Sensual & cool: Murmur fashion brand speaks out loud

She worked with Alexander McQueen and she designed dresses for Madonna’s latest worldwide tour. Meet Andreea Bădală, the designer behind the most sensual and intriguing outfits ever seen, signed Murmur.

Apparently, somebody may say, it took her only a couple of years to get to the international scene of fashion. But, in fact, it’s about hard work, endless nights, hundreds of sketches, tons of designs, dozens of fitting sessions, hours of talking again and again with the suppliers and buyers. “It is difficult to have your product known and seen out there, in the fashion world. That is why we encourage clients to see and try the dresses, so they can feel the texture and see the way these dresses flatter their body. That’s the most important thing”, said Andreea Bădală to me, while we are heading towards the Wiener Philarmoniker concert at George Enescu festival. And I followed her advice and I tried a Murmur dress (well, to be honest, a couple of dresses – the appetite comes with eating, isn’t so?!). Therefore, I was willing to find out more about the story of the brand (www.murmur.ro), the new collections and the must-have list for a perfect wardrobe.

We are going to a concert at George Enescu festival tonight. Dressed in Murmur outfits (usually considered a little bit… sexy). But I saw jeans and gowns in some evenings. Do you think there are still dress codes that must be respected nowadays?
I think that the context you wear the clothes is the most important thing. I don’t believe in strict dress codes anymore, but I still believe there is a common sense code that must be respected. Murmur pieces are sensual by definition, but even sensuality has different degrees, therefore I think that a lot of Murmur outfits are perfect for classical events, as well.

If you are the stylist for the ladies going to the classical concerts, what would you choose and what would you avoid? What is the biggest style mistake you’ve noticed recently?
For classical events I would choose dresses or top plus skirt outfits. I trust in femininity revival in fashion and I would take advantage of any opportunity to wear a dress or a skirt with a body. I think the biggest mistake is to wear something that is not you, something that makes you feel uncomfortable.

Your designs appeared in a lot of top magazines in the world (Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and so on), they were seen on celebrities like Madonna and Beyoncé. What was the most exciting experience for you, the happiest moment?
Right now we are celebrating one of our biggest accomplishment: Madonna is wearing a Murmur dress in her world tour “Rebel Heart” (it started on September 9^th). The transparent nun dress appears on Madonna in a key moment of the show: when she performs a mash-up between “Holy Water” and “Vogue”, while she is hanging on a cross. The collaboration with Madonna has started in 2014, along with her appearance at the Grammy Awards in a Murmur corset and Ralph Lauren suit. We were proud to see that Beyoncé wore a Murmur corset in her video “Pretty Hurts”, as well as Britney Spears, and that Kelly Jenner used Murmur corsets for her shootings.

In one interview, you said that you’re doing fashion sketches since you were just a child and you had a collection book before you were 11 years old. If I ask you to highlight the most important moments of your evolution as a designer, what would they be?
The moment I made my choice between music school and art school at 14. My arrival at London College of Fashion. The work experience in Alexander McQueen team and the moment I met him in person. My return to Romania to start Murmur brand. The moment I start working with Madonna and Beyoncé teams.

Murmur is now a brand known worldwide. What was the most difficult moment for you?
I think the most difficult part is that Romanian brands don’t have a good visibility to the Romanian public. And by that I mean the contact with the product, which is very important. We, personally, want to have more and more visitors in the showroom, so that women can get in touch with the product, see it, try it. That’s the reason we don’t make appointments and we have a showroom open for everybody from Monday to Saturday. We don’t want that people feel the pressure of buying instantly; we want women to be in touch with the brand. We have a lot of clients thinking that they are not fit enough to wear one of our designs; but they tried the clothes and changed their opinion. Our pieces are designed to put you in the spotlight, to shape your body, to make you more beautiful. We find a real pleasure to meet new persons and to advice them, to create outfits and a better image for them.

You took piano lessons for years. Do you still play? What is your favorite part?
I was at the music school when I was a child, I loved the piano and I took piano lessons for 7 years. I still play piano, for me, in those precious moments dedicated only to myself. I loved to play Chopin waltzes.

What is next? The collections?
I have just finished Spring/Summer 2016 collection, more feminine than ever! I focused on the dresses, with an emphasis on long dresses. We designed long dresses fit for red carpet events and dresses perfect for weddings. The entire collection has a strong feeling of femininity and holiday spirit; it’s optimistic and sensual.

Short list of Andreea Bădală
Your first sketch was… before I have learn to write.
Your favorite designer, ever… Alexander McQueen.
Fashion icon… Madonna.
5 must-have pieces in the wardrobe… the corset, the pencil skirt, an overall wore as a jacket, a shirt over a body or corset, a special white T-shirt.
Icon piece for Murmur… the corset with stocking clips.
Your favorite town for inspiration… London.

(Murmur clothes: www.murmur.ro; www.murmurstore.com; Murmur showroom at 75A Icoanei Street, Bucharest, Romania)

Photography: Florin Vitzman (www.vitzmanvision.com)
Thanks for the support: BMW Romania, with BMW 6 Series Gran Coupé, the official shuttle for George Enescu Festival (www.bmw.ro)