Traditional fashion is blooming in Bucharest

How a local community is actively working to bring Romanian traditional shirts back to life, not only recreating heritage museum pieces but wearing them proudly.

The traditional Romanian shirt, called Ia, is a combination of fashion, utility, and ancient design techniques, which maintain their appeal to this day. The women who teamed up to revive this tradition are part of an international online community called Semne Cusute (Embroidered Symbols).

They hold meetings in the capital and strive to teach others about the sustainable wisdom that was almost lost. Fortunately, all the answers are embroidered right on these shirts.

A normal day on the community’s page looks very busy. Ioana Corduneanu is the founder of this community and the owner of the Semne Cusute shop, specializing in sustainable fabrics and rare embroidery materials.

She is always online and connected, as there are always embroidery emergencies to handle. “We think of ourselves as a beehive,” says Ioana. “Needle in hand, team work, everyone does their job. We gather the best knowledge and give each other feedback.”

Behind the community’s success lies an unspoken rule. When beginners join, they may ask for advice when it comes to materials, techniques and colour combinations. But they must also return the favour for other newcomers, when they in turn become more experienced.

When Ioana started her project almost 10 years ago, her only goal was to share all the traditional wisdom she came across in her research. For the first six months, no one paid much attention to the many texts that decoded ancient embroidery motifs. Nowadays, more than 30.000 women log in daily to track their progress and learn more. When Covid safety measures are softened, their workshops and embroidery social clubs are scheduled to return as well.

Most often, newcomers may just need a bit of encouragement. Since making an Ia takes a lot of creativity and patience, it’s easy to get stuck. You have to choose an embroidery pattern, and follow the specific tailoring techniques corresponding to its region.

There’s a variety of colours and textures to choose from and the needlework is arduous. According to Ioana, there are traditional shirts that require a whole kilometre of silk for their intricate embroidery.

“We try to help everyone overcome their fears,” says Ioana. “To let themselves think freely and creatively. For many, embarking on this project is therapeutic. When you’re able to see the final result, you find motivation to solve other problems creatively.”

The materials are chosen and designed by recreating traditional principles. The fine hemp and linen fabrics used for these shirts are produced at a local factory, from natural fibres. Ioana and the the owner, now in his 80s, share the same principles, refusing to craft anything but sustainable and qualitative fabrics.

Unfortunately, there are few master craftsmen like him left in practice, and not many places left in Europe that still work with such materials.

Though hemp has many benefits for the environment, these have been cast aside in favour of the cheaper, more convenient cotton – and the techniques were lost.

Ioana explains: “You must have a lot of experience with these fabrics, to know everything about them just by feeling them with the tips of your fingers.” In essence, if this know-how isn’t passed down to younger generations, it is likely to fade away. 

Beyond the beauty of craftsmanship, the shirts themselves contain a whole world of symbolism and traditional wisdom, passed down from generation to generation. Each embroidered motif holds special meaning. According to Ioana, most motifs come from nature, invoking balance, wisdom, and regeneration. Working on one of these blouses is no easy feat. 

The practice is tightly knit into Romania’s culture and crafting such a piece is considered a very personal task. From the symbols chosen to depict, to the needlework which varies from person to person, much like handwriting, Ia is more like a ceremony, than an ornament for others to appropriate. 

“The shirts always have a personal touch, they’re part of a long tradition of visual communication that we still practice. These symbols have been in our culture for 6000-7000 years. With that being said, anyone can wear Ia, but they must go through the process of making it themselves.” 

Lower quality copies of these shirts often show up in western retail chains, marketed as bohemian fashion or peasant blouses. By the needlework and textures, Ioana explains it’s easy to tell them apart from the real thing. The fast fashion copies are mass produced unethically and unsustainably, thus losing all their original principles.

The tradition dictates that no piece of fabric should be wasted. Even the cutting patterns are designed for zero waste. Ia is meant to be crafted from sturdy, natural materials and last for generations, being passed down from mother to daughter as a treasure.

“We’d like to spread one message: in a way, anyone can be a designer. You don’t need special training to follow these intuitive principles. Be aware of yourself and your heritage. Live by the symbols you embroider and keep the wisdom alive. Protect nature and know your place within it.”

Photos by Ana Drula.