I would like to talk about amber...
...well, there's not much to talk about. I attend the Amberif Fashion and Amber Gala in Gdańsk practically every year and I see what is happening. Most of the producers - and, unfortunately, designers too - have stopped in the 1980s and 1990s. It may have been cool then, but it certainly isn't now. I understand that there is a struggle to maintain one's own style, but after all, it cannot be about stagnation. Contemporary amber jewellery design is still stuck in the bygone days: hemp rope is being swapped for silk ribbon, zircons for Swarovski crystals - it's probably a bit too little.
I think you're being overly critical though...
Not at all! I am Kashubian, I grew up among amber and, against all appearances, I like it very much. And I regret that it is invariably associated with grandmothers - but how else should it be associated? Amber is just a raw material, and it is treated like a national asset, like shale gas and Chopin. It is like an uncut diamond that only becomes a coveted diamond when polished. And in our country? It is enough to walk down Długa Street in Gdańsk - it looks like a fair of semi-finished jewellery products. I also have the impression that Polish jewellery makers - because I sometimes find it difficult to call them artists - treat every woman like their own vernissage: the woman is their field for presentation, a necessary evil. So first comes the necklace, then a long, long nothing, and only then the woman and her outfit. Such oversized jewellery is not even suitable for a fashion show - a little black dress is all that is needed, anything more becomes superfluous. Jewellery is meant to adorn, not dominate.
I understand that this is a reference to the Amberif Fashion and Amber Gala. You turned down an offer to be its artistic director, you could have made a big difference.
I did not accept this proposal because, de facto, I would have had no say there. This function did not at all mean a „free hand” so that I could make the necessary changes in accordance with my ideas. I had - and still have - many ideas. The most important of them - and, in my opinion, a prerequisite for the development of the Gala and the Amberif fair, or even the entire amber industry - is cooperation with young, promising designers. The young are a guarantee of change. That is why it is they who should be relied upon and not companies that are doing the same things today as they did 20 years ago. I know several of them, and I had the pleasure of working with some of them while preparing shows for the Fashion and Amber Gala in Gdańsk.
Who do you have in mind?
I wouldn't want to be accused of cronyism, because that's not what this is about. With those designers and companies whose design I like, I either work with or have already worked with. Or I will be working (laughter). I highly appreciate Daria Jankowiak for her innovative approach to amber already a decade ago, which she showed in a great collection „Metamorphosis” designed for S&A. I like Jacek Ostrowski's designs - our men's collection MG&S Man has also been shown several times outside Gdansk, where it premiered. I have worked several times with S&A from Gdynia - a company that focuses on young designers. There are many more names - we really have a lot of very interesting creators, we just have to let them have their say. And move away from showing amber in a standard way - there are a lot of interesting, yet simple ideas to make the Gala really phenomenal.
Despite your rather critical attitude towards amber, will you appear at the Amberif 2012 Fashion and Amber Gala?
Of course! But today I can't say yet what it will be. What I will say is that this collection will be truly spectacular. It is being created for the UFUFU Fashion House, where I am the chief designer and artistic director. Its premiere is planned for 29 February at the Designeria - Trendy Show 2012.
I don't want to come across as a malcontent - from the perspective of my many years of experience in the fashion industry, I see many negatives, but also positives. And I have the courage to talk about them - in the hope that someone will want to listen and benefit from it. Because I really like amber a lot....