UAD Fashion 2026, fashion beyond expectations

I thought it is impossible to see 36 fashion collections and to like them all. But, still, it was exactly like that: the UAD Fashion 2026 graduation runway it was a perfect mix between curated structured silhouettes, on-point trends declined into innovative outfits, cool details, very interesting fabrics & prints, music & behind-the-collection stories. Like every year, UAD Fashion event in Cluj-Napoca made me happy and very confident that the future wardrobes will have (for sure) a lot of pieces from Romanian designers. 

More about the collections and the designers: Instagram – @uadfashion, Facebook – UADFashion // #uadfashion 
A big round of applause for the UAD 100 years anniversary! #UADFashion100 
About 2025, 2024, 2023 and others UAD Fashion collections – here, on www.dreamingof.net 

The collections that I loved at the first sight…

(BA): Gergely Petra and her happy collection, based on references from pop culture, LEGO, and Bauhaus principles. Then, Roberta Iga with her Japanese references in structured silhouettes and the excellent executed pleats (she told me, in the special showroom next day after the show, that she brought the fabrics from Japan, to extend the story even more). Daniela Costin caught my eyes with her black and white outfits and the structured silhouettes “I focused on creating forms that suggest a symbolic covering of the body, situated between fragility and stability”, she said. And Sofia Nidela and her Baroque aesthetics, with the special embroideries. 

(MA): Well, Anghel (Mihai-Cristian) and Anghel (Adrian-Gabriel), the wonder duo of UAD Fashion stroke again. Love at first sight, indeed – and I was so happy that they continued to do what they have started with BA collections (read here & here the interviews with the young designers), and that was couture creation, ranging from Byzantine aesthetics to the refinement of 20th-century haute couture (Adrian) & monastic and sacerdotal universe of the Byzantine Orthodox tradition (Mihai). Then, I loved, loved the poetic collection of Beghim Genghiz (read here and interview with him at BA graduation) and the fabrics layering (wool and lace, chiffon, feathers). One of my favorites was also Andreea Bora collection (based on the study of traditional Chinese clothing, covering the period from the Shang to the Ming dynasty) and the transparency and delicacy of Ioana Dodoloi outfits (inspired by multicultural influences of the 1990s and American capitalism). And a big “bravo!” I have for the men’s collection put on the catwalk by Andrei Petculescu. 

The volumes & the prints…

(BA): Patricia Bara and her Victorian corset (transformed from a rigid structure into a flexible and comfortable element, adapted to contemporary needs), Ioana-Maria Cotfas and the romantic details – “I have explored the aesthetics of garments designed for the private sphere, such as the negligee, voluminous nightgowns, and dressing gowns”, she said. Kedves Borbala put a cool collection on the catwalk, where the prints (or I may say the embroideries) are inspired by a mix between corals and… dadaism philosophy. Anamaria Matei has incorporated references to childhood, femininity, and personal memories in her very happy, colorful collection. I liked the oversized coats and the plastic sleeves at Daria-Beatrice Merlas and her cultural references as the blue characters from Fantastic Planet or chromatic contrasts from Star Wars, translated through the exploration of volume, textures, and prints. Pápai Imola had some nice digital prints all over the coats, Ana Pop preferred to put traditional hand-sewn floral motifs and the furry materials on her trenches, while Tamás Csenge surprised me (when I looked, in the showroom, closer) with a overlaying a print on a tougher fabric with a soft organza toper. 

(MA): Mădălina Ciobanu volumes were a combination between taffeta and denim for architectural form, and voile and tulle for organic dynamism. I have noticed the cute striped trenches at Anda Cîrlig and the reinterpretation of the corset through deconstruction, layering, and transparency. Dumesle Lousenie had one of the few all-color all-red collection, with references coming from her Haitian heritage, while Diana Grigorescu started from object design, as she told me in the showroom after the show, from deconstruction of upholstery patterns, reformulated into garment patterns, or the imitation of wood intarsia on poplin, using an appliqué technique.

The details that I have noticed…

(BA): Bogdan Bodros and his textile flowers (almost everybody in the backstage and in the audience had one), Domokos Esther patchwork techniques (transposed in prints that reminds of comunist buildings and gigantic flies), Kuti Anna-Emilia delicate glass embroideries in a collection rooted in the symbolic universe of The Little Prince, Ramirez Rodriguez Alejandra and her Columbian traditional insertions, Maria Rus equestrian details (from riding attires to signature metal hardware). 

(MA): I don’t know where to start from when I am talking about Alexa Crîșmăreanu collection – so many rich details, from crochet pieces to fringes and folk attire from Oaș… really „Unapologetically eastern”, as she said. On the other hand, I admire the softness and easiness mood of Ioana Iosif collection (especially the details on the dress). 

The dramatic black… 

(BA): Darius Boar had (probably) the most surprising collection, inspired by grotesque theatre and German Expressionism of the 1920s. Bura Karina put the emphasis on reinterpretation of the corset as a protective layer rather than restrictive structure, while Eduard Pîntea started from dominatrix-style uniforms, and volumes inspired by 19th-century hussar uniforms. 

(MA): We had a lot of black in Master collections, as well. From restructured silhouettes at Letiția Godzin (reminding of Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela sketches) to Cristina-Andreea Strugar ruffles and dramatic lace to oversized sleeves and cocoon dresses (actually a dialogue between classic menswear tailoring, shaped within the context of Savile Row, defined by rigor, proportion, and visual discipline) at Mădălina-Ionela Țăran. 

BA collection coordinators: Lecturer PhD Smaranda Bercea / Lecturer PhD Alina-Magdalena Andreica / Lecturer PhD Anca-Luiza Zaharia. 
MA collection coordinators: Professor PhD Anca-Pia Rusan / Associate Professor PhD Lucian Broscățean.

Photography: UAD Fashion / Raluca Ciornea.