Romanian Sweater Maker Bucks Fashion Trends to Go It Alone

When Amalia Săftoiu quit a globe-trotting career in oil and gas to start a knitwear brand in Romania seven years ago, her proximity to one of Europe’s biggest garment industries looked like an obvious advantage. The sector, developed under the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, has grown dramatically with the country’s membership in the European Union, and mass-market brands such as H&M and Zara rely on Romania’s factories to quickly bring their designs to shops.

Săftoiu initially did the same, but she soon realized that wasn’t a good fit for her company, Ami Amalia. Săftoiu favored delicate natural yarns, but producers leaned toward robust fabrics such as polyester blends that were easier for machines to handle. And with the low-cost model depending on high volumes, she fretted she’d end up with piles of unsold sweaters. “When you work with a factory, you’re limited by their minimum-order requirements, what kind of yarns they can work with,” she says. “You start to focus more on selling than on creating.”