Romanian Otilia Mihalcea, the designer behind the Oval brand (ovaloval.com), has won the jury's Special Prize for Accessory Design at the International Fashion Showcase (IFS) in London. It was the first time in IFS’s history when this prize was awarded.

More than 80 designers have entered the competition. The other winners were Hala Kaiksow from Bahrain, who won the award for best designer, Tala Hajja from Lebanon – best curator, and the Czech Republic – the winning country in the Showcase Winner section, according to a statement of the Romanian Cultural Institute.

The Romanian project, inspired by the Dacian jewelry, has made such a good impression among the jury members that they’ve decided set up a new award for this year’s edition, for accessory creators. The project is set up by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London together with Assamblage – The Romanian Association for Contemporary Jewellery.

Some 24 countries have participated this year in the International Fashion Showcase, a section of the London Fashion Week coordinated by the British Council and British Fashion Council. The Romanian exhibition, which was the first one exclusively dedicated to author jewelry, was inspired by the Dacian jewelry’s shapes and symbolism and presented as an interactive jewelry installation signed by Andreia Popescu, Adelina Petcan, Ioana Ardelean, and Otilia Mihalcea. Named Lost.Found.Lost, the exhibition is curated by David Sandu.

This year’s prize is the sixth award obtained by Romanian projects at the London Fashion Week.

After graduating from the University of Architecture in Bucharest and a ten-year experience as an Art Director, Maria Otilia Mihalcea graduated the Assamblage School of Contemporary Jewellery. After years of collaborative projects she has decided to establish her own brand and online shop – Oval.

Romanian fashion designer dresses up Miss World 2015

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Romanian Cultural Institute in London on Facebook)