Reintegrations. Elements of Traditional Costume in Contemporary Fashion
The exhibition ‘Reintegrations. Elements of Traditional Costume in Contemporary Fashion’, invites us to reflect on the reintegration of elements and pieces of traditional Romanian costume into contemporary fashion design. This is not a nostalgic exercise, but rather a critical, responsible and creative act of recontextualising cultural heritage.
The project is based on the idea that the traditional port is not confined to a specific historical period, but rather a living entity comprising meanings, materials, gestures and memories that can be reactivated in the present day.
Through minimal or radical interventions, the designers involved incorporate existing fragments—shirts, textiles, embroidery, and costume elements—into contemporary fashion pieces, while keeping visible the traces of time, wear, and history.
One of the project’s defining features is its structure, which involves the public and the community as active participants in the curatorial process and is divided into distinct phases:
Thus, between March 9 and 20, 2026, fans of the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography donated pieces or fragments of fabric or traditional clothing that were outside the museum’s collection and no longer of use to them, so that they could become an important part of the future exhibition. In essence, this gesture transforms the donation into an act of passing on—not of abandonment—from the private sphere into that of cultural dialogue.
The next stage of the process was the creative phase, in which each participating designer was assigned a piece by drawing lots. Some of the pieces are accompanied by a written story based on the memories of the person who donated them.
The final exhibition, which opened on 15 July, is designed as an installation that transcends the traditional presentation of clothing.
The museum space becomes a forum for dialogue, bringing together past and present, object, body and look, heritage and contemporary artistic practice.
“The exhibition itself will showcase the final fashion creations, jewelry, and accessories, along with some of the stories behind the donated pieces, in a museum setting that fosters a dialogue between the past and the present. The creative process of the five participating designers thus becomes an act of translation between languages: that of tradition and that of contemporary fashion.”
“Without replicating or idealizing folklore, these creations explore sustainability, the reuse of materials, and the ethics of intervening in traditional objects.” (Călina Langa, exhibition curator, fashion designer, and researcher in the field of fashion studies)
In the context of the project ‘Reintegrations. Elements of Traditional Costume in Contemporary Fashion’, fashion is approached not as a product but as a tool for cultural research, and the exhibition becomes a space for negotiation between preservation and transformation, between memory and the present.
Key themes include the reintegration of textile heritage, the relationship between contemporary fashion and tradition, sustainability and reuse, and the connection between memory and materiality.
Participating designers:
Ioana Cloșca’s artistic practice exists at the intersection of the past and the present, blending traditional techniques with contemporary innovations. Having graduated from the Ceramics, Glass and Metal Department at the University of Arts and Design in Cluj-Napoca, she combines metal, ceramics and textiles to create pieces that are both tactile and imbued with history. In her recent project, Motiva, she reimagines pieces from the national treasury by incorporating traditional embroidery salvaged from over a century-old clothing. By fusing these historical techniques with a modern approach, she creates jewellery that connects the past with the present.
Călina Langa is a visual artist, fashion designer and fashion studies researcher interested in the relationship between the body, clothing and identity, and the cultural and symbolic dimensions of costume. She combines fashion design, research and writing into a cohesive approach, manifested in conceptual projects, theatre, film and advertising collaborations, as well as in collections inspired by slow fashion, couture techniques, and contemporary reinterpretations of fashion heritage.
Iuliana Pîslaru is a self-taught fashion designer with over 15 years of experience, who has a particular passion for vintage textiles. She creates unique garments by transforming pieces she finds in thrift stores or at flea markets.
Her style combines the practicality and comfort of everyday clothing with feminine details, resulting in timeless garments that are designed to be worn and cherished for years to come. Through her work, Iuliana offers a contemporary reinterpretation of existing materials, encouraging a more conscious approach to fashion.
Celina Roschnafsky is a visual artist and fashion designer. She creates unique pieces at the intersection of fashion and art, transforming reclaimed materials and textiles with a history into contemporary works. Her work explores the memory of materials, sustainability, and the beauty of imperfection.
Cristina Rus’s artistic practice draws on the legacy of crochet passed down through generations, which she translates into a contemporary language. Her works do not seek to faithfully reproduce traditional motifs, but rather to reinterpret the constructive principles, rhythm, and sensibility specific to the craft of textiles. Using metal thread worked with a crochet hook and integrating salvaged textile fragments, the artist explores the relationship between memory, heritage, and transformation.
The exhibition ‘Reintegrations. Elements of Traditional Costume in Contemporary Fashion’ will be on display from 15 July to 15 September 2026 at the Transylvanian Museum of Ethnography, 21 Memorandum’s Street, Cluj-Napoca.
