Deeply embedded in the region’s folklore, the strigoi are beings associated with restless souls, the return of the deceased and the unsettling boundary between the living and the dead. Often compared to vampires, these nocturnal entities occupy a distinctive place in Eastern European mythology, representing an ancient fascination with immortality, death and the supernatural.
In A Strigoi Named Laurean Edward II, fashion muse and creative director Laurean Edward II explores this mythology through a conceptual self-portrait in which he transforms himself into a strigoi bride. Through this portrayal, he presents a figure suspended between mortality and eternity, exploring themes of identity, transformation and immortality.
Drawing from the atmospheric folklore of Transylvania, the project reinterprets the supernatural through the visual language of historical European portraiture. The imagery evokes the grandeur and theatricality of nineteenth-century oil paintings, incorporating dramatic chiaroscuro, deep burgundy tones, sculptural shadows and richly textured painterly surfaces.
Rather than approaching vampirism through conventional gothic imagery, Laurean Edward II explores the subject as an intersection of cultural mythology, fashion and artistic identity.
Here, the strigoi is not simply a creature of the night but an embodiment of beauty beyond mortality, eternal devotion and the refusal to disappear.
A portrait of the undead. A mythology reborn. A strigoi named Laurean Edward II.
ABOUT LAUREAN EDWARD II
Laurean Edward II is a Transylvanian fashion muse, creative director and digital vampire whose artistic identity explores the intersection of high fashion, historical aesthetics, dark romanticism and contemporary visual culture.
His creative language draws inspiration from Transylvanian culture, aristocratic imagery, romanticism, theatrical traditions and avant-garde fashion, always with a touch of irony. Through editorial photography, styling and conceptual direction, he develops visual narratives that combine historical references with contemporary artistic expression.
Approaching fashion as an extension of identity and artistic authorship, Laurean Edward II explores character, symbolism, beauty and the relationship between the divine and the profane.
His work extends across fashion, photography, film and visual storytelling, with an international creative outlook.
Words by Laurean Edward II
Vampire: Laurean Edward II