Arkadius: A Fashion Odyssey

She is the only Polish designer who has presented a collection on the preat-e-porter runway at Paris Fashion Week (I Feel Love, Spring\Summer 2014). She’s built her steadfast reputation on her meticulous approach to the craft, exquisitely draping her gowns so that they envelop the body, and the use of sublime fabrics. She’s a perfectionist to the core, diving deep into each collection for months at a time to create inimitable pieces that have captured the imaginations of film stars at home and abroad. Her fairytale fantasies are darkly glamorous, with an exquisite touch that is both elegant and otherworldly.

After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław in 1996, she left for London to perfect her craft, working as a seamstress for a studio that many up-and-coming young London designers collaborated with, including Alexander McQueen. She returned to Poland to launch her fashion label, which soared to near-instant fame. She opened up her first boutique in 2001. Her fashion shows are always quite a spectacle, and they draw interest and awe from people across the industry and beyond it. 

Today, Gosia Baczyńska continues to create iconic fashion collections, along with intricate costumes for the ballet and opera. In 2017, she designed a dress for the Duchess of Cambridge for her and Prince William’s official royal visit to Poland.

She made her foray into fashion in the mid-1990s after receiving her university degree in psychology, yet she couldn’t resist trying her hand at achieving her lifelong dream of designing clothing.   

Her ascetic forms and subdued color palette earned her the title of ‘the mother of Polish minimalism’. Her collections were superbly captured in images by her partner, the well-known photographer Jacek Poremba. Klimas went on hiatus in 2001, only to return with a splash in 2010 with a collection inspired by a mix of Polish folklore and Tibetan traditions. She is among the most respected designers on the fashion scene today.

She made her foray into fashion in the mid-1990s after receiving her university degree in psychology, yet she couldn’t resist trying her hand at achieving her lifelong dream of designing clothing.   

Her ascetic forms and subdued color palette earned her the title of ‘the mother of Polish minimalism’. Her collections were superbly captured in images by her partner, the well-known photographer Jacek Poremba. Klimas went on hiatus in 2001, only to return with a splash in 2010 with a collection inspired by a mix of Polish folklore and Tibetan traditions. She is among the most respected designers on the fashion scene today.

Zień was always audacious in his approach to style – and in building his brand. When he was still a young designer, he gathered up the courage to approach the singer Renata Przemyk after one of her concerts and offered to create a custom gown for her. This first piece led to a flourishing career designing clothing for Poland’s most well-known singers, actresses and models. 

Establishing his fashion house in 2000, Zień eventually became known as the country’s premier ‘designer to the stars’ and his glamorous pieces graced red carpets and the pages of many glossy magazines.

In 2000, Marcin Paprocki and Mariusz Brzozowski launched their brand Paprocki & Brzozowski – two years before they even completed their degrees at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź.

Their looks have always been focused around evening wear with a special twist a shorter skirt, asymmetrical cut or unexpected detail. Their approach to fashion won Paprocki & Brzozowski a celebrity following that has helped them flourish through the years. 

Today, they’re known for their collections, prêt—à-porter which feature both dresses and comfy sweatshirts, as well as a dreamy line of wedding gowns.

From early on in her career, Ewa Minge has placed a considerable emphasis on showing her collections abroad, making her mark on the runways of New York, Berlin, Milan, Rome, Moscow, Vienna, Geneva, Barcelona, and Paris.

Ewa Minge began designing her first pieces in 1989, but only made her first big splash on the runway in 1996. Her statement gowns have attracted celebrities at home and around the world, including Kelly Rowland, Paris Hilton, La Toya Jackson and Cheryl Cole.

Today she runs a prêt—à-porter line, along with a diffusion line for young customers called Femestage Ewa Minge.

If you’re looking for the ideal men’s suit, there’s no better man for the job than Tomasz Ossoliński, a real master of the craft. After graduating from a technical school for the garment industry in Katowice, he was swiftly recruited as the head designer of Bytom, a Polish menswear brand that was known for its elegant suits. 

He presented his first signature pieces in 2003 and established his brand – Tomasz Ossoliński – two years later. His menswear pieces are considered, by and large, the epitome of elegance and style, using the highest-quality materials and paying heed to his craft. His suits are usually made-to-measure for his loyal clientele. 

In 2015, Polish film director (and, as of 2017, husband of Małgorzata Bela) Paweł Pawlikowski accepted the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film for „Ida” in a tuxedo designed by Ossoliński.

After graduating from the Academy Fine Arts in Łódź, Kędziorek opted to stay in the city, which has long been known for its garment manufacturing traditions, and established her eponymous label there in 2004. 

She designs several collections each year for clientele both in Poland and abroad – her clothing is sold in more than fifty boutiques around the globe, including New York, Toronto, Moscow, Kuwait City and Riga. The designer seeks out fine materials and works them into versatile, multifunctional pieces that are geared predominantly toward mature women, although her contemporary approach to style extends the brand’s appeal to women of all ages.

Mariusz Przybylski honed his dedication to fine materials, razor-sharp fits and refined details as a student at the Fashion Design Department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź. He debuted his first collection in 2005, which was enthusiastically received by critics and fashion editors alike.

At first, he focused on menswear, but he followed up with a womenswear collection in 2009, as well as a line of leisurewear called Philosophy. The concept of sustainability is also important to him – several bags and backpacks in his collection for the VIVE initiative, which devotes its profits to the World Wildlife Fund, were made out of recycled materials.