you.