I met Lana Dumitru and her happy-go-lucky face when she was only 17 years old. Seriously, in Romania, so many people know who she is that I’m tempted to deem this introduction obsolete. And nearly all those Romanians wanted something from Lana's graduate collection Eve.
Recently, Lana's Romanian Apparel video made with Lana's roommate Diana Bobina, went viral on the Internet. It shows the two girls doing a silly, ironic dance and a lot of people couldn't tell if it was for real or a parody. It did prove that her new collection rocked, just like, or even a bit more than, the previous one, so I called her to try to find out more.
VICE: Hey, Lana, how are you?
Lana: Hey, I’m fine.
What’s the deal with the new collection?
Well, Romanian Apparel is sort of a funny answer to Romanians huge desire to have American Apparel in their country, 'cause it’s like the last big thing that hasn’t come here yet. So, I made Romanian Apparel as sort of our very own American Apparel. I’m moving to Rome in the fall and I wanted to make some clothes that I could wear anywhere, but could also work as a trademark for my own label, yet have a very Romanian touch, at the same time.
What are you going to Rome for?
I’m going to finish my graduate degree there. I was awarded a study scholarship from the University of Arts in Romania.
Cool, way to go. So, back to the collection.
My hope is that the Romanian Apparel collection is funny. I think that to wear any of my clothes, you need a bit of imagination and a sense of humor, and I guess this second collection is more wearable than my first.
So what Romania values are worth revitalizing?
You just need to look for the important Romanian ones. I like our national costumes and our traditions, because they're so simple, yet speak volumes of us and our country.
Have you ever worn the national costume?
Yes, I used to wear it a lot when I was younger and even occasionally now. Even so, traditional Romanian dress is kind of odd these days and I decided I wanted to come up with a new way of looking Romanian. For example, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi’s Column of the Infinite is sexy and and complex, but I've never seen it used as a fashion reference - why is that? I for one would like to “wear” something as amazing as the Column of the Infinite, so by using it as a print on a dress I tried to make it more reachable, more approachable for people. All the symbols I've used in the prints are things we all know of and take pride in.
Are the clothes somehow related to your childhood memories?
Actually, I didn’t spend much time in Romania as a child because my mother worked for a Romanian consulate abroad. Maybe because I was traveling a lot back then I was drawn to the national costumes, symbols, traditions, etc. I always thought that stuff was really cool.
So do you have American Apparel items?
Sure, over the years lots of friends have bought me things from American Apparel. It's the perfect 'I've been abroad' gift because they don't have any stores in Romania. What I really like most about them is their ads. I don’t care about this season’s colors or about what’s in style now. I don’t buy designer clothes, either. Maybe I want to, but I’m not a rich bitch yet.
Speaking of that video, what's the story behind it?
No story, sorry. I made it at home in my very Romanian apartment building in a very Romanian neighborhood, so everything is Romanian. We used that half-funny, half-lame song by Romanian band A.S.I.A as a soundtrack. It was all a clear reference the USA cult the Romanians can't give up on.
Do you intend to turn Romanian Apparel into a larger project?
No. The reference to American Apparel is a very friendly one, there’s nothing rude about it. If I ever do go bigger, I will call it Lana By Lana, For Lana. That’s it. Ha ha. I’m not obsessed with the fashion world or anything, but it’s very easy to use clothes to convey an artistic viewpoint, and you can reach people very quickly. Immediately, actually. If you can do it in an alluring manner, people will actually come to wear your opinions, because that’s what people wear - opinions.