Romualda
Meet Cristina & Mariana, the Creative Duo Behind Romualda
In this interview, Cristina and Mariana, the sisters behind the colorful brand Romualda, share their story, inspirations, and creative process. They discuss their recent motherhood adventures, upcoming collections, and the beautiful chaos of working together as siblings. Read more to discover how the artistic world of Romualda blossomed!
On the left: Cristina & Mariana as children with a still life painting on the background painted by Cris.
On the right: Cristina & Mariana turning with their first ready-to-wear collection Arden Fiestes.
Hi Cristina and Mariana, how are you today?
Hi we are very good thanks for asking, excited for summer to get here already and celebrating lots of great things that are coming our way. Mariana has recently given birth to her second child, a beautiful and healthy daughter and I am working on our upcoming AW24 collection, we also have a few collaborations and projects coming up and im working hard on those. So yes as you can see lots to be happy and grateful for.
Could you tell us more about yourselves?
We are Cristina (31) and Mariana (27). Were sisters as you probably already know, I am an artist and Mariana a designer.
From left to right: Mariana & Cristina, Summer 2022 in Menorca.
How is it like to be working with a sister?
I think we can acknowledge that working with your sister isn’t always easy or fun but since starting romualda we find that we compliment each other very well. I think that sharing the same aesthetic since infancy and seeing the world through the same lens shared with us from our mother allows us to meet each other in the middle, we both agree that we have two very distinct ways of seeing the world but we also share the same references from growing up.
While I am able to focus on the artistic side of the brand and experiment with all my ideas. It gives me time to explore distinct avenues, wether that be new up-cycled collections, social media, press or the prints for SS24 or AW24 I am allowed to focus on the art while Marina takes a more direct hands on approach to the brand being in charge of sales, marketing and our store in Madrid.
How did the idea of creating Romualda came up?
Technically Romualda started just before covid in Madrid, initially it was a passion project for the both of us, I was still working as an artist while Mariana was finishing her masters in LA, we began working with a local seamstress we both knew, working closely with her to develop the pattern for our unique hats, it was all very local and artisanal. We posted a few of our hats on instagram and they sold all over the world. I remember the first 10 selling to people I considered to be super cool, other creative directors and people with their own brands from all over, Paris, New York, LA, Tokyo. We both remember thinking that this could be something really cool if we both dedicated ourselves to it and as the project grew so did our passion for it, we launched Romualda officially in 2020
From left to right: Mariana & Cristina, Summer 2020 in Turkey.
When and where was it born?
Officially Romualda the brand was born in 2020 as a way of satisfying a need we felt at a very particular moment in our lives, it is the result of a restless anxiety and a need to create felt by both of us during a particularly hard moment felt by everyone.
Not being being able to move about freely and feeling closed off from the world and unable to express ourselves we stared creating as a way of opening our world. We always shared a passion for art and the beauty in nature, we grew up in a very artistic environment due to our mother and we always spent as much time as we could in Asturias surrounded by nature, having had some luck with our passion project just before covid we launched ourselves at the challenge of uniting these two aspects and we created the brand, wanting to express what we felt and in the process making something we both consider stunning and atemporal.
What's the story behind the name?
Romualdas namesake was actually a Dutch artist that we met as children in the desert of Rodalquilar, her ethos was something that really inspired us as children and it followed us to adulthood. Her life was simple, grounded by art, feeding her spirit with oranges, nuts and rays of sun.
Naming the brand after her was a tribute to her art and the way in which she understood life. Everything that she taught us as children is what Romualda means to us, creating art to inspire and forever evolving, the act of rebelling against social norms and prejudices. We think the true spirit of Romualda is thrilling, its constantly learning new things and failing but never giving up.
Mariana & Cristina in Sardegna, Summer 2024.
Do you sometimes disagree on creative choices? If so, how do you cope with it?
Like we said before its not always fun, specially when we disagree with each other creatively, but at the same time our ability to resolve our disputes and meet each other in the middle only makes our relationship stronger. I think we would both agree that we disagree a lot of the time but we also really respect each others roles and jobs within the company. I have my responsibilities and Mariana has hers, both of these fall under a creative umbrella that we both have to agree on in order to make decisions. While we both carry more weight in our own departments the job is to listen to each others opinions and see where we might overlap and if we don’t then decide what is best for the company, which is something we are always able to do.
Could you tell us about the process of Romualda?
In our design process, we draw upon various artistic elements such as color combinations, textures, and shapes to craft hats that are visually striking and unique. From the linings to the intricate details of the hat's structure, each component is carefully considered to evoke a sense of artistic expression, inspiring us to transform materials, forms, and ideas into abstract hat designs that are both innovative and captivating. These inspirations manifest in the designs I paint on our hats, as well as in the overall aesthetic and ethos of our brand.
The physical process begins with painting intricate patterns on a large cotton canvas or on individually cut patterns using eco-friendly paints. Once the canvas and patterns are painted, they are sent to Asturias, where our skilled artisans either assemble the individual patterns to create hats or cut the canvas to shape and then assemble the hats.
In a similar fashion our prints are drawn in Madrid by me and then they are digitalised so that they can be printed on the fabrics we choose for our clothing. These are then sent to local workshops where our collection is brought to life
Galaxy Flowers, SS24 collection campaign. Photos Credit: Álvaro Medina.
Galaxy Flowers, SS24 collection campaign. Photos Credit: Aida Holgado.
You started with hats, is that right? And then recently you begin to print on clothes as well?
Yes we did, to us the hat is a wardrobe staple, making them essential accessories, especially during sunny weather. We felt that existing options in the market did not quite meet the need for something truly special so we created it. Eventually we felt the need to grow creatively and expand our universe and the next logical choice was clothing.
How do you find inspiration?
I think the only way you find inspiration is by allowing yourself to be led and giving yourself to the process, I think if you also look at all our previous collections we are always very inspired by nature, Jugo, Flor de Sal and now Galaxy Flowers are all inspired by fruits and flowers and every aspect of nature that they encompass. We trust our instincts when it comes to creating and remain open to creative sparks that may arise unexpectedly, often feeling guided by fate in our design choices.
Collaboration with local artists and artisans is not only a way in which we also seek inspiration but it is also an integral part of our creative process, this exchange of knowledge and expertise allows us to incorporate unique artistic elements into our products while also honouring traditional craftsmanship. These collaborations bring fresh perspectives and artistic diversity to our brand, resulting in truly unique and captivating products.
Blumenhaus co-founder, Isabelle Laydier Kristensen wears Romualda hats in her garden in Brittany, picture by Coralie Monnet.
Could you tell us about your floral pieces from SS24?
The florals in our collection represent a journey on the back of a flying friend through Romualda's garden, where unique flowers are visited sometimes complete, sometimes as fields of petals and even seen from the kaleidoscopic view of some insects; a perfect garden where vibrant flowers coexist, mixtures of intense and soft colours that approach the flesh of the flower, treasuring its petals in different states, in constant motion.
The collection continues Romualda's artistic expression, its kaleidoscopic floral prints in our swimwear, our Flower Power kaftans and our fluid garments that simulate the opening of flowers, botanical spectacles in cheerful tones that celebrate the magic of spring and summer.
What’s your relationship to Nature?
Our relations to nature has always been very close, we had the fortune of spending a lot of our formative years living in the countryside and once we had moved into the city we spent every school break and summer visiting. Growing up in the countryside allowed us to develop a relationship to nature that we both treasure to this day, I remember thinking our home was a farm growing up due to all the animals that we had, we had dogs, cats birds, fishes, turtles, roosters, hamsters and im sure there’s more im missing. Overall we both can say that we wouldn’t change our childhood for anything the experiences we had are some of our most treasured and the relationship it built between us and nature is something truly beautiful. This is the same relationship we are trying to foster between nature and romualda, that’s why we approach every decision thinking of nature and sustainability, Romualda's approach to sustainability and environmental responsibility is deeply ingrained in our values and practices.
Cristina in the middle of the creative process, 2023. Photos credits: Cecilia Renard.
Which one is your favourite flower and why?
My favourite flower I think would have to be a poppy and Marianas would have to be Lillies. I think both flowers for us create a sense of nostalgia. Growing up they would be the flowers that our father would gift our mother, just the smell of them reminds us of home, they smell almost cozy and safe. These two flowers also inspired our sunny hat collection, its our latest hat collection, a new line of printed hats that still feature my designs just printed instead of handpainted allowing us to introduce a product at a lower price point and make the brand more affordable.
Anything you would like to add?
Just thank you for the wonderful questions, I had a wonderful time answering them and thank you for taking the time to get to know us better. xxx
Mariana cooking in a traditional Menorca house, 2020.
Romualda @romu.alda
www.romualda.es