The World Behind Couture, Fashion Designer Interview

The fascinating world of couture, of detailing sewing and sparknling emotions, the feelings behind a curtain and the evolving of it into a work of art ... La Metamorphose is a fashion brand with soul. The two sisters created the collection to be presented during the Film Fesçtval in Cannes, on an event organized by Plantet Fashion TV, on a yacht.

1.       Dear Ewa, a world of couture and sparkling designs. How it all started?

The people that we are, the principles that we adhere to, the things we do in our life depend on the place we were born, the place where we spent our childhood, the house we grew up in and the things our parents and grandparents have instilled in us. As sisters, we grew up in a house where the art of sewing has been always close to us. Our grandmother was a master tailor so we had the great opportunity to observe her professional work every day. I still remember how she drew the cut lines on the material with tailor’s soap in the perfect way. She didn’t need any modern templates made by computer software. She was a professional. I think the desire of combining our life with fashion was born when we were children as the art of design has always been close to our hearts.  Our second grandmother lived in Paris so we spent a lot of time in France. Observing the elegance of the French women’s outfits made us remember a few rules: classic cut and a perfect look complemented with every detail of the outfit. Those things have become a determinant for us in creating the La Metamorphose outfits. Today, while designing the outfits by La Metamorphose, we want women to flourish in their femininity and we want our dresses to be close to their skin, heart and breath so they can complement them and underline the beautiful people they are.

2.       Behind the inspiration, there is a technique, are there some standard steps in order to get to the desired dress?

Yes, of course. Design is a process that our vision consists of. It is the image of the dress, but also the technical aspects of its implementation. Choosing the right material that would be consistent with the character of the person who is supposed to wear it. The right cut, which would emphasize the aspects of a woman's beauty and, of course, if it’s a lace dress with elements of embroidered beads, we sew it by hand. By creating lace patterns on a dress, we often create our own applications that, when combined, form a flawless whole. We try to make the dresses by La Metamorphose to become a second skin to our clients because when we really feel good in a given dress, then we can truly appreciate it. The dress shouldn’t change us. It should be a reflection of us, our emotions and feelings as if it was a mirror of our soul, then it will become something more than just a dress for a special evening. The cut is also very important. Assuming that the dress is in the shape of a circle, we immediately start spinning around because the dress invites us to a dance of our life. When we wear a taffeta silk dress which has a tulle lampshade inside, it makes us hear the rustle of material with every step we take, making our movements look subtle and sensual because the rustle of the dress is like the music of a woman’s heart. When it comes to the steps that need to be taken in order to sew the desired dresses, besides the professional aspects of sewing a dress, it’s also greatly influenced by our emotions and feelings. Fashion is everywhere, on the street, in a the blowing wind, in the rays of the setting sun and at night which is lit by the stars in the sky. You just have to open up to what nature gives us and truly look into your own heart, only then we can sew the dresses that will reflect us showing what kind of people we are and what we have to offer the world.

3.       How do you visualize the woman who wears your dresses?

The woman that puts on a dress by La Metamorphose is a courageous, confident and fulfilled person but at the same time mysterious and sensual. She is beautiful in and out and has a loving heart. Elegant and majestic outside, but at the same time having a wonderful soul like a diamond. Striving for goals like a mountain stream that can overcome every obstacle that it faces in the name of higher ideas. She can be sometimes calm like the surface of a lake or she can become a turbulent ocean wave. All of these make her one of the most beautiful, yet not fully discovered journeys to the heart of a man.

4.       What kind of materials do you use for your designs?

We put a very large emphasis on natural materials which we source from Italian and French factories such as silk, silk chiffon, muslin, silk taffeta, cotton, wool and woolen crepe. Accessories such as buttons we import from Paris. We always try to ensure that the materials we choose are delicate and very pleasant for the skin of the person who wears them, so that they can wrap themselves up in them just like in a delicate silk scarf waving in the wind.

5.       Is there something unique that goes with your creations?

The creations of La Metamorphose not only consist of dresses that reveal feminine souls and emphasize the subtlety of the person who wears them, but they are also a reflection of the philosophy of the La Metamorphose brand. A woman seen through the eyes of La Metamorphose is like an eternal source of constant surprises like the everchanging colours of a water surface. A woman is different when she wakes up in the morning with the luminous rays of sunshine or when she rushes for business meetings and yet different and more mysterious when she is swathed in the darkness of the night. Just like the feelings of a woman which are full of energy, mystery and charm, they can immerse a man with their magic like a whirl, just like the glow of the sunset giving a sense of calm, but also sometimes strike destructively like a foamy ocean wave. The metamorphosis of a woman is beyond time, place and human imagination because she undergoes a constant transformation. This is La Metamorphose, it’s the metamorphosis of life, because an 18 year old woman is completely different to when she is old and her emotions and gaze on life and the world around her change. When she is 30, being a mother and a wife, her consciousness changes to when she is 40 or 50 years old as a fully fulfilled woman of success. We go through a metamorphosis during our life as women, who are flourishing in their personality, remaining an eternal mystery.

6.       What is your style and how does it influence you in your daily choices?

I have always been faithful to the classiness of the dress because I think it is timeless. I love wonderfully tailored dresses, with perfect finish in every detail. Elegance is the quintessence of femininity and minimalism is its talisman because it makes a woman who strives for perfectionism in life also search for it in herself, in fashion, in what she puts on every day. This style allows me to live my own way, without the fear of being judged.  Fashion is changing, it is influenced by the times and trends which are not always accurate. As Chanel used to say, "Fashion fades, only style remains the same". I fully agree with that quote which is claiming that our outfit is a reflection of ourselves, who we are, how we perceive the world, the environment and how we represent ourselves. Unmatched elegance is timeless like the charm of an evening gown where we feel confident in ourselves and we flourish with every step to re-seduce with the subtlety of our soul, due to which we will be remembered and won’t go unnoticed by time and life.

7.       How is the life of a designer, the backstage feeling, the process before designing a dress up to seeing it on a woman?

Everything comes from the vision and passion of the designer. While drawing a design of a dress, I put my whole heart and emotions into it. I put my whole self in, because the design is more than just a design of a dress. It’s a combination of my current emotions and due to that it becomes something unique, because it is not limited by the passage of time, place or influence of third parties. It belongs to you and is a part of you. I love the moment when I see the design on the paper because that’s when the process of material selection and sewing begins. We can compare that process to a child who slowly grows up to finally become a women that will put the dress on and emphasise her beautiful soul. The most beautiful moment for the designer is when a woman puts on a dress by La Metamorphose and sees her beauty in the reflection of a mirror and the dress begins to smile at her and she already knows. She knows she has always been beautiful and the dress just brought it out and showed that to the world.

8.       Futur means new dresses, new designs? How you see it?

You can follow the trends blindly and think that we are like everyone else and we fit 100% into the particular community, or we can have our own unique style, full of elegance and grace. Be faithful to your principles and how you perceive the world and yourself. The choice is yours, you have to find the right path by yourself. It is definitely worth remembering that by wearing our outfit we should look like we wanted to say, “I am a wonderful, smart woman who knows the value of myself and today I am ready to make all my dreams come true because this moment belongs to me.” This is La Metamorphose of a woman.

 Journalist Andra Oprea