One of the finest exemplars of the traditional Romanian blouse can be found in the southern area of Romania and is exclusively hand-woven on the wooden loom.
These pieces are not only authentic, having a millennial history and respecting the traditional canons of artisanal techniques, but they are by definition the standard of ethical and sustainable fashion, being made by Romanian craftsmen in their ateliers in Dâmbovița county.
Due to the complexity of this technique and the scarcity of this 'savoir faire' - as today only a few women still practice the craft of weaving in our country - these examples of Romanian blouses are no less than true luxury items, produced in limited quantities.
On the territory of Romania, the first signs of this practice are attested since the beginning of the Neolithic. While the horizontal form of the loom, as we know it today, dates back to the 10th century. In that age, there was almost no household without such an installation.
The weaving process can be described in a few words by interlacing the warp (longitudinal threads), which are held in tension on the frame, with the weft (transverse threads), which are inserted above and below the warp. Over time, this occupation was associated with a true art, as the skillful women began to enrich the simple fabric with various ornaments, altering the colors of the threads and the methods of weaving to create various motifs and textures. Most of the time, the hand-loomed blouses had geometric patterns, with colors ranging from red to blue, yellow and white - each of these variations being surrounded by semiotic, spiritual and folkloric meanings.
Starting from the natural fibers, especially cotton, the cloth and ornamentation are made entirely on the loom, while the joining seams, traditionally called 'cheițe' ('little keys'), are embroidered by hand. Traditionally, the collar has a honeycomb smocking and a drawstring that can be used to adjust according to the desired size. Drawstrings can also be found at the edge of the long sleeves, thus giving ease to the cut.
These Authentic Blouses come in 2 sizes:
- SMALL/MEDIUM (Length 60 cm / Circumference 120 cm / Sleeve Length 57cm)
- LARGE/EXTRA-LARGE (Length 70 cm / Circumference 140 cm / Sleeve Length 52 cm)