We live in a world where successful women are constantly put down. It’s hard enough to keep a work-life balance. What do you do when you see even other women belittling your achievements?

Jessica Walsh is a designer & art director working as a partner at the NYC based creative agency Sagmeister & Walsh. And a target for some creatives on the internet (e.g. this tweet: ”Jessica Walsh is worse than a Britney Spears song”). What did she do with it?

She founded the Ladies, Wine & Design Community (LW&D) that’s now in more than 200 cities all over the world. Because ladies need to support each other!

And ladies support each other in Bucharest, too. I’ve been to some meetups myself and I’m amazed and humbled seeing all the awesome creative girls out there. Some pretty nice collaborations came out of the Bucharest community! But let’s meet Iulia Groves (designer) and Andreea Ioniță (content developer), the girls behind the Bucharest chapter.

GIRLS, WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THOSE GATHERINGS IN BUCHAREST?

We meet once a month, 10 of us creative ladies, to discuss business and life. Changing ideas and meeting new awesome ladies every month make us get our creative energy going. In short, we talk about what we love and drink wine. No presentations, no nothing.

HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THIS IDEA OF STARTING A CHAPTER HERE?

LW&D events are different from one city to another. Some have portfolio reviews, some conferences and mentorship. We chose to bring the creative ladies from online to offline, to interact face2face. It’s free to join our events. You just have to send us an e-mail.

LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WOMEN IN THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES HERE. WHO ARE THEY?

They are strong, independent women. Students at the start of their own careers, listening to podcasts going to work and volunteering to film festivals in the summer. Fearless women who quitted their 9 to 5 job and started a business with their best friend.

Moms that are doing some college-days dream projects while their babies are sleeping. Women that fight for good causes, their rights or just to support each other. Women with great life stories and women who makes us laugh every time we meet. Leaders or women who are looking for their tribe. Girlfriends, moms, daughters and wives. The women of Bucharest.

WE THINK THAT A CITY IS MADE BY PEOPLE. HOW LW&D IS MAKING BUCHAREST?

Our casual conversations are happening in a small setting that makes us feel close to one another from the moment we meet. Imagine a table with 10 women chatting casually about whatever while dining and sipping a glass of wine. From the girls’ feedback we got that our meetups actually ignite collaborations and future meetings. Also, what’s really fun is that every meetup happens in a different place in Bucharest.

A place of which you found out just a few days before the actual gathering. In these 2 years we practically explored the city and its apparently hidden places like studios, design shops, galleries, hubs, cafés, courtyards and rooftops. And yeah, we hope our meetups spark something in the creative ladies’ souls. And contribute a little to the creative soul of Bucharest, too.

So what’s Ladies, Wine & Design? A small gathering of strong women talking about what they love.

Want to find out if one of these gatherings are also held in your city? Go to https://ladieswinedesign.com/#cities!

Want to support the Bucharest local girl gang? Buy their tees and totes here: https://www.facebook.com/pg/lwdbucharest/shop/

Instagram account:
https://www.instagram.com/ladieswinedesign_bucharest/

Facebook profiles of the ladies:
https://www.facebook.com/andreeaionita
https://www.facebook.com/iamcooki

Words by city captain Adriana Spulber
Imagery by Ladies, Wine & Design Bucharest