In the summer of 2025, the University of Art and Design in Cluj-Napoca (UAD), through its Fashion Department and Ceramic–Glass–Metal Department, strengthened a new partnership with the Salbek Castle Association as part of the “Midsummer Celebration.” Now in its second edition, the event took place on June 21, 2025, in Petriș, Arad County, and celebrated sustainability in various forms of artistic expression, building bridges between tradition and contemporaneity, between nature and art.

A central moment of the event was the presentation by the UAD PhD students, which introduced to the public the UNAPOLOGETIC collection, showcased through an exhibition and a fashion performance by artist and actress Sânziana Tarța. The collection, inspired by the strength of inner values, the biodiversity of nature, and the variety of local flora, was admired by nearly 200 guests. Through its concept and presentation, UNAPOLOGETIC highlighted how fashion can become a vehicle for responsibility, uniting creativity with respect for nature and the principles of sustainability.

The extended interpretation of the collection, developed by four PhD candidates from the UAD Doctoral School Daiana Stăncioiu, Cezara Smuczer, Alexandru Smuczer și Andra Roman, explored the dialogue between traditional techniques, such as felting and embroidery, and contemporary technologies including 3D printing and innovative materials. This multidisciplinary approach created a bridge between flat surface and volume, between image and materiality, between past and future.

The atmosphere of the event was completed by the exhibition of the Ceramic–Glass–Metal Department, which displayed oversized glass flowers created by second-year students. These spectacular installations brought into focus the beauty of the local flora, emphasizing nature’s potential as a source of inspiration and the role of art in revitalizing heritage.

Through its presence at Salbek Castle, UAD reaffirms its commitment to educating designers and artists capable of responding to current challenges through creativity, innovation, and respect for tradition, heritage, and the biodiversity of nature. The collaboration demonstrates once again that fashion and art are not merely aesthetic exercises, but true forces of cultural cohesion and promoters of fundamental values — sustainability, responsibility, and identity continuity.