Adelina Ivan

Good days happen to good people! It is always a pleasure to stay and chat with charming Adelina Ivan, a well-established Romanian fashion designer that succeeds every time to conquer our hearts with her collections. Her style is fairly minimalist, with clean simple lines deriving from an architectural symmetry and clarity. With a BFA in Design from the Art Institute of Bucharest, she has been nothing short of remarkable both on the local fashion scene and also internationally, being a constant presence for some years now on the runways and at trade shows from Berlin, Paris, New York or Tokyo.

sunglasscurator.com sat down with Adelina on a sunny and warm autumn day and talked about new beginnings, the struggle of having a constant path in what you do and, of course, fashion.

When you decided to leave advertising and started a fashion brand, how much were you prepared to make the jump? I made this change in a time when advertising was no longer a challenge for me and I also wanted to do something related to my training as an object designer. The transition was pretty quick, I decided in January and in March we already had everything ready: workshop, employees, brand, collection. I can’t figure out how it all happened so fast but, most likely, the short dead-lines advertising experience and the excitement of a new beginning made all possible.

In 2004, you launched ZASHA, an alternative and whimsy brand addressed to a younger target and in 2009 you came up with another brand, ‘Adelina Ivan’, which is more exclusive and conceptual. What triggered that?

Zasha was a stage, a beginning, a brand of young designers made for young people, then I have evolved in a direction that I felt natural, very related to my aesthetics. I walk a lot on intuition and I truly think that my work must resonate with me.

After a decade in the business, if you look forward, what do you think will be the biggest challenges for your brand? Do you have a master plan? :)

I want to grow steadily and gain appreciation. I try to evolve, despite the pressure of this creative industry exerts on the designers. I am aware that success is not only about creative skills but also about understanding how things move in the market as a business.

These past years, your collections have been shown at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Berlin, Premium Berlin Trade Show, Who’s Next Paris, The Train New York and Weareurope Tokyo. What is the most exciting place your clothes have been featured thus far?

New York & Berlin.

How would you describe the process behind the creation of Adelina Ivan look-books?

For me everything starts from the concept, passing through my current aesthetics and reach a general feeling. Fashion is a community as much as it is a business, and communities have their own language. My collections are designed for an international customer, I’m trying to simplify and bend towards function and details. From concept to the finished product, the process takes some months of research, construction and reconstruction, from fabrics and prototypes to look-books.

What inspired you this season?

I imagine a number of separate items which put together change the way of seeing things from the viewer’s side. The collection is called just like that: ‘Separated Objects’.

How do you see the Romanian fashion scene in the future? There’s young talent arising constantly and it seems that lately there has been more exposure of the local labels to the international customers. Do you think Romanian fashion brands focus on growing their business primarily abroad? If yes, what do you think is the main reason?

Yes, I think the designers are focused on exterior markets because the local market doesn’t have an actual fashion system and a more developed industry than ours will respond better to values. Lately, there are increasingly more talented young designers but unfortunately, the Romanian fashion scene lacks the most elementary ethical codes.

You recently launched your own website. Do you think the use of digital in a brand’s strategy is indispensable nowadays?

Yes, definitely.

Do you shop online? What is the most frequent item you get online?

Sometimes. Mainly shoes.

Your signature style is:

Poetic and geometric.

How do you choose your sunglasses? What’s the main criteria?

I like simplicity and a suitable shape.

Tell us why you think sunglasses are important for your style and outfits.

I enjoy the outfits with strong visual elements.

Which is your favorite piece from sunglasscurator.com and why?

Thom Browne TB-011E for the round black and thin shape/frame.

Name some of your favorite fashion websites/blogs, magazines, or books?

The Hungry by Knut Hamsun, amagazinecuratedby.com, huntingandcollecting.com

Please associate your selected sunglasses with a song.

Photos taken by Roxana Marcu in White Hourse, Bucharest