Making her name as the designer with a penchant for prints and unique fabrications, London-based fashion designer Cristina Sabaiduc presents her eponymous label's Spring/Summer 2015 collection that is inspired by discarded crustaceans.

Started in spring 2013, the two-year-old label has been making waves in the UK and European market. Now, Cristina is bringing her aesthetics and creations to the emerging markets of Asia - starting with Malaysia's Cuevolution, a newly launched online retail platform.

She says, "It’d be silly if you try to stick to the UK and Europe market only because these are very saturated and traditional markets. Coming to Malaysia with Cuevolution is a great opportunity to expand my brand."

(Photo from Cristina Sabaiduc Spring/Summer 2015 Lookbook)

An excursion to the English seashores
For her latest collection, the inspiration was sparked from a sudden urge to search for jellyfish. That had set in motion a trip to the English coasts where Cristina encountered an unexpected beauty in forms of crab shells and razor clams, instead of the jellyfish she was looking for.

After combing through the entire seashore, she hauled her bag of discarded crustaceans home and started working on recreating them into beautiful print patterns with photographer artist Jo Holland, using an analogue processing technique.

Cristina says, "For my brand and aesthetics, every collection is an evolution of style from the last. I believe that prints and patterns can never be done and said with after 6 short months."

(Photo from Cristina Sabaiduc Spring/Summer 2015 Lookbook)

More than just printing fabrics
In this collection, we see a refreshing and vibrant palate that brings in mind of deserts and sand dunes, but these print patterns are also juxtaposed by a stream of minimalistic sportswear-inspired pieces.

Cristina has proven to us that she is no one-hit-wonder with her other side of the collection featuring front-sliced skirts, long vests, pleated jackets and cape shirts.

This side of her stemmed from her years as a seamstress, where she polished her skills in construction and pattern making, prior to becoming a design student. This is a path not taken by most aspiring designers, who usually starts out with sketching and ideation lessons.

She recalled her first day in fashion school at Ryerson University, Canada saying, "I don’t really sketch. I’m not a designer. I’m a seamstress."

(Portrait shots by Cristina Sabaiduc)

The power of wearability
However, it is this particular focus on technicality and construction that makes her stand out from the rest. Even in her collection of printed fashion, you can find structured forms that ties in with her minimalistic pieces.

Wihtin these elusive structures, you will also find fluidity that allows the wearer to adapt the pieces to her own style.

She explains, "I love clean lines, detailed draping or pleats and tucking to create volumes and work it into a 3-D form. I also respect the idea of deconstruction in clothing but I want to make it wearable to the masses."

 

Cristina Sabaiduc's Spring/Summer 2015 collection is now available at Cuevolution.com. For more information about Cristina Sabaiduc, please visit the official website.

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