Doina Ciobanu (Дойна Чобану, born 20 April 1994, Chișinău, Moldova) is a London-based fashion influencer, model, and sustainability advocate.[1][2][3] Described as having one of the strongest personal brands in the United Kingdom's fashion industry,[4][5] Ciobanu has modelled and collaborated with a list of luxury fashion brands that includes Agent Provocateur, Burberry, and Versace.[4] Her sustainability advocacy has seen her act as an ambassador of the No More Plastic foundation and the United Nations Development Programme.[3]

Doina Ciobanu
BornApril 20, 1994
NationalityMoldovan
Alma materFree International University of Moldova
Modeling information
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Hair colorNaturally Brown
Eye colorBrown
AgencyNext Management, The Society Management
Websitehttps://doina.co

Professional career

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Ciobanu launched her fashion blog The Golden Diamonds in 2010 while living in Moldova[6] where she turned down a university placement at the Sorbonne in Paris to pursue a full-time career in fashion.[citation needed]

Moving to London in 2014, she was scouted and signed by Kate Moss' former manager as a digital influencer in the same year,[7][8][9] shortly before being signed globally by Next Model Management as both an influencer and fashion model,[6] the first Moldovan to do so and the first digital influencer to be signed by Next's London division.[10][11] In London she worked beyond her platform on The Golden Diamonds, acting as a correspondent and writer for publications such as Byrdie, CR Fashion Book,[12] Elle and The Guardian,[13][14] and public speaking at events such as WGSN Futures Awards, the Festival of Marketing, Startup Grind,[15] the UN Circular Fashion Summit,[3] and Web Summit.[16][17] Her mix of online presence and that of a social-event presence in London soon saw her labeled as a part of "the super blogger legion"[18] and a "mega-blogger".[6]

Her mix of offline and online work saw her recognized by Forbes as both one of the top 19 Young Entrepreneurs and amongst the top 30 Under 30 entrepreneurs of Romania,[19][20] twice as one of Romania's most influential fashion icons,[21][22] and twice for 'Best Personal Style' by Elle.[23][24]

First modeling in Moldova, Ciobanu's management teams transitioned her work to include modeling on a larger scale as of 2015. She subsequently fronted campaigns for luxury brands including Agent Provocateur, Alain Mikli in a campaign that featured upon Times Square billboards,[25][26] Bulgari, Bobbi Brown, Burberry, Cartier,[27] De Grisogono, Dior,[12] Ermenegildo Zegna, Fendi, L'Oréal, La Perla along with Kendall Jenner as the faces of the lingerie house's Freedom range,[28] Louis Vuitton, Paul Smith,[29] Tom Ford,[30] and Versace,[6][31][32] and has featured in works by Rankin.[33]

Her style and, separately, her modeling work have seen her featured in print upon the cover of Elle magazine,[34] and in titles such as Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, Jane, Marie Claire, Tatler, The Telegraph, and international editions of Vogue. Ciobanu has also attracted the attention of men's press, ranking amongst the AskMen's Top 99 women of 2016,[35] being labelled amongst "the most beautiful" bloggers by GQ Mexico,[36] and becoming a regular in the British edition GQ, oft-featured as their 'Hottest Women of the Week' and at their social events.[37][38][39][40][41]

 
Doina Ciobanu modelling her 2022 recycled-silver collection for British jeweller Monica Vinader

Since 2017, having begun to recognise "moral obligations" that came along with working as an influencer given her personal environmental beliefs were often at odds with many consumption practices driven by social media,[42] Ciobanu has used her platforms to advocate for the fashion industry to become increasingly sustainable. To this end she has accepted ambassadorships for Eco-Age, the No More Plastic foundation and the United Nations Development Programme and went on to study Business Sustainability Management at the University of Cambridge's Institute for Sustainability Leadership.[3] Outside of sustainability focussed speaking engagements, Ciobanu's advocacy for a sustainable fashion industry has led to her being tapped as a judge for both Positive Luxury and The Sustainables Award.[43][44] She has also served as consultant and designer for a number of fashion brands including Marina Raphael,[45] Monica Vinader,[5][46][47] and Wolford.[48] [49]

From August 2020, Ciobanu designed three, eponymous 'Doina' collections for the latter with a focus on utilising 100-percent recycled materials, including recycled silver and gold alongside sustainably sourced pearls.[50][51] In the same year, Ciobanu designed a sustainable collection of handbags for Marina Raphael, utilising a form of vegan leather that had been developed as a byproduct of the industrial processing of apples.[45][52]

Personal life

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Ciobanu was born in Chișinău, living there until she was 19 before moving to Bucharest and subsequently to London.[6][14]

Having turned down a position at the University of Paris, Ciobanu corresponded to complete a long-distance bachelor's degree in Political Science and History from the Free International University of Moldova instead.[6][53][29] By 2020 she had additionally completed business-focussed, sustainability studies at the University of Cambridge.[3]

Based between London and Milan,[54][55] she maintains an interest in politics in Moldova and has stated that she would return there to be active in it.[56] Ciobanu speaks English, Romanian and Russian, and is currently learning French and Spanish.[6][14]

References

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  1. ^ "Doina Ciobanu; Gala amfAR 2016 en Milan Fashion Week". Vogue. 25 September 2016. Archived from the original on 29 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  2. ^ Paton, Elizabeth (24 March 2018). "Everybody Needs a Bit of Sparkle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Trochu, Eugénie (22 April 2020). "Est-il possible de concilier influence et durabilité ? Rencontre avec celle qui en a fait une priorité". Vogue. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 8 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Doina Ciobanu: CoolBrands". SuperBrands. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  5. ^ a b Pillay, Navin (20 August 2020). "Monica Vinader Collaborates With Sustainable Fashion Influencer Doina Ciobanu". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. Archived from the original on 21 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Kristie (21 July 2016). "Doina Ciobanu: From Dior to Politics". The Arcadia Online. Arcadia Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  7. ^ "Doina Ciobanu, femeie de succes la doar 20 de ani. De ce a hotarat sa se mute la Bucuresti". Acasa TV. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Moldoveanca sexy care apare in Vogue, dar nu e model. La 21 de ani a semnat un contract cu fostul agent al lui Kate Moss". Stirile Pro. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Doina Ciobanu". Milk Management. Archived from the original on 16 January 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  10. ^ "Doina Ciobanu a semnat un contract cu una dintre cele mai mari si de succes agentii de modeling din lume. Afla cum i-a reusit acest lucru". acasa TV. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Bloggerița Doina Ciobanu, între Londra, New York și Cuba. Detalii despre contractul semnat cu NEXT Models". diez. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Doina Ciobanu's Couture Spring 2018 Diary". CR Fashion Book. Hearst Digital Media. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
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  34. ^ "Exclusiv: Doina Ciobanu notorietate online = responsibilitate offline". Elle Romania. Romania. August 2018. p. Front cover.
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  37. ^ "Hottest women of the Cannes Film Festival". GQ. 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
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  40. ^ "It's party o'clock: the Huawei Watch launch". GQ. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
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  43. ^ "Doina Ciobanu". Positive Luxury. 2019. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  44. ^ "The Sustainables". The Sustainables. The Sustainables_Showroom+Agency. 2019. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  45. ^ a b Lei, Angela. "Marina Raphael Defines The New Luxury And Launches Styles In Vegan Leather". Forbes. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  46. ^ Lajiness, Laura (18 August 2020). "Monica Vinader's Collaboration With Doina Ciobanu Is Jewelry You Can Wear 7 Days A Week". The Zoe Report. Bustle Digital Group. Archived from the original on 19 August 2020. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  47. ^ Ong-Wood, Ivy (28 August 2020). "Silver without the guilt". The Standard. The Standard Newspaper Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 1 July 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
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  56. ^ Harper's Bazaar Romania (May–June 2014. Pages 122-124)
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