French designer puts ethnic Romania on catwalk

ROMANIA: Sheepskin skirts with delicate bead embroidery shone on a Bucharest catwalk in a one-of-a-kind ethnic fashion show blending French design and centuries-old Romanian handicraft.

The recent vibrant display was meant to counter some of the negative labels stuck on Romania, often dismissed as a drab post-Communist outback, but in fact a rich melting pot of Latin, Balkan, Hungarian, Slav and Roma influences.

Entitled "Prejudice", the women's clothing line created by the French designer Philippe Guilet, who previously worked with Karl Lagerfeld, Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier, is to be shown in Paris early next year.

Delicate lace dresses or multicoloured woven skirts recalled the traditional women's costumes of northern Romania, and they floated over high heels inspired by Romanian-born sculptor Constantin Brancusi's iconic "Endless Column". "Romania is often derided, but actually this country is quite the opposite of what people might think," said Guilet, who has spent the past four years here. The former research director for Jean-Paul Gaultier has launched a cultural project called "100%.RO" that aims to reinterpret Romania's heritage. AFP