What is your specialty, what makes your work unique? Or place your artist's statement.

Cristina Iulia Racheru is a conceptual fashion designer and art performer. She is inspired by social topics, what she is reading, daily life experiences and the human body.

Her work starts by visualizing the purpose of the concept and the story that she wants to communicate. Cristina is mainly focused on social topics, aiming for awareness and in this way, she tries to make people question.
From there she investigates what is needed to convey the story properly to the audience and how to translate the concept into an end product, where aesthetic values are a side issue.
She likes to combine multiple disciplines like film, music, movement, as in performing or dancing, in order to create an experience to the audience.

Following her fantasy with an eye for her goal, Cristina starts building up by experimenting with large abstract and alienated shapes around the body.
Details are incorporated after the desired shape is formed, often minimalistic and neutral, mostly done by hand. Examples are hand painted fabrics, mixing pigments to create the desired inks, tearing threads out of the fabric and sewing pieces by hand.

Cristina likes to explore different aspects in design and plays with technology but also, she loves to combine techniques like applying smart inks, using magnets instead of haberdashery, machine sewing, screen printing and other.

Drawing the spectators into the story by challenging their senses and arouse an emotion is Cristina’s goal. She does this by writing the script of the film herself, using the visuals in order to stimulate the eye of the audience, to wonder and trigger a feeling by using appropriate music that synchronize with the visuals.
For Cristina it is important that the spectator takes part in the performance and the story, she thus wants to create an interaction.

'I want people to be able to do something with my work besides wearing it. I achieve my goal if my work serves its purpose for the concept and the story I want to share'.

What are your ambitions? What do you want to be in five years?

For the upcoming period I want to broaden my skills in the direction of conceptual film making. Not only do I want to translate and express my concepts but also the work of other people. I would like to work in an interdisciplinary environment, where the process of research is priority, exceeding boundaries in fashion, where you can question ideas and move into unknown territories.

My next project has to be at a different level compared to my previous one. I always search ways to challenge myself as a maker, delivering different kind of work in order to constantly intrigue myself.

What is the most important thing you have learned during your studies?

During my academic years at the HKU I have learned to follow my intuition in my work and how to use received feedback in a positive way. This reinforces the way how I develop as a maker. I have discovered my strengths, but most important I have learned how to use my weaknesses in a constructive way.