1000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

Rozalb de Mura 233

072

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Since 2006, the

Romanian avant-garde

fashion label Rozalb

de Mura has been

rediscovering fresh

moments from the past,

then setting them in

utterly contemporary

contexts–un inchingly

mixing real and

imaginary characters

and coolly playing with

time and space. The

memorable encounter

between the eccentric

character and designer

Olah Gyarfas happened

in 2006. Ever since,

the contemporary style

of the Transylvanian

designer, impervious to

short-lived trends and

marked by austere cuts

and exuberant details,

found an ideal platform

in the nonconformist

aura of Rozalb de

Mura label. The label

draws its ideas from

diverse references such

as the music of the hip

Swedish music duo The

Knife, walks on a frozen

volcanic lake, sci-

movies, and Cretan

cryptic notes.

Rozalb de Mura

www.rozalbdemura.ro

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711 INSPIRATION. When I start a new

collection, I try to discover a “place” I’ve

never been to. It can be disconcerting at

the beginning; nevertheless, this feeling

of being immersed in a new world fuels

the imagination. Although my collections

are generally built around a theme, I

sometimes allow myself to be guided by

intuition and sudden gusts of inspiration.

712 W

ORKPLACE. The quiet

Transylvanian town of Miercurea Ciuc is

far from the temptations of a big city. The

pace of life is blissfully serene and out-of-

time. My studio has chocolate brown walls

and wooden benches, a lot of old frames,

paintings, white porcelain, a fur–and

manically ordered objects on my huge

working table.

713 M

ATERIALS. It’s the theme of

the collection that dictates the choice

of fabrics, from a very arti cial and

electro-glamour feel, with metallic or

 uorescent colors in “A cracked smile

and a silent shout” (2007) to an all black

look in cashmere, tweed, and polyamide

in “Thing” (2008). Plain, thin cotton is

revisited. I often dip it in a coat of paint

to give it the airiness of a dry leaf and the

porosity and volume of paper.

714 Y

OUR RIGHT ARM? It’s much easier

when one doesn’t have to attend to all

the not-so-creative aspects of a job. I’m

lucky because I have a marketing team

that I totally trust. I have great freedom

but still need to take into consideration

their opinion and respect some rules we

established.

715

T

RADITIONAL MANUFACTURING VS. EXPERIMENTATION. The

past, with its fabulous costumes, artisans, and techniques

is always a great source of inspiration. You churn it

through your own personal philter and you get that unique,

contemporary touch.

234 1,000 Ideas by 100 Fashion Designers

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Rozalb de Mura 235

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716 BRAND VA L U E S . Rozalb de Mura

is the name of a  ctional character we

invented–mysterious, anachronical,

generous, an enthusiastic traveller in space

and time, passionate about art, music,

nature, and science. The public is expecting

the next dimension of the story that comes

with each collection.

717 S

TYLE. I’m very eclectic in my

choices. For example, I adore minimalism,

and paradoxically enough, the  amboyant

exuberance and foolishness of the eighties.

The outcome might be described as a well-

balanced mix of ideas, apparently classical

cuts and unexpected details. I want my

style to retain a contemporary look, with a

vaguely perverse air here and there.

718 I

S FASHION ART? In the twenty- rst

century, boundaries between fashion,

art, and design became charmingly

blurred. Rozalb de Mura is where fashion

and art collide. In the latest project, we

commissioned the British sound artist

Mikhail Karikis to compose the music for

our show at Ideal Berlin and OnIOff in

London and he commissioned us to make

clothes for his performances and a special

drawing for his Morphica album.

719 SALES. My main concern is to tell a

story and to communicate a vision, but I’m

aware of the practical side as well: learn

feedback, have a good mix of products,

establish the right price. In Romania,

there is not much support for developing

a business in this  eld, therefore it’s hard

for a young label to build an international

pro le. Being in the right place (showroom,

catwalk show) in the right moment helps

a lot.

720 Y

OUR RIGHT ARM? People wearing

the clothes and getting emotionally

involved with Rozalb de Mura stories. Like

a small community, we try to coagulate.

Certainly, working with fabulous musicians

and performers like Patrik Wolf, Brazilian

Girls, Róisín Murphy, Loredana, Andi

Vasluianu, or Anamaria Marinca is also

a great reward of this work.

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