IA - The Romanian Blouse

The traditional Romanian woman’s blouse, known as ie, the symbol of authenticity and unity, has recently been recognized as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO.

Ia is a blouse, part of the traditional Romanian costume. It is made of white cotton or borangic cloth.

On the sleeves, chest, and neck, needlework in folk Romanian motif is used as decoration. Others have sequins or beads as decorations.

On June 24 (Sânziene or Drăgaica), the universal day of the ie is celebrated by Romanian populations all throughout the world.

The origins of our faith date back to the Cucuteni culture, which is the oldest civilization in Europe. It existed between 5,200 and 3,200 years before our time. Members of this civilization, which was centred in Moldova, northern Muntenia, southern Transylvania, and Basarabia, specialised in activities like weaving and pottery.

The blouse was originally only worn by peasant women, but by the middle of the 19th century, Elisabeth of Romania, then Queen Marie and her daughters, and other members of the Romanian royal family were embracing the traditional blouses.

The designs of the ie, together with its unique characteristics and motifs, differed over time according to economic and social changes in each region.

The handmade Romanian blouse is a unique and high-quality item of Romanian traditional clothing. Even if there are fewer stores offering authentic Romanian jewellery nowadays, it is still produced by hand.

"La Blouse Roumaine", a vest created by the House of Dior from the Fall 2017 collection, went on sale, of a bundiță, a traditional Bucovina vest. Everything about the Dior vest suggests that it was influenced by the bundiță, from the embroidery's colour scheme of green, lilac, and red to the shape and size of the pockets, the way the fur holds on to the edges, and the design of the embroidered flowers.

Another designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, created an entire collection in 2006 with the traditional port of Romania in reference. Oscar de la Renta used designs and materials inspired by Romanian folk attire in 2008.