100% RO Couture: An Haute Couture Collection

Today is Romania's national day and I've been saving this post especially for this day for a couple of weeks now. When I say Romanian traditional costumes and haute couture this probably doesn't resonate with a lot of people and many of you may still not understand what I mean by juxtaposing these two seemingly different concepts! Well, this meant a lot for the very talented French designer Philippe Guilet who fell in love with Romania and decided to showcase its wonderful costumes and traditions in an haute couture collection.

Prior to moving to Bucharest and creating this collection Philippe Guilet has worked in Paris with some of the greatest designers, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, now he designed a 100% couture, 100% modern and 100% Romanian collection with the help of 5 Romanian designers and over 50 skillful craftsmen from all over the country. The collection was first presented at the French Embassy in Bucharest among other haute couture designers, politicians, designers, important people in the cultural life of both Romania and France and representatives of the French and Romanian media. Moreover, the collection will also be presented in the beginning of next year on the Paris runways during the Haute Couture Fashion Week. Such an honor for the local craftsmen!

Virginia Linul, one of the craftswomen working on the collection said that she was "very excited about the event. It's something different from what we have been doing until now. Out tradition, sewing with beads, is presented in a new vision, fascinating and glamorous because of this French designer. I'm not an expert in fashion, but I am convinced that today's presentation will be something that one hasn't seen so far on the runways in the entire world. I'm very glad to have participated in this project that, maybe most importantly, will present a different, beautiful facet of Romania that needed to be discovered."

The French Embassy was transformed to receive a winter village scenery and the models presented the garments walking from room to room among the guests. Some of the craftsmen were also honored on the catwalk and were very nervous during their first walk on the runway. If you want to find out more about the collection you can visit the official website 100 - 100. In the end, enjoy some photos from the runway:

Inspired from the traditional painted Easter eggs

City woman: inspired from the electric cables in Bucharest

One of the craftsmen walking the runway with a model

One of the craftswomen walking the runway with a model

Philippe Guilet

Local craftsmen

Shoe detail: the heel represents Brancusi's sculpture "The Column of the Infinite"

Philippe Guilet and some of his craftsmen

What do you think about this initiative of the French designer? Do you like the designs? I know I can't wait for the collection to be presented during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week and to hear the comments afterwards!

Photos: adevarul.ro, stylereport.ro, Forbes Romania