Ancuta Sarca’s Sprinting Start at London Fashion Week
Content Editor Angel Nemov speaks to Romanian-born footwear designer Ancuta Sarca about her dynamic S/S 23 collection, collaborating with Nike and Kim Kardashian's SKIMS and her high-octane approach to upcycling.
Content Editor Angel Nemov speaks to Romanian-born footwear designer Ancuta Sarca about her dynamic S/S 23 collection, collaborating with Nike and Kim Kardashian's SKIMS and her high-octane approach to upcycling.
When you look at Ancuta Sarca’s upcycled designs, you immediately begin associating your memories of sport, and the infamous Nike swoosh logo across fields, pitches, courts and training halls. However, that illusion is quickly shattered by a high-octane exterior of a sharp heel, and a sleek pointed toe that brings you back into a hybrid high-glam reality. Starting her brand in 2019, the Romanian-born designer began looking further into the high-speed world of Formula 1 and race cars, their high-powered nature and sleek design, merging sensuality with high-powered sportswear. Sarca also believes that sustainability comes from her philosophy as a result of her creative process, putting an eco-conscious practice into everything she creates.
Expressing her primary starting point, the designer mentioned one of the first female rally drivers: 'I began my research by looking at former rally driver Michéle Mouton, and how she was one of the first women in the industry to compete. She stood up for her gender in a very masculinised industry, which led me to Marcel Duchamp’s book The Afternoon Interviews where he divulged into the concept of ready-made objects.'
Debuting with her presentation at London Fashion Week, Sarca also showcased a new frontier for her brand - upcycled ready-to-wear from shapewear deadstock. 'I reached out to Kim Kardashian and came forward with the idea of using SKIMS deadstock to create ready-to-wear pieces that reflect the fast-paced vision for my collection, complementing my message with my footwear collections.'
The zestful presentation also focused on the expansion of her collaboration with Nike - 100 uniquely crafted pairs created from deadstock trainers, each individually designed and named after iconic sports cars, which went viral and propelled Ancuta into the fashion stratosphere, gathering fans in the face of Rihanna and Bella Hadid. Reflecting back on the immense amounts of impressions and feedback, Sarca expresses that 'It still feels surreal, and I feel immensely grateful that people across the industry are appreciating my work. It feels incredible to see my pieces take on their own lifestyle and feel out into the world.'