Cultural influences: let’s take a step into the fashion world of Alexandra Grăjdeanu

When I met her, I was surprised that she looks so, so young, like a teenager in high-school. I cannot say the same about her graduation collection, presented at UAD Gala 2017: that was strong and rich in colours, very mature and good executed. I talked to Alexandra Grăjdeanu about the beginnings, the hopes and the dreams in a fashion world.

Lucrezia Borgia – the collection is named after one of the most outstanding female character in history. The collection is composed by different fabrics as velvet, brocard, triple veil, plus pearl embroidery and chains. 

You could find Alexandra Grăjdeanu work on her Facebook page.  

My journey in fashion world started with… my first visual contact with the work of Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood  and Jean Paul Gaultier, who inspired me from the early age to sketch different types of  forms, colours and materialities.

My graduation  collection is about… the influences  of the Renaissance costume in the XXI^st century”. The theme and also main character is Lucrezia Borgia,  daughter of Pope Alexander the VI^th, Lucrezia being considered in the art world,  as stated  by Victor Hugo “une femme fatale”,  a women accused of incest, murder, a powerful women in the center of papacy, spirituality, who made history. The complexity of this collection continues with the forms, the volumes, and silhouettes. These are interpretations on what it means the close up of the clothes, with ribbons inspired by giornea sleeve, or the pattern of the specific corset, the fabrics and the colours, chosen to complete this theme. To succeed this topic of Renaissance and to bring it in the XXI^st century, I tried to associate this theme with the subcultures of neo punk and from Japanese aesthetics, because these influences are the ones which represent my tendencies.

My first fashion sketch (ever) was… in the 6^th grade, when I got in contact with the Fashion TV television program and I could satisfy my curiosity. As far as I remember , when I was little, I used to draw on my bedtime story books and I still have some of the sketches when I was 3 or 4 years old (basic dresses and forms).

Old school items that will always inspire me  are… the white shirt, the trench coat, the biker jacket and the little black dress.

If my mood board would be a city, it would be… London. It inspires me as a society, with diversity and I’m in love with their subcultures.

Fashion would never be… boring, as I consider it as complex as it is. It is almost the most complex domain because it uses all kind of domains, skills and informational aptitude to resolve a good collection and to impress the visual pleasure of different types of people.

I would wear one of my designs… when it will complete my personality and volumes that I’m used with.

I would like my signature look to be… maybe trend-setter, but really I want to try all kind of looks and to transform them through my ideas and influences.

In my opinion, the outfit of tomorrow will consist… in different types of forms, colours and cultural influences, who will be like a mass of people and cultures who lives together, but no one looks with  another in their style, look, influences. It will be more important to accentuate the personality of each other, all clothes could be very personal, very different, as we are.

The most extravagant thing I wish to design is… is a collection of haute couture. I wish these from the age of 15, it’s a hard, but a grandiose piece of  fashion design.

Alina Aliman & Alexandra Grăjdeanu

Photography: Raluca Ciornea (www.ralucaciornea.com)

Many thanks to UAD GALA! 

READ ALSO:

The fashion after tomorrow: a new generation of Romanian designers of UAD Gala