Contemporary vision of timeless traditions.

Welcome to our timeline of our journey, a fashion platform founded in 2013 which unlocked the door to a forgotten craft and tradition of Romania.

 

2012                                                                                                   The Hollywood Story

 The Romanian press features the Tom Ford-inspired ia (traditional Romanian blouse) after Vogue Magazine features Adele in a Romanian blouse on the cover. Celebrities like Kate Moss and Nicole Kidman wear tops similar to the Romanian blouse. Fast fashion retailers such as Mango, Free People, Zara already listed on the shelved tops similar with the Romanian blouse.

 

Meanwhile in Romania, local designers launched themed fashion collections inspired by the Romanian Costume and blouse, many of them naming their collection La Blouse Roumaine after Henri Mattisse's famous painting. The story of the painting was very popular the term of la blouse roumaine was adopted by the creative industry of Romania due to its more stylish sound instead of ie pronounce "ee-eh' which belonged to a more rural area.

Romanian designers have launched a traditional core inspired collection in remembrance of the golden era of Romanian culture before the communist period, where la blouse roumaine (Romanian Blouse in French), francophonie and Paris was a vibrant center for Romanian intelectuals, aristocrats and artists. Queen Mary of Romania was the greatest promoter of the Romanian embroidery.

 

 The Romanian blouse had fallen out of fashion due to communist narratives and nationalist folklore and we wanted to reposition it as a stylish fashion item, reminiscent of its popularity in the 70s when it was worn by icons like Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, and others. E-commerce was beginning to make a significant impact on fashion, and it was the perfect time to create an opportunity for this guild to revive with the help of new technological tools and expertise.

Antoaneta Mares, the founder,came up with the idea of launching a premium fashion concept store selling the original blouse giving the chance to the real artisan to have acces to international customers by the use of technology and modern marketing tools.

With her friend,Ioana Georgescu the co-founder, they build up a collaborative plan with media, advertising, and web development specialists and with the support of  Romanian Union of Craftsmen to develop Romania's first international modern e-commerce platform that sells the original blouses handmade by artisans.

 

With the support of the National Union of Craftsmen of Romania, we visited villages and cooperatives across the country to document traditional craftsmanship. We purchased and photographed models from each cooperative to preserve and promote their work. We found a infrastucture of a guild which was booming in the 70s, there were thoundsans of makers who were part of craftmanship cooperatives. At that time, finding an original Romanian blouse was quite a journey, as the cooperatives were unknown and almost vanished. We aimed to create a shortcut for customers worldwide to purchase genuine crafts without having to search through thrift shops, villages, museums or souvenir shops.

 

 April 2013                                      Welcome

 

Welcome to BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM, your ultimate destination for original craftsmanship that has inspired legendary designers such as Tom Ford, Yves Saint Laurent, Emilio Pucci, and Isabelle Marrat. Discover the timeless beauty and unique artistry that continue to influence the world of fashion.

On this platform you can now browse for your favorite blouse roumaine, you can choose from Vintage Selection or pre-order a handmade blouse crafted by hand for you by artisans from Romania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 2013                          Official Launch Campaign

The launch campaign is associated with a popular magazine's anniversary party and participates in a campaign run by Romanian news anchor, Andreea Esca.

The innovation of the concept store due to its design and modern concept was featured in local press such as Elle, Marie Claire, Forbes, business and lifestyle magazines and also on international magazines such as Elle, Glamour, Vogue or bloggers.

 

September 2013                             The Heirloom Craftsmanship

 

The Arta Cooperative Society introduces dresses and blouses made using woven craft techniques.The blouse woven on the loom was a blessing during a heavy summer when we couldn't keep up with orders due to the long production times and lack of resources. The loom-created peasant blouse could be made much faster than hand-sewn needlework.

 

Retail Collaboration 

BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM accepted an invitation from Carrefour Romania, despite the unconventional placement of Romanian blouses in a hypermarket. This move was seen as an unconventional challenge, aligning with the normcore trend in fashion retail. A special activation was created, featuring live demonstrations of weaving on a loom in the middle of a shopping center. The project was a great success, helping the Cooperative Arta sell over 80% of their stock that had been stored for years.

Despite the unconventional activation space, we invested in a stock of over 4 000 items to be sold across the country over two weeks, thus contributing to the local economy of the community  of the maker atelier. Before the revival of this Romanian craft, the old cooperative worked as a subcontractor for fashion houses or rented out their retail spaces, and the Romanian blouse and their craftsmanship were nearly forgotten.

 

2014                             Google Recognition

Google selects Blouse Roumaine Shop as a best practice and ambassador for promoting local products internationally by using modern digital marketing tools.

 

2014                                          Theatre Play Curation 

BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM participates as a curator for the theatre play "The Rite of Spring" by Igor Stravinsky in Paris, reimagining the costumes using traditional Romanian garments.

 

2015                                          Local Designer Collaboration

 The platform lists designers inspired by traditional Romanian crafts alongside artisans.

 

 The Romanian Blouse a Straw Bag and Catalan Espadrilles -

A Mediterranean Cultural Confluence

 BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM teams up with DETOUJOURS.COM, a French platform owned by Isabelle Crampes, which sells iconic fashion pieces with a history from the source. The Mediterranean vibe, Romanian blouses woven at the loom and vintage pieces with other cultural fashion items like Catalan espadrilles and Moroccan bags are the iconic pieces for your beach look.

May 2015                       Recognition for Innovation

Antoaneta Mares, 29, is selected by Romanian Forbes "30 under 30" title for innovation in traditions and craftsmanship.

 

2016                                      A fair trade dilemma

 

As major fashion houses capitalized on remakes of the Romanian blouse, local artisans faced significant challenges. The position of the handmade Romanian blouse was once again threatened by cheap copycats made in China, leading to an inflation of embroidered garments. Consequently, the fashion aspect of the blouse was no longer part of the conversation. Our aim was to maintain our direction as the source where you can find the original blouse. To elevate the artsy part of Romanian craftsmanship and highlight its creativity and functionality, we teamed up with local designers in fashion and object design to complement the artisanal selection. However, this wasn't the only issue; the gap between the rural and modern world presented challenges, making it tough to maintain our brand promise, while the number of artisans declined.

 

2017                               The Sustainablity Chapter

 

 

• BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM enters a new era embracing the movement of sustainability and fair trade.

•  Starting from 2017 we actively promoted sustainability and fair trade, and raise awareness on matters of fashion consumption and the greed and unethical practices made in the industry.

• The rising production of blouses which resemblance the Romanian Blouse are being based in India, Bangladesh, and China, we emphasized fair wages and ethical production while the cultural appropriation was another subject in terms of ethical fashion.

• We educated customers on how fair wages affect pricing, fostering an understanding of the true cost of fashion.

• Aligned with international campaigns like Fashion Revolution's "Who Made My Clothes?", we highlighted the stories of our artisans to raise awareness about labor conditions.

• We invested in vintage and upcycled fashion, collaborating with local designers to promote reuse and recycling processes.

 

• We actively selected only natural fibers on our platform, encouraging designers to create more sustainable items. In this respect, we've launched Wear Ethic. not `Synthetic campaign.

• The long-term sustainability of Romanian blouse craftsmanship remains uncertain due to consumerism and lack of government support.

• We advocated for better policies and participated in sustainability-themed exhibitions, such as the anti-fashion Marseille Exhibition at Mucem.

• Our efforts aimed to preserve traditional crafts while promoting ethical standards and sustainable practices in modern fashion

 

With the global fashion revival of traditional crafts, Blouse Roumaine Shop expanded as temporary experience its offerings to include Ukrainian Vyshyvanka, Japenese kimono and Barcelona espadrilles, and Moroccan straw bags,( thanks to the support of DeToujours )

The most popular is The Ukranian dress, which has became the fashion summer staple for from Mykonos, St Barths, Ibiza, Cannes, Saint Tropez, Barcelona and more.

 

2020                                    Flagship Store Opening

 

The first flagship store opens on Nicolae Golescu Street, recreating a modern retail space with a vacation vibe.

                                   Artisan and Designer Selection

The showroom selects artisans and designers from Romania, Ukraine, and Moldova for display. The boutique store in Bucharest features Romanian artisans, Romanian designers, object design artists like ceramics, jewelry, and other ethical fashion brands.

2021                                          Exhibition at Dover Street Market, Paris

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BLOUSEROUMAINE-SHOP.COM participates in an exhibition at Dover Street Market, showcasing their unique collections and craftsmanship.

 

 

 

2022          Campaign for Peace and Cultural cooperation: MAVKA X DRAGAICA

Following the start of the Ukrainian war, Ukrainian refugees arrive in Romania. A Ukrainian photographer proposes to colaborate for a shooting which theme is a homage for Romanian hospitality during the Ukranian war, sending a message of unity through shared cultural heritage and folklore. The campaign, called "Mavka + Drăgaica," celebrates the Romanian Drăgaica (Sânzâiana) and Ukrainian Mavka traditions. The campaign features prominent Ukrainian singer Alina Pash, highlighting cooperation and friendship between the nations.

 

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