A delegation of six Paris-based buyers, representing renowned department stores, concept boutiques, and consulting firms, travelled to Iași, Romania, for the 25th edition of Romanian Fashion Week. Their mission: to explore the country's creative potential.
Invited by the festival’s organisers, the buyers – Asano Miyazaki and Akane Tsuchihashi (Isetan), Alex Duarte and Sébastien Gibert (Agora & The Hideout Clothing), Mongue Din Harold Lloyd (Isho Concept), Alan Avenelv (Distelle Paris), and Song Pham (10 Lines Consulting) – discovered a burgeoning fashion scene full of promise, from young design graduates to more established names.
All made the trip to the Moldavian region (Romania), invited by Romanian Fashion Week, to discover what local fashion could offer them. They knew nothing about the country and were expectant about what might appeal to them.
Parisian buyers unite in Romania to discover creative brands
The visitors were well taken care of, as Romanian Fashion Week – celebrating its 25th anniversary – placed a strong focus on the country’s emerging talent. To spotlight this new generation, organisers dedicated the programme to showcasing recent fashion school graduates. The shows unfolded on an impressive open-air runway set in the heart of Iași, Romania’s cultural and spiritual capital.
From Friday, May 23 to Saturday, May 24, 2025, the Paris-based buyers attended presentations featuring graduate collections. On Sunday, May 25, the spotlight shifted to more established Romanian brands.
What were their impressions? Did any designers stand out as future collaborators? FashionUnited asked these questions in a series of exclusive interviews.
Asano Miyazaki for Isetan
I went to Kyiv in 2019, as well as to Tbilisi, but this was my first time in Romania. We order from a few Ukrainian brands, such as Litkovska, and are influenced by what Demna Gvasalia, a Georgian designer, has brought to Western fashion.
The standard, both of the organisation and the collections, was higher than I imagined. This is probably due to the fact that it is a country of manufacturers. Manufacturing is important to us, as is the choice of materials and the style.
We focused our attention on the third day, which wasn't reserved for students. Three brands caught our attention: Raluc, Irina Schrotter and Axente.
Alex Duarte and Sébastien Gibert for Agora
Duarte: We are curious. We like to be inspired, to discover new cultures, to understand how things work. This desire to share motivated us to come. We thought: why not bring Romanian brands to the French market?
Their autonomy is remarkable. Many produce locally, so they have overall control of the work process, from design to manufacturing.
Gibert: I wasn't at all familiar with Eastern European brands. I imagined a rudimentary fashion scene, but I discovered a more accomplished world than I had imagined, in terms of manufacturing and technical expertise. The embroidery work is simply impressive, I had never seen anything like it before. The experience was a pleasant surprise.’
I really fell in love with Andrea Tincu and Lenca. Their sense of mix appealed to me: the colour combinations, the composition. It's bold and controlled. The materials give an impression of luxury, with a lot of personality. That's what I like.
Duarte: I felt a real connection with Scapadona. The designs seem simple at first glance, but the details – the cuts, the materials, the looks – reveal real craftsmanship. At the moment, I'm drawn to everything that revolves around nature, bohemian style and meadows. I think there will be a real bohemian trend for SS26. From a commercial point of view, it's an easy aesthetic to sell. I also liked Daniel Radu.’
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