23 questions for a 2023 UAD young designer: meet Corina Caravasili 

I knew I would choose her for my interview from the first moment I saw some pictures in the alumni book for UADFashion 2023. I was sure that I would love her clothes from the first outfit seen on the catwalk at graduation runway in Cluj-Napoca. And I was pretty sure that I will follow her path in the fashion world after I tried, under the lenses of Raluca Ciornea’s camera, some cool outfits. Meet Corina Caravasili, a young designer with fashion in her blood (she is the third generation of designers in her family). 

*** #FashionBlogger #FashionTrend #RomanianDesigner #English

We can find Corina Caravasili on… Instagram @corina_caravasili / Facebook: Caravasili Corina. 
Soon – on molecule-f.com – read on the blog here the Romanian version of the interview.
READ about UADFashion 2023 collections – HERE.

Your collection (name) for UAD Fashion 2023 was inspired by… 

… a strong woman, intelligent, confident and powerful. It was inspired by this particular attitude: wear the clothes with confidence and enjoy while you are doing it. And you can do this, despite all limitations dictated by social norms or ideals, those who affect the one’s individuality, those who make every human being to chase the trends, to want some bits of validation from the others, to be in search of someone’s else confirmation. My collection is a manifest. I wanted to imagine a character that realises that, in fact, to be authentic means a whole lot more that these limitations and norms. I was always inspired by nonconformism. I see it as Authentic (when it comes naturally). And, as long as my master research was based on identity study – the human being in search for him/herself, in search for authenticity – from a fashion perspective, I finally came to the idea that nonconformism, that one instinctive, natural, true to itself it is a criteria. I see that kind of authenticity to be very rare, seldom accepted by the society, rejected and misunderstood. But, on the other hand, if you look at the whole picture, that true authentic human being is that one admired for the bit of newness, for the “unique personality”, for the courage, for the freshness, for the natural vibe! 

How would you define your collection? 

I have created a very comfortable collection, one that can be worn every day in the office. There are some classical pieces, deconstructed, nonconformist, who express something about their wearer – a human being very confident, telling his/her story in a powerful way, no matter the circumstances. All the outfits have a bit of weirdness in them – but this is exactly the message! I do not want to be a designer that encourages waste and consumerism! I try to put the focus on an atemporal design, which is beyond trends; to give some pieces that could resist many years from now on – that is my perspective on sustainability! Because, you see, it can replace a dozen of other pieces that only last for a season. The Antisocial collection is about comfort, quality and attitude. 

You choose those fabrics because… 

For my collection I wanted to have fabrics that would reflect a modern sophistication; I chose some quality fabrics, some classy ones – as cashmere, boucle cloth, natural fabrics from natural wool or cotton. Evens so, I managed, along with my colleagues from UADFashion, to be sustainable; we have only used deadtock materials, thanks to the partnership with Irina Schrotter. It was, for us, a unique experience to see the deadstock storages and to select the fabrics we needed – quality ones, for some timeless pieces of clothing. 
The colour palette starts with the classic nuances and I added a hint of fluo. The modernity in the outfits is given by the textures alternation: leather & boucle, cashmere and knittings, stripes and cheques patterns. Then I tried a bit some textile experiments: I chose to pad the fabric, in vertical lines – the first coat of the collection is entirely padded by me, for a better structure. 

The hardest part in the process was… 

… the tailoring part. I made a some prototypes for every piece and they implied numerous modifications in terms of cuts and lines, therefor the final silhouette to be impeccable, to reflect my idea, and mostly, to be true to the initial drawing. Little secrets I can reveal: I manufactured special constructions for shoulders, instead of the usual ones, to have a better support for the cut and to define the silhouette. My M.A. collection is a study of clothing, therefore the accent is set on tailoring and silhouette; I had to find solutions to enhance every typology and to make it stand. This was the ultimate challenge for me. 

Your first love encounter with the fashion world was…

My passion for fashion runs in the family: my mother and my grandparents were designers, so I am proud to be the third generation of fashion designers in my family. I was educated in this environment and I was taught to cherish the quality, to know how a perfect fit looks like. I have always been fascinated by the fact that, in clothing design, you need to combine maths (used for construction and the pattern) with art / creative area, with history (cultural references) and innovation. I just love this very dynamic field that makes me get out of my comfort zone. 

The most important lesson that you have learnt in school years at UAD was…

… to trust my instinct and my intuition in the creative act. Even it seems simple and clear, this is a conclusion that you can achieve only when you get to maturity. Less is more. I have learnt to get rid of the excess of idea and drawings, to reduce all until is nothing more than the essence left. UAD taught me to adapt very quickly, because here I understood the dynamic of the fashion field (today new is tomorrow expired). I do recommend this university! 

The piece that will always be in your future collections will be…

… the coat. 

The trend that you hate (now and ever) is…

… the idea of trends itself – it only speaks about non-individuality, about the mass-following effect, encourages the consumerism. The trends are always very volatile and when you follow them, all the time, you get to feel like you are not in vogue, because you cannot be updated every second. And I also think that the trend idea also generates the out of fashion notion. I consider that the trends give you a false sense of security. They make you feel not in control anymore. Therefore, I can tell you, honestly, that I really truly hate trends – they only lead to waste and consumerism. I will continue to believe in a future of fashion where everybody will make a sustainable choice. 

What is next for you?

I will continue to develop my brand keeping this idea of modern sophistication. I will make custom made items, I will imagine outfits to fit different types of body shapes. I want to make the women love their bodies and love themselves. I wish I can offer a story, an attitude, the confidence along with my outfits, for everyday wardrobe. 

We can find you on… Instagram @corina_caravasili / Facebook: Caravasili Corina. 

• Music: Santa Monica, by Austin Farwell
• Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness
• City: Chișinău, Moldova
• Food: anything sweet
• Season: spring
• Painting: Black Square, Kazimir Malevich
• Object design: Fountain (Duchamp)
• School: first teacher
• Colour: sunset
• Fabric: touch
• Fashion: a whole language/ an attitude
• Cluj: energy
• UAD 2023: gratitude

Photography: Raluca Ciornea @ralucaciornea for www.dreamingof.net. 

READ HERE about all the collections presented at UADFashion 2023.