ANCUȚA SARCA
Images by: Tasnim Khatun
Words by: Katie Ross
Quality not quantity at
Ancuta Sarca
The Romanian footwear designer has always put sustainability at the centre of her collections, and her AW24 presentation at The Old Selfridges Hotel was no different
Contrast dressing is everywhere. It forms the outfit foundation for fashion girlies (and boys and theys) the world over. Think masculinity meets femininity, sportswear meets formalwear, old meets new.
This might come in the form of a racer jacket paired with a prairie skirt, Adidas track pants and loafers, or skater jeans and ballet flats. And in an increasingly speedy fashion cycle led generally by TikTok microtrends, this outfit formation allows dressers to swap out individual items with their overarching style remaining effectively unchanged.
Therefore, if a designer is able to embody this within one garment or accessory, they’re onto a winner. Enter Ancuta Sarca.
The Romanian footwear designer graduated from the University of Art and Design of Cluj-Napoca, Romania with a BA and MA in Fashion Womenswear in 2015. She interned at Meadham Kirchoff (RIP) during her studies and after graduating took up post as an assistant designer at the similarly zany Ashish.
She founded her eponymous brand in 2019, with her hybridised sneaker stilettos catapulting her brand firmly onto the radar of the fashion community. And as the old adage goes, if it ain’t broke… Thus, Sarca’s AW24 presentation gave us more of the same, but in the best way.
A champion of sustainability in fashion, Sarca creates her trademark designs by dismembering deadstock garments and footwear. The AW24 presentation, held at The Old Selfridges Hotel, Soho, saw Sarca returning to the Fashion Week where her brand had its first presentation back in 2019 for SS20.
The showcase featured five models splayed in various positions across three imitation airport benches mounted on plinths covered with gaudy blue carpet, the sort that covers tube seats and hides all sins. The devil was certainly in the detail, with one model sitting at an open laptop running Excel, with certain cells filled in blue to create a heart shape within the spreadsheet.
The presentation was punctuated by rogue pairs of shoes and a revisiting of the knee-high fur boots that were featured in AW23, but this time in a big bad wolf-esque fuzzy grey faux-fur, with trademark metal ring detailing ‘SARCA’ label across the front. Another pair were covered with chocolate brown teddy borg and featured two red go-faster stripes down their outer side.
Patent has been a main character this London Fashion Week, and Ancuta Sarca was no exception. Models were often dressed in high shine patent leather, accompanied by cream Ancuta Sarca hold alls in the same effect, complete with bow embellishments, a nod to the enduring tenure of Coquette core.
Another standout moment was a pair of (you guessed it) patent slouchy pointed mid-calf boots, the faux leather in varying shades of urine. Each model seemed to have been given a core colour, and the boots were matched neatly with a neoprene bag in one of the darker (dare I say more dehydrated?) shades.
There were nine pairs of shoes on show, alongside seven bags. This may seem like a relatively small offering but it is important to remember that sustainability is the backbone of this brand that is also in its relative infancy. Plus, there were no duds in this collection—it was, as they say, all killer and no filler.
