Top models

In the 1990s, there wasn’t much buzz around Polish designers yet, but a few Polish models had already begun to attract global attention. One of the first beauty queens to gain fame was Anita Kręglicka, who won the Miss World title in 1989. Bogna Sworowska, meanwhile, was among the first Polish models to hit a New York runway, as the doors opened up for models from Central and Eastern Europe. Modeling agencies were established, even in small towns, hoping to find the next break-out Polish stars of international catwalks.

In spite of the market’s growth and the rise of fashion designers in the post-communist era, there were still only a handful of major talents. Here is a shot from Bernard Hanaoki’s runway show in Warsaw on April 20th, 1993.