FASHION
Luoana Virjoghe
Going Hell for Leather By Anda Ene
OZB spoke with Luoana Virjoghe, Romanian designer of fabulous leather clothing. Luona talks about working with leather, about being inspired and what it takes to carry off wearing her art.
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W W W.O Z B . R O
FEBRUARY 2019
Luoana, why do you do, what you do? How was your way from fine art and sculpture, to fashion designer? How do you come to chose to design and work with leather?
I’ve read something lately and though it might sound like a cliché, I think it is my new motto in life: “Make art to express, not to impress”. I was born creative and my creativity never stops. I wanted to be a sculptor because when I was young I thought sculptors made really grandiose art. I always dreamt of creating something big and special and I considered sculpture the best way to do this. This influenced the way I design my collections they have sculptural lines and shapes, and they reflect my formative years in this art. Leather caught my attention, because it is very versatile. It might be a very rough material but it’s also very delicate, soft, amazing to touch. I am kinesthetic, so I am inspired by the touch Going Hell for Leather
and the texture of leather, it gives me that shivering feeling...
What you find most inspiring around you and where do you look for inspiration? And then, how do you put that inspiration to work, how do you make things concrete? I find my inspiration usually in small daily details that I notice here and there. In the city, this can be a building on the streets, a persona, a flower or an emotion. Scrolling through the internet, I love to research other artists - painters, sculptures and graphic designers - and find out how they put their ideas into practice. Usually, my attention is drawn by a single, small detail from their body of work, this can be a shape, a curved line, a texture or even just a particular mix of colours... I never know what can be until I see it. And then the