Home » LANDIANA, RISING ICON

LANDIANA, RISING ICON

LANDIANA, RISING ICON

 Vice President of Feeric Fashion Week and the most important fashion Icon of Eastern Europe talks about The Future of Fashion. Landiana is captured by fashion photographers at the most important fashion weeks for promoting new talents worldwide.

 

Photographer: Oltin Dogaru

MUA: Cristian Buca

Hairstylist: Geta Marin

Fashion Editor: Silvia Stefanini

 

Did you always know you would work in fashion one day?

You know most little girls dream about this, or being a princess, the first one was more achievable. Jokes aside, I never thought I would enjoy the insights of the fashion world more than the spotlight. What I know for sure is that I want to work each day to be a voice of the industry. I want to leave a mark, a contribution and to help others to do so.

Describe Feeric Fashion Week in three words.

It would have been easier if you’d tell me to write a book than to stop at three words. The word Feeric itself says it all, but I would add captivating, inspirational, surprising.

What do you think is missing right now in Eastern Europe’s fashion industry?

First and foremost, Tradition. That is what is missing within the Eastern European fashion industry. That is the reason why we don’t have an establishment, and that is also the reason why we are now in an emerging situation. We lack the infrastructure and logistics of an established fashion industry. For more than one century, we have regarded the West European fashion industry as a pivot, as an inspiration and as a model to follow. Moreover, the westerners think that we have an unsettled aesthetic and a laissez-faire point of view. Last, but not least, the Eastern European designers are not internalized in their own country market, and they cannot be competitive. They are not being integrated, There is a Brownian movement surrounding us, and as much as it is an asset, it draws us back from aligning ourselves to our neighbors’ fame, money, power, recognition, assessment, certainty, stability, and continuity.

What actions will you take to help this particular zone in the fashion industry?

Feeric started to take action long time before, and it is helping the designers from these Parts. It managed to get the attention of the western countries and now Editors- in-Chief from big magazines, international journalists and buyers from all around the world are coming here to discover new talents. Together with #feericteam, we did a competition for young and emerging designers, called Feeric33. Its purpose is to support and encourage designers as they try to build a career in fashion. The support offered to the winner covers all the expertize areas that are critical to a young fashion designer; intellectual property, sourcing, production, distribution, marketing, visual identity, advertising, and public relations. Furthermore, my main focus is strongly related to #feericdesigners, and I always wear their items wherever I go. I wear their couture at fashion events and to the more essential fashion weeks. Pictures taken here are featured in columns of the best street style in the most important fashion magazines, including Lapalme. Last but not least, we started a new #feericteam project, Modic Magazine, and our principal task is to make sure that sustainability becomes the main concerning and the starting point of each fashion business.

How did the idea of LANDIANA as a ‘Fashion Icon’ begin?

It started naturally from the need of creating a blog to support all the designers from Feeric and with myself being the VP with a modeling career Past. It all goes hand in hand. Of course, it all started to take shape when editors from magazines worldwide mentioned me in their street style Selections. The first fashion week season photographers were shooting my outfits everyday.

 

How would you describe your aesthetic in three words?

Feminine, strong, different.

So, from playing dress-up to becoming a fashion editor…how did you make that leap?

Oh, don’t you think I gave up dressing up! Hundreds of beautiful outfits surround me during Feeric and I would wear them all if I’d have the time. There was not a leap, it all came organically, and it still does. Each day is another chance to make something remarkable in the industry, so I take advantage of each one of them.

What brand name appears most often in your wardrobe?

My wardrobe contains almost entirely items from #feericdesigners. The most hangers hold items from Bianca Popp. I do find myself a lot in her designs as I love to mix emergent designers with big international brands. Furla is never missing from my wardrobe. Or from my trips! Other names that I adore are Charles and Ron from Malta, Ocantos from Argentina and when it comes to shoes, Traces of Heels occupies the most shelves on my wardrobe.

 

Is there any established Romanian designers you love and which up-and-coming designers are currently on your radar?

How could I ever pick one from so many talented designers. Each one is so different. Sometimes I am in a ladylike mood, so I choose to wear something from Aida Lorena or Alina Moza. When I feel playful, there is always Luna Morgaciova. But as I previously said, Ifind myself in a lot of Bianca Popp’s designs. I wear her apparel on a daily basis. My attention regarding up and coming designs, is focused on the winner of our Feeric33 competition. Kalina Kocemba won a competition organized in Romania. All of her development from now on as a brand will involve a Romanian production team. I might also add that I am sure she is on a lot of people’s minds since we turned heads when I wore her design at the latest fashion week season.

 

Who are your favorite designers to interview?

I had the opportunity to come to know many of them during my time as a contributor for Schon magazine. I had the chance to learn something from each one of them, but first ones that come to my mind are Simon Porte Jacquemus, Bebe Moratti for Redemption and Manuel Facchini for Byblos.

Do you think sustainable fashion can have a significant impact on the Eastern Europe market?

I grew up in a sustainable fashion environment. Forced by the economic status, I think Eastern Europe might have marked its own impact in the fashion industry. I remember since I was young my parents have always taken me to places where we were donating clothes. This was supposed to be a necessity. Taking into consideration the bigger picture, it was a communitarian movement. We were helping each other, and in the meantime, we were fighting capitalism. The need for having more clothes, newer clothes, and more expensive clothes was practic inexistent during the Communist Era. The lack of consumption didn’t force the market to produce and therefore populate. Now, however, as a democratic system driven by the fact that we want everything from the western societies, as we have reached the peak of needing more, the designers are more preoccupied into selling more. They are producing more and don’t focus on sustainability. Together with #feericteam, we started some projects of awareness regarding this matter, and I am going to actively militate both in the market and in the production area for raising the level of procreation into sustainability. Regarding this issue, there is an example I want to mention. I’ve been working on a capsule collection with Traces of Heels and driven by the idea of consuming less, we came up with six pairs of shoes to which by adding accessories you could make new pairs of shoes. Most women dream of having lots of shoes and now we can do it also taking care of the environment. Buy one, wear three. Consume less, pollute less.

You’re one of the most recognized faces on the fashion weeks circuit, but what does a typical day look like, when you’re away from the shows?

First thing when I wake up is to get ready to go to the shows I am invited to. The most prominent shows usually start in the morning. Then in between, I check the emails on mobile and catch up with the team that is spread worldwide. There are a lot of things happening so to be up to date I read the fashion news also. Then I have meetings with showroom owners or with journalists from some of the most important media trusts to create opportunities for the designers I promote. As there are lots of projects with the brands I promote, I spend most of the time shooting pictures or videos. Then, there are the meetings with the team regarding the next steps we take into developing and perfecting Feeric and meetings with designers that are interested in joining us. Also, there are always the socializing events, and receptions offered by the brands. As night falls, I am writing reviews for magazines or platforms who ask me to contribute. So as you can see, a typical day away from the shows still has a lot to do with fashion.

What do you think you’d be doing if you weren’t working in fashion?

I started working in the industry before I had to think about what I want to do in life. I started as a model, and I grew up in the Industry. When I say that, I don’t refer only to age. I had the opportunity to discover and fall in love with the world behind the lens also. I still do it every day, and there are so many things to be done! So I don’t see myself doing anything else but fashion.

As for style icon, who is the style icon of LANDIANA?

Landiana. And when I say this, I am not referring to the woman Landiana, but to the concept and the team that stands behind her. From designers to stylists, to makeup artist and hairstylist –(says the girl who always used to dress in black) But I do take some references as of courage from Lily Gatins or feminity from Audrey Hepburn.

How do street style photographers help fashion industry during fashion weeks?

Oh, first I have to say I appreciate them so much for their work! It is not easy to run around from show to show in order to get the best shots and also managing to take them when the location is not that spectacular, or conditions are not the most favorable. I believe in 2018 street style has become as crucial as the runway. That is also why I feel nowadays, styling in fashion has become as known and valuable as design. I am not sure this is a fairor right idea. But taking pieces and changing their utility, functionality, and direction has become one of the most appreciated forms of design. We live in an image based Era. We view tens of thousands of images per day. I do believe that street style has an essential role in a brand’s marketing strategy. They show the natural context of the brand and endorsed gives it the authenticity that we all want to relate. The exposure acquired from street style helps both an emerging brand to get to the public’s eye, also well-known brands to nourish their visibility. Next to the brands, on the same part of the lens are the endorsers, they rely on the same strategy.

I also have to take in discussion fashion magazines reflect the current time of the industry, street style photographers that work for trend studios are establishing future trends that stand as inspiration and strategy for the big brands and corporations. Taking this into consideration we could say street styling is setting the criteria of next season’s trends, and the street style photographers play a significant role when they choose their subjects of photography.

How does Feeric Fashion Week make the difference in the fashion industry?

Besides the creativity that put us on the top of the most important fashion weeks worldwide, the support offered to emerging designers and paving their road in the industry. There is this feeling you could only come into once you are here. There is even a hashtag that stands for it #feelfeeric, and it makes me more than happy when I see everyone from designers, staff, editors in chief of big fashion magazines posting pictures with it no matter where they are but if there is something or someone that reminds them of Feeric.

What are the next projects of LANDIANA?

We have just opened the subscriptions of the next Feeric edition, so we are working with the team into producing some spectacular shows for the designers. Regardless of the projects I have with each brand I represent, there are some places I won’t miss and need to be organized in advance. The fashion week season in February and the Fashion Awards in December are two of those events. There are also the trips we make to our representatives in all the countries involved in Feeric where we develop more projects and set everything for the next edition. And then, of course, keep you up to date with news about the future of fashion and help create even more opportunities for emerging designers.

derek warburton