Woman's IA or Blouse, Romania
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The name for this Romanian folk blouse is the IA, traditionally worn on sacred days, when Romanians believe “the sky is open” (Corduneanu, 2016). The design is characterized by the variety and placement of the embroidery stitches.
Each section of embroidery has its own name and significance. The upper block on the shoulder, named for the sky, typically is depicted with symbols like suns, moons, wind, and birds. This signifies that when a woman wears her IA she has the sky on her shoulders. The second block is the under-sky or earth, with diamonds being a common design as seen on this blouse. The lines down the sleeves and on the front and back of the blouse are the “rivers”, which flow fast into “the sea”, or the border of the blouse (Corduneanu, 2016). The design in each decorated area is symmetrical down the center and identical on the front and back.
The Romanian IA has long been a tradition in Romanian culture in which girls were taught to sew at an early age. Traditionally the blouses were sewn in special underground rooms to keep the patterns secret, and in modern times, this tradition of keeping the sewing process highly secretive remains (“Destination: Romania”, 2014). By looking at an IA, a Romanian individual gathers information about the income of the person, the age, the area in which they are from, and more. Black colors dominate costumes of the elderly, while red is the prevalent color for the young. In the Northern part of the country, motifs are sewn in black and accented with beads, sequins and metallic yarns or metal threads. In the South, threads of red, blue, yellow, and orange are more common.
The intricate embroidery designs that decorate the IA blouses are meant as a level of protection against evil spirits (Olenici, 2011). The sun, seen as a source of spiritual life and humanity, is said to avert evil from the person wearing the blouse (Olenici, 2011). Other designs include sky patterns such as the moon and wind, birds and bugs. As the practice of embroidering the blouses was passed down through generations, their purpose became less about protection and more about displaying artistic design (Olenici, 2011).
This blouse is most likely from the Suceava Region in Northern Romania. Suceava is known for its thick forests and rich meadows, with a long history in the lumber industry. By selling timber, the population in Suceava was able to import manufactured goods, like cotton, woolen thread, and core-wrapped metallic yarns.
The actual designs typical of the folk blouses from Suceava also closely match those of this blouse. The blouses from Suceava were typically white cotton smocks, gathered at the neck by a cotton cord called a “brezarau”. Embroidery was done using many different colors. The designs include a section of long bands down the sleeves, and on the front and back of the shirt. The traditional designs and placement of the embroidery directly match this blouse (Bănățeanu, 1958).
Today the ethnic folk dress of the Romanian people is worn in celebration of heritage at festivals and events around the world. In 2017, a world record was made in the county of Bistrita Nasaud for the most people dressed in national costume in one place, 9506 people gathering in Nasaud stadium to achieve this feat (Colceriu, 2017). Groups like La Blouse Roumaine are focused on making a name for Romania and its rich history of textile artistry.
The Romanian IA has been the source of inspiration for designers all over the world and has caused controversy in regards to cultural appropriation. In 1981, designer Yves Saint Laurent brought the IA to the forefront of fashion with the collection “La Blouse Roumaine” inspired by traditional blouses. From there, other designers, like Tom Ford, Camelia Skikos, and Joseph Altuzzara began to use Romanian folk elements in their collections. This popularization has elaborated on the design in a modern context. People buying one of these blouses from a popular retailer may not know the context of the garment they are wearing.
This has led some to believe that companies reproducing the IA and changing the design around for consumption of non-Romanian groups is cultural appropriation. La Blouse Roumaine, the same organization that organized the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, has been working to protect traditional folk dress from losing its original identity. Their goal is to protect and prevent the misuse of the cultural symbol, so that true traditional knowledge can continue to be passed down to Romanians. In 2017, they launched the Give Credit campaign, contacting designers to request that they recognize the Romanian culture as the source for their inspiration for the “peasant blouse” style (“IA La Blouse Roumaine”, 2020).
The future of the IA is in the hands of the Romanian people who fight to keep the rich tradition alive. For every festival that is held, and every blouse that is preserved and recreated, the IA is introduced to a new generation and celebrated. Groups like La Blouse Roumaine, and companies such as Romanian Blouse protect and teach people, of Romanian heritage or not, the importance of the blouse and its history. And, as long as groups such as this remain, so will the IA.
References
Bănățeanu, T. (1958). Folk costumes, woven textiles, and embroideries of Rumania. Bucharest State Pub. House for Literature and the Arts.
Colceriu, C. (2017, May 15). Bistrita-Nasaud, officially in Book of World Records for most people in folk costume, largest traditional dance. TCA Regional News.
Corduneanu, I., & Drăgan, N. (2016). Semiotics of White Spaces on the Romanian Traditional Blouse, the IA. Revista Română De Comunicare şi Relaţii Publice, 18(3), 49-63.
Destination: Romania/ Cezieni blouses are sewn at night in secret, just like in good ole' times. (2014). TCA Regional News.
Destination: Romania/ Romanian blouse sewn in Breaza (Prahova) depicts individual's greatness and dignity. (2014). McClatchy - Tribune Business News.
Olenici, D., & Olenici M. (2011, June 29). The Sun and solar eclipses in traditional Romanian ornamental patterns. Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union.
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The colorful wool threads used in this garment are black, gold, silver, red, purple, bright green, light pink, bright pink, and tan. The embroidery stitches include chain, outline, satin, running, cross stich and hem stitch, all with variations.
The front and back of the IA feature a pair of decorative seams sewn with a hem stitch featuring drawn work and wool floss to match the cotton fabric.