By Aura Mihai, Antonela Curteza, Dorin Ionesi, Ramona Budeanu, Raluca Lupu, Iuliana Streba, Radu Firicel, Theona Chelariu, Crina Croitoru, Alina Iacob, Briada Zaplitnii. Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi
Heritage by 3D Printing – A Contemporary Tribute to Romanian Traditions
The Easter Egg collection is a heartfelt homage to one of the most intricate and deeply symbolic Romanian crafts: the art of egg decoration (in Romanian, încondeierea ouălor). Rooted in centuries of tradition, this cultural practice embodies a powerful visual language that conveys spirituality, morality, and the rhythms of rural life. This fashion collection reimagines these timeless motifs through the lens of contemporary aesthetics, resulting in garments that are not only visually outstanding but also culturally echoing.
The project is a fusion of textile art, symbolism, and modern design—a bridge between Romania’s rich craft traditions and the evolving world of fashion. It celebrates the power of visual heritage and aims to reignite interest in symbolic meanings while giving them fresh, modern forms.
Symbolism, Colour and Visual Language
At the heart of the collection lies a complex tapestry of symbols, each drawn from Romanian decorative traditions and thoughtfully integrated into the design of each garment:
- The Sieve: A symbol of discernment, the sieve traditionally represents the separation of good from evil. It echoes the ancient saying, “The good is gathered, the bad is washed away / Cele bune să se adune, cele rele să se spele ”—a call for spiritual cleansing and moral clarity. In the Easter Egg collection, this motif appears in patterns of layered mesh and transparent elements, emphasising transparency and inner purity.
- The Diamonds: These diamond-shaped forms chart the journey of human life, from birth to death, and all the stages in between. They are used as continuous patterns on fabric to reflect the dynamic and often cyclical nature of personal growth.
- The Flower: Representing the beauty and fragility of life, floral motifs are expressed through delicate embroidery and printed overlays. Each bloom serves as a metaphor for blossoming, femininity, and renewal.
- The Belt: A powerful symbol of continuity and intergenerational legacy, the belt is a visual metaphor for the unbroken thread of life. It is often represented in the collection as textile bands, pleated structures, or woven sashes that encircle the body—both decorative and meaningful.
- Bucovina Towels: Traditionally used in wedding rituals, these towels symbolise sacred union and spiritual connection (“What God has joined together, let no man put asunder /Ce Dumnezeu a legat, omul să nu deslege”). In the collection, their detailed lacework and linear patterns are reimagined as structural details and trim elements.
- Ram’s Horns: These spiralled motifs are an age-old representation of strength, prosperity, and abundance. In the collection, they are abstracted into sculptural silhouettes and curved seam lines, embodying the essence of protection and family wealth.
In Romanian tradition, colour is never merely decorative—it is imbued with spiritual and symbolic depth. The collection respects this chromatic philosophy by carefully selecting hues that enhance and deepen the narrative:
- White (Purity): Used as a foundation in many garments, white symbolizes innocence, truth, and divine presence.
- Black (Infinity): Far from a colour of mourning, black represents the cosmos, eternity, and the unknowable. It is paired with vibrant hues to create contrast and depth.
- Voroneț Blue (Spiritual Peace): Inspired by the iconic frescoes of Voroneț Monastery, this distinctive shade of blue evokes inner calm and transcendence. It is prominently featured in flowing fabrics and serene silhouettes.
- Earth Tones (Abundance, Labour, Diligence): Ochres, rusts, browns, and greens anchor the collection in the rural Romanian landscape. These are the colours of soil, grain, and hands that work the land—tributes to labour and life-giving abundance.
Design Approach and Philosophy
Every piece in the collection is more than a garment; it is a narrative vessel. By incorporating traditional symbols and beliefs into wearable forms, the project honours the artisanship of our ancestors while making it accessible to a new generation.
The aesthetic direction blends:
- Minimalist tailoring with intricate surface design, where oval shapes and drapes are dominant
- Traditional materials with innovative cuts and layered textures,
- Handcrafted techniques with digital textile printing (3D printed individual panels applied by hand on a support layer) to translate folklore into modern language.
Each look is both a standalone statement and part of a larger story—one that threads together identity, craftsmanship, and cultural continuity.
Additive Manufacturing in Fashion
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is an emerging technology in the fashion industry that allows designers to construct complex, customised shapes and textures with precision and minimal waste. Pasricha & Greeninger (2018) discuss how 3D printing enables designers to create intricate, customised fashion accessories and jewellery, highlighting the technology’s capacity for complex geometries and personalisation. Suzuki et al. (2017) present an approach for efficiently creating 3D printable textures, allowing designers to apply complex textures onto curved surfaces with greater ease.
In the Easter Egg collection, 3D printing serves as both a design tool and a conceptual bridge between the past and the future. By using digital design software and additive techniques, the students were able to:
- Overlapping flat surfaces with volumes and 3D shapes of the garments, rendering traditional symbols into three-dimensional ornaments suitable for wearable fashion products
- Support the difficulty of egg painting through digitally precise motifs.
- Create sustainable embellishments that maintain material efficiency and reduce textile waste.
- Prototype ideas quickly, iterating creative solutions that merged folkloric visual aesthetics with experimental forms and 3D prints on textile surfaces.
- This fusion of heritage and innovation is a landmark example of how technology can enhance the traditional identity. The garments act as wearable sculptures—each one telling a story carved not only in fabric, but in digitally designed, culturally meaningful relief.
Cultural Impact
Presented at 2025 Romanian Fashion Week (https://romaniancreativeweek.ro/ ), the collection received acclaim for its depth of concept and emotional resonance. It stands as a testament to the value of cultural storytelling in fashion and the role of designers as keepers and reinterpreters of collective memory.
This collection is not merely a creative exercise—it is a manifesto toward a new vision for sustainable and cultural fashion. It demonstrates that cultural heritage is not static, and that the future of fashion lies in blending craft with code, tradition with technology. The use of 3D printing doesn’t dilute meaning—it magnifies it, offering a tactile, futuristic vocabulary to age-old stories.
By wearing these garments, individuals do not merely dress themselves—they carry forward a living archive of meanings, hopes, and history. This collection is not just clothing; it is an embodiment of who we are, where we come from, and how we choose to honour that journey.
Thanks to CRAFT-IT4SD’s resources and vision, students, designers and researchers were empowered to experiment with cutting-edge methods. Their work is a compelling example of how education, heritage, and technology can converge to create something entirely new—a sustainable, relevant, and expressive vision of Romanian identity. The project was coordinated by the Faculty of Industrial Design and Business Management of the «Gheorghe Asachi» Technical University of Iași with support from REGINOVA NE. Companies and cultural institutions, photographers and artists, have supported the initiatives, among whom we mention Irina Shrotter, Romanian Creative Week, CONDUR by alexandru, Muzeul Oului Vama.
References
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Khajavi, S., (2021). Additive Manufacturing in the Clothing Industry: Towards Sustainable New Business Models. Appl. Sci., 11(19), 8994
Melnikova, R., Ehrmann, A., Finsterbusch, K., (2014). 3D printing of textile-based structures by Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) with different polymer materials, Proceedings of the Global Conference on Polymer and Composite Materials, China
Neumüller, M., Reichinger, A., Rist, F., Kern, C. (2014). 3D Printing for Cultural Heritage: Preservation, Accessibility, Research and Education, In: Ioannides, M., Quak, E. (eds) 3D Research Challenges in Cultural Heritage
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*** Redefining Design: Textiles at the Intersection of Tradition and Technology, https://design.mit.edu/news/redefining-design-textiles-at-the-intersection-of-tradition-and-technology (accessed on February, 04, 2025)
*** Modern 3D Printed Reflections on Traditions & Cultural Heritage: Foraeva x Stratasys @ Milan Design Week, https://www.irenebrination.com/ (accessed on February, 04, 2025)