I had the opportunity to speak with Cristina Sabaiduc, designer of Romandin, a few days before she presents her extended fall/winter 2010 collection at |FAT| Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week.

Cristina and I had a great discussion about her experiences as an up and coming fashion designer, the inspiration behind her latest collection and her plans for the future – the conversation was captured using my new digital voice recorder. Originally, I was going to transcribe our discussion for you to read, but the exchange between us has a good flow and you get a better sense of Cristina, as a designer and a person who has a wealth of experiences and is wise beyond her years.

Romandin runway show at |FAT|: Friday, April 23, 2010 at 10:30 p.m.

Location: Studio City, Liberty Village (1 Pardee Ave), Toronto

Advance tickets: $25 (day pass)

Tickets at the door: $30 (day pass)

About Cristina Sabaiduc: adventurous, quirky and strong-willed. Cristina Sabaiduc has always been driven to explore the unknown, looking for unfamiliar objects, places and experiences. Romanian-born and an avid traveler, her design aesthetic marries textile traditions and techniques from around the globe. Experimentation with unconventional materials pushes boundaries and offers the fashion world a fresh perspective.

Throughout four years at Ryerson University completing a Fashion Design degree, Sabaiduc’s efforts have been recognized and applauded. The Lancôme Scholarship of Excellence in Women’s Luxury Design, received in 2008 and the Le Château Inc. Scholarship, received in 2008 and 2009, show her dedication, talent and success in the fashion industry.

Honing her skills and refining her design sensibility with designers such as Carolina Herrera in New York and Jeremy Laing in Toronto laid the foundation for Sabaiduc to create Romandin.

The debut of Romandin in April 2009 at |FAT| Toronto Alternative Arts and Fashion Week was embraced by the media and won “...the week’s prize for innovation,” according to NOW Magazine. Through the combination of art, luxury and impeccable design techniques, Romandin aims to inspire and encourage its wearers to be fearless.

Romandin fall/winter 2010 collection: experimental design, artistic interpretation and the exploration of industrial materials are the driving powers behind Romandin, a line that challenges the differences between art and fashion. The collection draws inspiration from the ancient Babylonian civilization in stark contrast to the sketches of Constant’s New Babylon, a futuristic utopian society. The fall/winter 2010 collection examines and manipulates an array of unconventional materials; creating luxury by replacing traditional textiles with plastic chicken wire, caulking, fabric remnants and Swarovski crystals. Romandin dares to discover, to be different, to be a leader of new ideas and to bring innovation to women’s wardrobes.