Pure hazard – this is how Andreea Constantin (32) recalls the start-up of Rhea Costa five years ago, when she "threw" a simple, grey piece of fabric on her dear friend Malvina Cervenschi’s shoulder, and it turned out to be a real success. " Back then, the offer for evening gowns was very limited – and they all looked alike, too bright and tasteless… and here comes this unexpectedly simple dress, no one knew where it came from and everyone longed for it. For almost two years, everyone kept ordering that particular model”, Andreea remembers.
The success of her first dress triggered her to switch from her work as a fashion editor and stylist to that of a designer. "It was pure hazard that led me to design, I had no intention of doing that. From one photo shoot to another I was discovering how comfortable I am combining fabrics. I was constantly improvising… if I didn't like certain details in a dress I’d look for leftover pieces of fabric and I’d just add them on, and then find a suitable accessory and everyone loved it," she recalls. Without a business plan in place, she bought a sewing machine and a variety of fabrics, that she spent "around 1,500 lei" on and she started making the dresses at home, in her living room.
'It was all on fast-forward mode, really. I cannot recall the precise details, but I know I had many women come to me and there were many instances where I told them I had no idea what they were asking me to do. I have a degree in foreign languages, and as far as fashion goes I am self-taught. I would forward them my own designs, regardless of what they wanted, and this is how my personal style came through."
A seamstress, a few fabrics and a blog
She moved the orders from her own living room to a workshop "that I worked at for a while, but it was very tiresome though to keep going there, and they kept delaying my orders. I didn't feel in control of the process so I hired a seamstress, then another one and so on", she explains.
Things are looking good for her: Rhea Costa is already a famous brand, dressing-up A-listers from the US: Tyra Banks, Dita von Teese, Rebecca Romijn or Britney Spears. In terms of business, Andreea Costantin’s small factory employs 30 seamstresses, creating up to 400 products a month, plus six employees on the administrative side, and a turnover estimated at 600,000 euros in 2014.
"The first year we didn't have a proper collection, but we constantly designed new looks- it was a very creative period”, says Andreea, then the next two years "we had two main collections a year, and several capsule collections, and starting 2012, once we entered the foreign markets we have aligned our calendar with the international fashion calendar and we launched four yearly collections".
In only five years, Rhea Costa managed to create a well-defined segment of customers, not just showbiz stars, but also "normal people, working in different areas, wanting to look and feel good".
In Romania, Andreea Constantin sells her creations at the Rhea Costa showroom in 13 Popa Nan St, and the online shop rheacosta-shop.com, but her evening and wedding dresses are to be found on Molecule F, the first online platform for promoting and selling Romanian designs, or in the Romanian Designers Gallery in Cocor store.
Soon the brand will have its own corner in the Victoria Gallery, the first department store in Bucharest. Starting last year, her designs are sold by several boutiques in Europe, Middle East, Asia, Russia, the US, Canada, Australia. The sales abroad generate around 60% of the company's turnover, which next year will hopefully break the million euros threshold.
“I've always regarded and built the brand as an international brand, and all my efforts were focused on this.”
Export and the growth that came along were a natural development. Andreea Constantin says.
Further on, she aims "for my dresses to help women when they need it. (…) The Rhea Costa woman trusts herself, knows her strengths and understands that the dress or the look are just accessories which define her, that compliments are for the person, and not for the clothes.”
500- The average euro value of the season purchase. Rhea Costa has over 6,000 customers in its database, constant buyers.
600- The turnover, in thousand euros, estimated by Andreea Constantin for 2014. Next year the Rhea Costa designer is hoping to reach her first million euros.
Even though famous names, such as Karl Lagerfeld, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta or Emilio Pucci still run the show, the red carpet now sees Rhea Costa designs, signed by Andreea Constantin.
