Cătălina Negara is designing through a florist’s eye

PHOTOGRAPHY Charlie Barclay-Harris

This interview features as part of BRICKS #15 I Support You issue’s Portrait series. You can view the full series here, and order an issue now from our online store.

Cătălina Negara is a London-based creative working across styling and upcycled garments. Originally from Moldova, she moved to London with her family in 2017, navigating a new language and city while searching for a creative path. Alongside her work in fashion, she spent years working as a florist; an experience that continues to shape her instinct for colour, texture and composition. Her process is highly experimental, often evolving during shoots as garments are adjusted and refined in collaboration with the model. 

Most recently, Negara presented her work as part of Fashion District’s Next-Gen Designer Showcase at Spitalfields Market during SXSW London. Bringing together a cohort of emerging designers exploring new approaches to sustainability, technology and fashion production, the public-facing showcase offered a platform for the next generation of creative talent to share their work within wider conversations about the future of the industry. For a designer whose practice centres experimentation, upcycling and transformation, the showcase marked another significant step in an already evolving creative journey.

Has there been a moment where someone’s support tangibly changed your path? 

When I think about support, I think less about a single gesture and more about a feeling of being carried through uncertain moments. I’ve been fortunate to feel this through my parents, my partner, and my friends, but the deepest form of support came from my parents’ quiet faith in me. 

In 2017, after graduating from Fashion School in Bucharest, I moved to London to join my parents, who had already been living here for a few months. It marked the beginning of a completely new chapter for all of us. None of us spoke English at the time, and the reality of that beginning was humbling. For a few months, we shared a single room while living with ten strangers in one house. It was unfamiliar and overwhelming. 

There were many moments when I wasn’t completely sure what path I wanted to take. I only knew that it had to be something creative, because creating is what fulfils me the most. My parents never judged me for trying different directions, even when it might have looked like I was unsure or indecisive. Looking back, exploring all those different creative areas is exactly what shaped the person and creative I am today. Their belief gave me the confidence to keep going, even before I fully understood where I was heading. 

My parents never judged me for trying different directions, even when it might have looked like I was unsure or indecisive. Looking back, exploring all those different creative areas is exactly what shaped the person and creative I am today. Their belief gave me the confidence to keep going, even before I fully understood where I was heading. 

What’s the least glamorous part of sustaining a career in fashion right now? 

So far, fashion has mostly been a passion rather than a proper career path. It’s only recently that I decided to give myself a real chance to pursue it – I even resigned from my full-time role as a florist designer to focus fully on building a life in fashion. 

The least glamorous part, at least at this stage, is all the behind-the-scenes work that no one sees. Sourcing materials, sewing late into the night, coordinating shoots, editing content, and reaching out to collaborators – it can feel endless. On top of that, there’s the emotional labour of staying motivated, believing in your ideas, and pushing forward when results or recognition are slow to come. 

It’s not ideal to have a perfectionist mindset on top of everything. It doesn’t help you evolve – it keeps you stuck, because the beginning is never perfect. Learning to accept that, and to keep creating anyway, is probably one of the hardest but most important lessons I’ve had so far. 

The journey is especially challenging when you unconsciously compare yourself to others – watching full teams of professionals who’ve been doing this for years can be intimidating when you’re just starting out and trying to wear all the hats yourself to make your work stand out. 

Some days it feels uncertain, messy, and exhausting, but all this groundwork is what actually allows creativity to flourish. It’s not glamorous, but it’s shaping both my practice and the kind of creative I want to become. 

Who are you designing with in mind when you’re working? 

When I’m working, I don’t start by thinking about a specific person or audience; my process is a bit backwards like that. I experiment with colours, shapes, textures, and silhouettes without really knowing what the final piece will look like. I’m very process-driven, and the design evolves as I go. 

Especially when I upcycle pieces, I work with their existing structure to create something new. Sometimes I even rush into cutting a sleeve or altering a seam, and then I just deal with the decision as I go – it’s part of the experiment and the evolution of the garment. 

A big part of the process happens in front of the camera. I make adjustments to the garments until the shot feels right, and I collaborate closely with the model, asking what feels comfortable for them and what would make them confident while taking the pictures. I want the clothes to move with them and for them to feel part of the story, not just wear them. I’m designing with a narrative in mind, how the work exists in a space, interacts with the set, and communicates a feeling. The hope is that anyone who sees it can connect with the story or the emotion it evokes. 

I want the clothes to move with them and for them to feel part of the story, not just wear them. 

What are you doing alongside your creative work to keep it sustainable? 

I’d still say I’m in the early days of my fashion journey, even though I’ve been in London for nine years. At the beginning, even though I was dreaming of a career in fashion, I struggled to feel like I belonged here. The first few years were challenging, but it didn’t feel that way at the time, I was trying to adjust, to be like others, to find a sense of belonging, until I realised I had to look within and connect with who I really am. 

To make ends meet, I’ve done all sorts of jobs – night shifts making sandwiches, a short stint as a cleaner, freelance styling projects, and worked a few jobs in construction as a painter, but my main career path became floral design. Working as a florist allowed me to hide behind my work, let the work speak for itself, and find comfort in a space I could excel at. 

After graduating from my Media and Communication course two years ago, I was really passionate about brand storytelling. That’s when, at the back of my mind, I started thinking I would like to create something on my own. I thought that would be the moment to shift fully into fashion, but the comfort of doing what I was best at at the time held me back, and not knowing how to monetise my creative work kept me in the same spot. 

Right now, I’m still finding freelance work to sustain myself financially, while also exploring how I can turn my passion into something sustainable. It’s a period of experimentation and learning – testing what works, figuring out what people respond to, and gradually shaping a path that feels fully my own. I guess the fear of not giving myself a chance, now, feels bigger than the fear of failure. I’m trying my best to embrace the unknown in all its shapes and forms, go with the flow, and be grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. 

What does meaningful support actually look like in fashion right now? 

Meaningful support in fashion, for me, comes from communities and individuals who are genuinely passionate about what they do. Every creator who shares their journey, every platform that offers guidance, job opportunities, or exposure, feels like a form of support.  

Communities like Bleaq, with their mentorship program, Stylenotcom, who provide meaningful insights into the fashion world, BRICKS’ Learner Platform, offering advice and support, Assisting Work, which encourages collaborations and posts opportunities for creatives – these are all examples of spaces where emerging creatives can feel seen, guided, and inspired. I also want to give a shout-out to Amy Verity and her platform, Style It Out Collective, which brings stylists together and encourages us to support each other every day. It’s incredible to see spaces like this creating real community in the industry. Many other platforms and creators are equally valuable in the industry, each offering their own unique form of guidance or opportunity.   

Social media has also become a place of support, where so many creatives openly share their knowledge and journey. It’s refreshing to see people driven by a desire to help others grow. Right now, I feel incredibly grateful to BRICKS Magazine – especially Tori, Chiara, Maddy, and the whole team – who have recognised my work and given me the opportunity to develop as a creator. I’ve also had fun being photographed by Charlie. I tend to always be behind the camera, which is where I feel most comfortable, so being in the spotlight myself felt a bit weird, but exciting, especially knowing people would get to see both my work and the face behind it. Moments like this feel like real encouragement from the industry and motivate me to keep pushing forward with my work. 

Meaningful support in fashion, for me, comes from communities and individuals who are genuinely passionate about what they do.

How do you try to support others coming up behind you? 

I’ve always been incredibly grateful for any kind of support I’ve received, so I try to pay it forward whenever I can. Whether it’s collaborating with emerging artists, helping models who are just starting out feel confident in front of the camera, or sharing little insights I’ve picked up along the way, I try to be approachable and open. Even when someone reaches out to me in DMs with questions, I’m happy to answer and offer help where I can. 

While navigating social media, I also try to celebrate others’ efforts, even something as small as messaging a creator to say they’re doing a great job or engaging with their projects. I see this as support, because I know how grateful I feel when others share my work or encourage me. Small gestures like this can really help creatives build each other up. 

What moment have you been most proud of in your career, and how did you celebrate it? 

I’ve promised myself that I would acknowledge my wins more, no matter how small, because every step forward counts. For me, proud moments aren’t just about big milestones; they’re about the progress, the learning, and the effort behind the work. 

A memorable moment was seeing my dissertation project come to life and be presented in the university art gallery. It reflected my passion for fashion and sustainability, and I’m incredibly grateful to my university mentor for guiding me through the process. Beyond that, I also feel proud of smaller victories, finishing projects I wasn’t sure I could complete, and seeing my creative ideas resonate with others. 

To celebrate completing my studies, I finally went on a trip to Bali that I had been planning ( and saving) for a long time. The timing aligned perfectly, making it a meaningful way to reflect and recharge. Moments like these remind me that pride isn’t just about the outcome but valuing the effort, growth, and support that made it possible. 

I’ve promised myself that I would acknowledge my wins more, no matter how small, because every step forward counts. For me, proud moments aren’t just about big milestones; they’re about the progress, the learning, and the effort behind the work. 

Working as a florist alongside your fashion practice feels like a different kind of creative support system, bringing a different relationship to colour, structure and composition. How has that experience influenced the way you think about clothing and image-making? 

Working with flowers every day taught me to notice colour, texture, and composition in a way that guides a lot of what I do in fashion, from upcycling garments to styling shoots. There’s a rhythm to arranging flowers, a balance of spontaneity and structure, and that same mindset now shapes how I layer, combine, and photograph clothing. I’ve realised that very often, when I create arrangements, I tend to just go with the flow, following a structure, yet allowing creativity to take its course. It’s not always successful, though; it took me a lot of experimentation to get to the skills I have today in floristry. I’ll sometimes break down a flower’s structure to figure out how to recreate it in fabric, and I feel lucky to have that firsthand knowledge. Sometimes I draw directly from a flower’s colour palette when putting together an outfit, it just feels the most balanced that way. Nature has this effortless sense of harmony and beauty,  the ultimate designer, and I’ve learned to let it guide me. 

Floristry also gave me resilience and strengthened my ability to collaborate, solve problems under pressure and work closely with a team. In a sense, both worlds are about the same thing: taking individual elements and shaping them into something that feels alive, intentional, and entirely mine. 

Long before I considered fashion seriously, when I was 14, I was making handmade flower accessories and selling them to my school friends. It feels almost poetic that I’ve ended up back working with flowers in my designs, but now with a decade of experience as a florist guiding me. 

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