Aleksander Revas: sustainability and a lot of glamour – interview with the designer 

I was strolling very relaxed inside a fashion fair – because I thought I know all the designers and the only thing I had to do was to see what they brought from their latest collections. Until I saw some amazing white, long pleated blouses,  with an Aleksander Revas tag. Well, I had to meet the Romanian fashion designer. Not right then, not right on the spot, but some weeks later, at the launch of a new collection. And I had to try some pieces. Just beautiful! Do not take my word for it, but just go and see the designs at Aleksander Revas atelier. 

As for me, I talked to Aleksander about sustainability (a big chapter in his brand DNA), about fashion trends and Victorian influence in some pieces, but also about his background as a psychologist and the forest that will take his brand name after a while (a tree is planted for every product they sell). 

#FashionBlogger #FashionTrend #RomanianDesigner #Sustenability #English

You can find Aleksander Revas pieces on https://www.revanta.store/, @aleksanderrevas on Instagram and in selected boutiques across Romania so far. We found wonderful retail partners and throughout 2024 we will also become available in multiple cities across Europe, the Middle East and the US market. All stockists and retailers will be showcased on our own website aleksanderrevas.com.

Your first fashion crush story was related to…
Honestly, I don’t think I have a first fashion crush per-se. I do remember though, that in my late teens, as I started to travel more, I was fascinated to be in art and history museums and spent a lot of time admiring portraits from different ages, analysing their costumes and trying to decipher the fabrics, the influences, the details, and the cuts. So, in that sense, I do remember how fascinated I was when I first saw queen Elizabeth the Ist ‘s coronation portrait on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Maybe I could say that was my first fashion crush.    

Sustainability is now a concept more often used. What is your view about this concept and how it can be identified in your collections?
Sustainability in general and in fashion in particular is a subject very close to my heart. I don’t think, realistically, that the whole fashion industry can move forward without paying close attention to this topic. I genuinely believe that you cannot talk about beauty, luxury, and elegance if what you wear comes from a place of destruction, ignorance, or abusive practices. It just doesn’t work.
As such, sustainability is well integrated in the brand DNA of Aleksander Revas. It is not an afterthought, but one of the main pillars of what we do. We focus on multiple aspects when it comes to sustainability. From fabrics – we never use polyester but natural, recycled or innovative certified fabrics (GOTS organic cotton, Tencel, EcoVero, Linen, Hemp, Vegan Silk, etc.) with proper certifications. We also ensure that our manufacturers and vendors have proper ethical business practices (fair-wages, fair-trade, etc.). Also, we plant a tree for every product we sell, in an effort to offset the carbon emissions inherent to any industrial process. We never use any material that comes from the death of an animal (leather, fur, standard silk, etc.) and even when using animal-derived fabrics such as wool we exclusively use fibres from responsible sourcing that guarantees no animal was harmed or tortured in the process. We also try to close the loop by providing incentives to our customers to return our garments back to us, even after years of use, so we can properly recycle them. All of these might sound like a lot, but I personally believe sustainability is a never-ending journey, a continuous process, and we will always be looking for new ways of adding sustainability components to our fashion pieces.    

What is that unique feature that characterise 100% the Aleksander Revas pieces?

It all starts with fabrics for us. So premium, natural, and sustainable fabrics are a hallmark of Aleksander Revas. We aim for that wow-effect when our customers touch our garments. It must be a wonderful tactile and sensorial experience. From a design perspective we focus a lot on world-influenced pseudo-minimalistic and timeless pieces with a designer twist. As I was saying earlier, travelling and art history play a large role in my creative process so reinterpreted details of historic costumes, art movement influences or subtle elements of traditional clothing from around the globe will always find their way in our collections. Aleksander Revas always tries to pay respectful homage to the incredible cultures that live on this wonderful planet. 

The biggest challenge for a designer nowadays is… 

For designers working in sustainable fashion the biggest challenge, in my opinion, is that the creative process is reversed. There are many fabrics or technologies I cannot use because they are pollutant, destructive or simply unsustainable. As such, I start from the fabric and design around it rather than having the creative concept and only after finding the right fabrics for it. That just doesn’t work in sustainable fashion as the fabric selection is much smaller. The design process needs to be reversed with the proper fabric being the leader of the creative process.  

The icon piece that will always be in your collections…  (why?)

Reinterpreted shirting and wide trousers for sure. I love to twist and turn shirts into anything from dresses to jumpsuits and beyond. There is some so timelessly elegant about the silhouette of a shirt, or collars and sleeves coming from traditional shirting that I absolutely love, and I feel they elevate any look while still being so comfortable to wear. Palazzos on the other hand, I find to be a wonderful cut for trousers. Ample, spectacular, glamorous, versatile, and yet so easy to wear or style in multiple ways. I really like to give our customers pieces that can be used in many looks, for many occasions. Our clients are elevated women with a clear sense of style. I love helping them with pieces they can interpret to match their own beautiful aesthetic.   

The city / the music / the movie that will associate with your brand / pieces? 

Ah, this is such an impossible question to answer. I don’t think there is one city and honestly, I wouldn’t want it to be just one. It can be Tokyo, but it can equally be Paris. Sometimes its Barcelona, London, or New York but just as well sometimes I feel it could be Buenos Aires or Bangkok or Vienna. Similarly, from Verdi’s Aida to techno remixes of folk music from around the world and from Piano concerts to Pop divas I listen to a lot of music and surely that does influence our aesthetic as well. 

Your pieces will tell about the women who will wear it…

I definitely value dignity. I want our pieces to be dignified and dignifying, empowering and show about our customers their intellectual prowess, bold femininity, a strong sense of style and world-savviness.   

We need fashion in our life because… 

We need to make statements in our lives, today maybe more than ever. And fashion does that perfectly. Our fashion choices and personal aesthetic showcase our personalities, aspirations and clearly speak about how we position ourselves towards the world around us.

About the designer Aleks Manescu we should know… 

I am psychologist by background and however strange a blend between psychology and fashion design might sound I think they work beautifully together. I feel it informs my creative side as well as helping me to understand what self-expression means for people. I feel it gives me a deeper understanding of human behaviour, emotions, and motivations and that allows me to create designs that resonate with our clients, evoking specific feelings or messages. I feel fashion, and what one wears, can greatly influence our mood and sense of empowerment, so it is never just about aesthetic preferences but also about what and how we feel when wearing certain pieces and what we want to express at that time. At the end of the day that is, if you want, the psychology of fashion.