FASHION INSIDER: Ludmila Corlanteanu post-Prêt-à -Porter
By Ludmila Corlateanu on March 29, 2009
BUCHAREST (Herald de Paris) - It’s been awhile since my last article, so I’ll try to sum up what’s been going on with my business and what I have been up to since I came back from Prêt-à -Porter Paris trade show in February 2009.
The show was ok, in my opinion. I had enough customers (although prospective ones) who were truly interested in my line. Most of them were Italians, and that was due, I think, to the fact that my style is in close relativism to the Italian one (I am huge fan of Alberta Ferretti, Consuelo Castiglioni of Marni and of course, her supremacy Miuccia Prada). I had only one ferm order from an US based boutique, the rest were taking notes of the styles they liked. My friend Lucia helped me at the stand and few Parisian friends stepped by too.
At my return, I wrote “thank you” emails to the visitors and send them again LineSheets and Broshures. I guess the recession has a say in all this, since no one replayed back. Then again, there was this Romanian-Italian political argument in Italy, but I guess politics do not belong in fashion and I believe it was sooner the economical problems that every boutique owner has to face these days that stopped them from considering a new brand in such times.
Then in February I applied for the Pasarela Fashion Designers Contest, and was surpirsed to find out I was among the first 10 who passed the first stage (out of 24 who applied). I did not pass further though, so in May 2009 Pasarela will feature in Bucharest some 4 great new designer collections.
In the meantime, I have finished the production of my previous order, and have shipped it (my mistake) before receiving payment. In matters of business the designer must be always unemotional and reasonable about lots of things. Or have a personal Patrizio Bertelli.
My nearest plans include a personal small atelier/studio since dealing with these kind of services is not really the proper solution and is even an impediment sometimes to all the creative solutions I want to apply. Then it’s the time for my next, sping-summer 2010 collection and there’s a lot of work to it.
Hope not to be absent from my post for that long.
With lots of love,
Ludmila Corlateanu
www.ludmilacorlateanu.com
your first name attracted me because of my niece who lives in france. u share
the same first name. i wilsh you the best, u sound simple and i felt i was hearing your voice. actually my daughter of 22 years old and just receive
her fashion designer diploma amid turmoils. we live in new york and she went to school in a foreing country. her style is conceptual and i was thinking of
the pret a porter in paris although she may continue to go to school as she is
accepted in parsons paris but the tuition is unaffordable for us right now.
i guess i was going to ask you for guidance as she is going to paris for a few
months soon.
regards and good luck