Hollywood Royalty – THREE Romanian Designers

With a great deal of pride and enthusiasm, I noticed the increasingly stronger presence held by Romanian designers in the luxury clothes sector and especially regarding gala dresses. In the Award Season – Golden Globes, Oscars and Grammys, many famous actresses and public figures were adorned by creations signed by Romanian names such as Maria Lucia Hohan, Lorena Sarbu or Aura Cercel.

I bet that the MLH initials already have a strong resonance in your minds. Long dresses in blush colors, like ancient goddesses, have impressed us ever since we have first seen them in Romanian magazine editorials. We are now witnessing, with lots of “likes” how the talented designer dressed celebrities one by one for the Red Carpet. The foreign press has also started to notice and admire Maria’s potential and marked 2012 as the “Hohan moment” in a 2 page spread with stars like Nikki Reed, Carrie Underwood and Demi Lovato, all stunningly beautiful in Maria Lucia Hohan dresses.

An important move in the evolution of the Maria Lucia Hohan brand, was the building of a strong online presence. Social media channels and the e-shop features were perhaps the most powerful components of the current promotion, this way all the stars dressed in Maria Lucia Hohan dresses became known worldwide. I was reading on VogueCity.com that the designer’s new move is a collection for baby-girls, inspired by the fact that Maria herself is a mom. It’s a beautiful brand extension and we are excited to see how this would set new heights in the evolution of the brand.

“My advice is that [brands] should forget about the traditional promotion and consider innovative promotion … which create real opportunities.” MLH

Although we have not heard about Lorena Sarbu until recently, we were impressed to see how perfectly she masters the art of dramatic and spectacular appearances. Her dresses drew our attention at the New York Fashion Week 2012, where the designer first presented at Lincoln Center , her Fall/ Winter 2012 collection, inspired by Madonna’s stardom.

Even if her collections are already in stores such as Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue or Hugo Nicholson, we believe that showcasing during FW is a key point in the development of the brand.

This will probably open lots of “doors” for Lorena Sarbu and also gain exposure with stylists and stars who support young and special designers.

Aura Cercel is another Romanian name nominated on our list of national treasures.We were impressed by the fact that she managed to develop the Eva Culture brand starting from a single store in Bucharest and take this abroad across the ocean even before of the social media and internet domination.

It is said that only the strong adapt and survive the changes and the challenges. It seems Aura is among these people. In just a few years, her work and perseverance cashed in the results: stars from Romania and the US have been mesmerized by her creations and accessories. She also has a secondary line of t-shirts which totally won us over! “January” has an amazing potential in the luxury basics niche. We don’t know what plans Aura has in the future, but we are convinced that this is only the beginning. We cannot wait to see her jewels ready to be purchased in online stores.

 Photo Source: marialuciahohan.com, lorenasarbu.com, elle.com