Corina Vladescu - ‘the melancholy of the gothic enhances the feminity and fragility of her clothes.’ Corina Vladescu is a Romanian young fashion designer preceded by her reputation. She was the only one Romanian wardrobe assistant that Madonna preferred for her concert in Bucharest. Also, she creates a dress especially for Roisin Murphy and met her when performing in Bucharest. As an extra, the singer asked Corina to make the jumpsuit that she was wearing for backing vocals. Corina Vladescu was the only Romanian fashion designer invited to exhibit her SS 2010 collection at Who’s next Salon de Pret-a-Porter in Paris. Her collection was spotted by Topshop Edit. While participating at Who’s Next salon her collection was selected for Rendez-Vous Paris Femmes. The showcase is opened during Paris Fashion week, housing designers and brands who are at the forefront of nowadays fashion. What we invite you to check at is her autumn/winter 2009-2010 collection. Unless you can visit her showroom in Bucharest you can order any outfit you want from circuit-bored. You’ll ‘feel’ a lot of rock music looking at her outfits. You’ll be thrilled by the power shoulders coats and cut pieces pants so needed for a cool urban look this season. You’ll love instantly her dresses in nude color with such a sensual black touch on the back. My number one is the soft pink bolero that blow my mind and made me curious on Corina Vladescu’s creative world. That is why I asked her for an interview and she kindly accepted even if she have tones of work.
Let’s start with the beginning: the first things you created and their source of inspiration
The first things I’ve ever created were some T-shirts hand painted with frames from my imagination which I would deconstruct once painted according to the picture depicted.
What’s the contribution of the faculty of Fashion Design in your works? Some great experience that you could share with us?
I’ve always believed that talent cannot work successfully without commitment and permanent growing by studying whether by oneself or in school. Therefore the University was helpful not because the fashion teachers were some great inspiration or guidance but because of the discipline. You were in an Arts institution and were forced to learn Anatomy big time, Art History, Costume History, paint, sculpt, and you weren’t the only one it was competition, that motivates you instead of reading at home alone with no comparison. Most of our Fashion teachers are there from the Communist regime and their conception didn’t change much they couldn’t understand that things have changed, they gave the same themes for 20 years. It is crazy, different was not an option. But then there were some teachers like my Costume History teacher who made it all worth it, I’ve learned so much, it was fascinating. But University was cool, the best time of my life, I’ve had wonderful colleagues and friends, we draw, paint all day in the workshop while listening to music, pure freedom.
All the memorable designers innovate the industry. Is there any fashion innovation that you would want it to have your signature?
I respect a lot people who write history, who dedicate their lives in discovering new things, in all fields, and I wouldn’t want to attribute something that does not belong to me. I want to follow my own path and who knows…
There is an ultimate Corina Vladescu outfit that speaks the most about you as a new fashion designer?
Every single piece of Corina Vladescu collections is a small part of me, they speak about me and evolve together with me. I cannot pick out just one I love them all the same, as they are all my conception.
But do you have a favorite piece of clothes in your wardrobe? Do you wear it as many times you could or just in special occasions?
I love layering so I am especially bonded to long lean deconstructed pieces that I can mix together.
As about trends, do you pay attention to the trends announced for a season or you prefer to design beyond them?
I do not have access to a trend agency, they are far too much expensive for a young emerging designer. And as for the trend given by the big names, I cannot wait for them because I usually have to have the collection ready for a while by then. For example AW 2009/10 was ready in October 2008, the shows started somewhere in February, SS 2010 was ready in July 2009 because I had to show in Paris in September and the shows started in October. But I don’t even need to, I do my own research based on many factors, not only from fashion fields but any other and I keep my senses open at all times for inspiration, I do things organically. And there were occasions when I was happy to observe that my designs were compatible with the trends. I want to show people the way I see a certain issue, and if that resonates with a trend I am cool with that, if not I do not do mass production anyway so I judge things a little bit more artistically.
Do you have a fashion designer whose adventure in fashion industry you respect the most?
I am an honest person and I appreciate it a lot so it must be Rick Owens, I haven’t seen much people so honest about their beginnings.
Speaking of beginnings, what do think about Victoria Beckham as a fashion designer? Or about Limi Feu, the daughter of Yohji Yamamoto?
People find it the most easy to criticize rather then build or encourage so I am sick of it. I respect anyone who wants to build something, it is better than stay in bed all day isn’t it, time will tell if they live up to it.
Back to you, I know that you were the only Romanian fashion designer selected to exhibit the SS 2010 collection at Who’s next Salon de Pret-a-Porter. What was the feedback that you received?
It was my fist ever International salon, I was so nervous, coming from an Eastern European country, that has no buyers, no stores for young designers and a tiny consumers niche I wanted to be at the height of things. I was overwhelmed by the attention and appreciation I got, I am so grateful for everything that happens to me, it has been such an experience. In the first day I had three contracts and Topshop Edit came over and said they loved to have the collection. I was surrounded by designers who had stores Rue de saint Honore in Paris and was happy to be there. But I worked a lot for it and I am really happy with what came out.
Congratulation for designing stage costumes for Roisin Murphy’s band. It was an elegant gesture from Roisin Murphy to invite you to her concert in London. Any follow up?
Thank you! Roisin saw the jumpsuit from my collection that I was wearing when I met her and said she would love it for the tour, so I made them. She than was so sweet and invited me to her performance in London. We collaborated for a beautiful thing, I am a huge fan of her music and like her so much as a person but I don’t regard as normal now that I have her contacts to bug her with emails nonstop.
Talking about music, I saw your tweets about listening Placebo. You described their music as ‘sweet melancholy’. … How it would look like the sketch of an outfit if it would be inspired by Placebo?
I’ve been listening to Placebo since their beginning in 1996, I grew up on their music and it was with me in all the college years. My diploma collection was inspired by their music. Placebo is a beautiful part of my imagination world and I think that is a lot more than a sketch.
Fall winter 2009/2010 collection
[Interview taken for Urbalicious ]
i-D magazine no 15, May 1984
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