Determined, hard-working, warm and very, very talented: Mihaela Gherlan is one of my favourite discoveries lately on the Romanian designer’ market. I have noticed her jumpsuits a couple of years ago, I tried (and I loved) the blazers with sexy & cheeky messages (how does it sound “Dangerous on my skin”?) and I wanted to find out more. Therefore, I talked with Mihaela, over a coffee in her beautiful studio, about inspiration, iconic pieces and a career made out of hard work & talent.
The moodboard for the fall/winter 2019/2020 collection includes…
… some medieval era hints, plus a lot of inspiration from the 20s. That was the time when women get the right to vote and also freedoms never experienced before – in the way of dressing, also in the way of expressing themselves.
The perfect city to wear these clothes would be…
A very good picture of this phenomena you could see in Midnight in Paris movie, a real escape from modern Paris to the 20s social scene. So… the best city to wear this collection is Paris!
You wished you have invented…
Wow, you made me think! Honestly, I am dreaming of a machine based future in this industry; it gets harder and harder to find good and talented people and that thing makes the production more difficult.
Mihaela Gherlan signature piece will always be…
… the feminine suit. You will find this piece reinterpreted and declined in all of my collections. The masculine blazer is my signature and it is a piece that can be transformed continuously.
The perfect remedy for an inspiration gap would be…
… the movies I watch. They inspire me to create new stories, to live every moment of trends runway.
The biggest challenge for a designer nowadays is…
Biggest challenge? It is very hard to be original. That was very clear by now. It is a field where is very hard to invent something new, it is difficult to stand out in the crowd. You need a very strong point to differentiate yourself from the others – until you find that something special, you cannot succeed.
The designer you would like to ask for a coffee and a piece of advice would be…
… Andreea Bădală (Murmur). She is one of my favourite Romanian designers – she know what she wanted, she knew where to go and what she can accomplish. She created a very powerful brand and I appreciate her very much.
Mihaela Gherlan, the designer is, in 3 words…
… a designer evolving for the last 7 years. I don’t like to rush, I don’t like to make things too fast. I am a very calculated person and the baby steps I’ve made over the years helped me to keep the right track. Why should I stick to 3 words? I think I deserve more 🙂 I have earned the right to say more nice things about myself. Therefore… I am extremely ambitious, I am tough and I can pull a lot of effort – sometimes I am surprising myself with all that strength. I am very cautious and I think 100 times before taking any decision. I work until I finish all my batteries, but I believe there is no other way to have a successful career (I added an extra point, I think it was too important!)
Source here.
