Borlești Village is buzzing with excitement. Girls are weaving flower crowns and preparing their most beautiful embroidered blouses for the exhibition dedicated to the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse.

Join us on June 20–21 in Borlești Village and discover a vibrant community of inspiring people, remarkable initiatives, and meaningful cultural activities.

Here are a few images from last year’s edition:

The ia is the traditional blouse that the women of Cufărul Borleștiului have been sewing together during their traditional sewing gatherings since 2013, when the initiative first took shape in the village. The girls and women of the community wear these blouses with pride and joy, showcasing them in exhibitions throughout Romania and abroad.

The dedication, passion, and continuity of the projects carried out over the years by Cufărul Borleștiului were further highlighted through the “Altița Ulițelor din Borlești” project in 2023, developed in close collaboration and valuable partnership with Satul Sustenabil (Sustainable Village).

Come and explore a world where the traditional sewing gathering is an opportunity for people to connect, and where exquisite embroidery—carefully stitched with patience, skill, and artistry on cotton or fine silk gauze—becomes a thread linking generations!

Since 2013, the community of Borlești has worked with perseverance and shared passion to document and preserve the intangible cultural heritage represented by the traditional ia with altiță (the distinctive embroidered shoulder panel). Every initiative and event offers visitors the opportunity to appreciate and discover these remarkable blouses, admired for their authenticity, technical precision, harmonious color combinations, and the beauty of their floral and geometric motifs, each reflecting the ethnographic region from which it originates.

Today, Borlești has become a landmark for creativity and the promotion of traditions, fostering cultural heritage, developing local skills, and educating younger generations about the richness of Romania’s cultural identity through their active involvement in community life.

Piatra-Neamț Also Celebrates the Romanian Blouse in the “Garden of Blouses”

On Sunday, June 21, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., the 8th edition of the Garden of Blouses event, organized by the Ethnography Museum of Piatra-Neamț, will take place.

A new edition featuring timeless blouses and authentic folk art!

A collector sees beauty and value where others often do not—beyond the marks left by time, storage conditions, dust, and wear. Collectors rescue old pieces, give them new life, restore their brilliance, and generously share them with the public, believing that beauty is meant to be enjoyed together.

Such collectors are Mihaela and Constantin Postolache from Piatra-Neamț. For more than a decade, they have traveled through villages in search of traditional festive costumes. Although both graduated in economics and have no formal background in the arts, they are deeply passionate about traditional embroidery. In every hand-stitched textile, they see not only craftsmanship but also patience, creativity, harmony, and cultural value.

Mihaela Postolache initially embroidered traditional blouses herself before realizing that her true calling was to discover and preserve authentic historical garments, which she considers masterpieces. She is particularly fond of the traditional costumes of the Oltenia region, while Constantin Postolache is fascinated by those from Vrancea.

At the first edition of the Garden of Blouses in 2019, the Postolaches exhibited twenty traditional women’s costumes. This year, they will present twenty traditional blouses, most originating from Neamț and Vrancea counties.

The 8th edition of the Garden of Blouses will also feature Cufărul Borleștiului, presenting natural products, and Luminița Iancului, a practitioner of the ancient tablet-weaving technique.

The exhibition invites visitors to rediscover authenticity in a world where imitations often create confusion.

Admission is free.