The Female Folk Costume of Romanian from the Town of Rupea, Romania: Fashion, Resilience, and Sustainable Management of Cultural Heritage

Clothing is a social product that represents both individual and collective manifestations of identity, functioning as a system of signs. This study examines the relationship between fashion and resilience as factors driving changes in the traditional folk costume of Romanian women from Rupea, Brașov County, from the late 19th century to the present. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with locals and enhanced by photo elicitation and participant observation, where the authors served as community insiders. The study first describes the local folk costume’s main distinguishing features, which locals use as indicators of community status. Next, it analyzes the transformations of the folk costume and their sources, including fashion, which facilitated the adoption of external influences based on their association with prestige, and resilient responses to challenges during the period under investigation. The research also demonstrates how Rupea’s Romanian residents managed to preserve and capitalize on the folk costume and community traditions after the Communist Party’s rise to power in Romania. These transformations in folk costume did not diminish its function as a system of signs. The preservation of its significance and traditions demonstrates cultural resilience in an urban environment and supports the role of local communities in sustainably managing intangible cultural heritage resources.