Polish fashion has entered the chat. Corsets. Deadstock. Polish folklore. Leather. Giant headpieces. Precious metals. Masculinity. National identity. You know, casual fashion week stuff.
This September, BEYOND LIMITS dropped 12 Polish designers into London Fashion Week for three days of clothes, jewellery and general creative rule-breaking.
And no, there’s no matching aesthetic.
Running from 19–21 September as part of Fashion Scout, the exhibit brought together eight fashion designers and four jewellery makers who have one thing in common: none of them seems particularly interested in blending in.
Hubert Pelc turns identity and belonging into clothes. Martyna Konieczny, aka No Przesada, raids Polish folklore and puts it back together slightly differently. Robert Czerwik looks to formidable women from history, while RAD DUET digs into Polish culture and craft, without getting stuck in the past.
Things get more unhinged from there.
Katarzyna Konieczka makes corsets, sculptural silhouettes and headpieces that look ready to develop their own personalities. Michał Szulc takes leather, deadstock and streetwear somewhere new. KARDASJAN pokes at masculinity, sensuality and the male body. And Tomasz Armada turns recycled materials and Polish identity codes into fashion with a point of view.
Then there’s the jewels.
Radek Anais Laró treats jewellery like sculpture, art and performance had a very glamorous baby. Rzucidło throws tribal references, music and subculture into the mix. Anna Samków makes beautifully strange little objects from precious metals, gemstones and organic materials. And Stettin Jewellery, the Polish-Australian duo of Patrycja Bołzan and Karlo Szczepaniak, takes traditional goldsmithing and gives it an experimental glitch.
BEYOND LIMITS is less interested in presenting a pristine postcard of Polish design and more interested in what happens when you cut tradition open, rummage around inside and make something new from the good bits.
All in all, some very convincing reasons to start paying closer attention to Poland. Come for the corsets. Stay for the cultural identity crisis.
Words and Photography by Lewis Robert Cameron
PR: @i.deapr
Exclusive Media Partner: @gqpoland
Project: @ipk.gov.pl
Producer: @magschrisofi
Art Direction: @marcinbrylski
Set Design: @michalszulc
Production: @stickman.pl
Partner: @fashionscout
Designers:
FASHION
Hubert Pelc — @hubertpelc
Martyna Konieczny / No Przesada — @no_przesada
Robert Czerwik — @robertczerwik
RAD DUET — @rad_duet
Katarzyna Konieczka — @konieczkacostumes
Michał Szulc — @michalszulc @thegoodboy.pl
KARDASJAN — @kardasjan
Tomasz Armada — @tomaszarmada
JEWELLERY
Radek Anais Laró — @radekanaislaro
Rzucidło — @rzucid.lo
Anna Samków — @annasamkow
Stettin Jewellery — @stettin.jewellery
