Is it difficult to show jewellery on the catwalk?
Aleksander Gliwinski: I don't know if it's difficult, but it's certainly different, because the jewellery for the show has to be suitably exaggerated to be noticeable at all. It's an art of compromise, sometimes fraught with hours of emotional discussions. Above all, it's about giving each other presentation space without compromising the collection as a whole, so that every detail adds value. A fashion show is governed by different realities, but it allows me to unleash my creativity without consequences (laughs). I don't think like an entrepreneur then, and the one limitation is then what Magda won't allow me to do (laughs).
Magdalena Arłukiewicz: By doing shows together, we need to understand each other and reckon with the visions we have in our heads.
Jewellery at fashion shows is virtually non-existent. Why?
AG: It is above all a question of competition. A fashion designer can be a „threat” to a jewellery designer - and vice versa, especially if one of them wants to make his or her work more important, more visible, more... The situation is completely different when you manage to create such a duo, where these two independent creative entities can work together in partnership and create things that complement each other. Such duos - as is the case in life - are extremely rare, because it is a truly unique situation when two creators think alike and have similar artistic visions. Of course, this effect can also be worked out, but it takes a lot of time and even more self-denial... Success is achieved when each of the parties is satisfied with their work and the jointly developed effect.
MA: Working as a duo, one sees twice as much and feels twice as much. You don't feel threatened by the „competition”, you just focus on creating a collaborative piece. In the whole history of our collaboration, there has never been a time when the costumes were better or the jewellery was better. We create holistic shows that are in a way paratheatrical performances with elements of art, fashion, fun, dance, music... With us, there is no jealousy, no competition, there is respect instead - because we not only work with each other, but we are also friends in private.
You've been preparing shows together since 2011, and I feel like you've been together forever.
MA: So do we (laughs). Today I counted up our joint shows and it turned out that there have been as many as 23 so far. We presented them mainly on the catwalk at the AMBER LOOK Trends & Styles Fashion and Jewellery Gala, in the evening scenery of Mariacka Street at the culmination of its annual festival, at the Polish Fashion Gala in Poznań, during Warsaw Fashion Street or at Łódź Fashion Week. If we add our own shows, e.g. in Zatoka Sztuki in Sopot and at Sopot Fashion Days, it may turn out that there were even more than 30 shows altogether....
AG: Considering the specific nature of our shows, which are not limited to designing only the clothes and only the jewellery, involving also the direction of the whole, this is really quite an achievement. In our duo, everyone is responsible for a different part of reality and we have to be able to harmonise in such a way that the whole thing comes off almost perfectly. A joint jewellery and fashion show requires the principle of balance.
MA: We are able to come to a consensus, which does not at all mean that we do not argue. There is nothing better than a constructive argument (laughs). I very much dislike arguing, but fortunately we both learn from these disagreements and move forward. We focus on thinking about the duo as a whole rather than ourselves and our individual expectations or benefits.
Do you know of another such pair of designers creating collections that complement each other - without competition, without dominance and for an extended period of time?
AG: I don't know. Which just goes to show that we were extremely lucky to have ended up with each other. Magda moves in areas of design that are close to me. I understand her well and therefore find it very easy to adapt my jewellery to what she wants to convey. And the reverse is also true.
MA: Exactly so. But what I would like to emphasise is that we do not create typical street fashion. Our ambition is to break fashion stereotypes, so we try to oscillate between fashion and art. I am very often inspired by history, even politics, and I like to play with construction - deconstructing existing forms and building them anew. Aleksander is really great at this, and what's more, when we work together, we have more and more ideas, we „turn each other on” more and more. But these are our ideas and I never use them in the collections and shows I prepare with other designers.
How do you manage to break fashion stereotypes?
AG: When designing, we don't think or focus on breaking them down - this is often a side effect (laughs). Inspiration often comes unexpectedly, it can't be planned - it's a split second, a thought, a reflection, a quote read, an event... The best inspiration is life and the ability to „stop” these emotions, a specific moment in the way we best know and feel. Magda and I are both so-called sensitives - we absorb life with all our senses, which sometimes helps in creation, but also often hinders us in everyday life.
What will your next show be like?
MA: The inspiration for the latest collection came from Shakespeare's letters to his wife and, more specifically, the emotions he describes, such as love, hate, anxiety, transience, loneliness and life. Individual words but also quotes from his works, which I like best, I hand-paint on silk and sew onto clothes. The second collection I am currently working on is „Connoisseur”, inspired by the work of Francis Bacon and 17th-century orifices - and these will give shape to the collection, creating a framework for the clothes, so to speak. The orifices will be hidden in the sleeves, pockets, under the lapels of jackets and coats, creating sculptures out of the garments. I will be hand-stitching the entire collection - exactly as it was done in the past. Bacon's paintings inspired me with their restlessness, deformation of figures, indefinite space... The figures in his paintings are lonely, alienated people, so necessarily the key words in creating the collection are: ugliness, beauty, corporeality, deformation, love, hatred, violence, loneliness....
AG: To quote Shakespeare: „that is the question” (laughs). At this stage, I only have an outline of the concept for the jewellery collection in my head. I will be working on the details in the near future.
You have already developed your own recognisable style and your shows are always a spectacular show.
AG: This is very important to us because we treat our audience subjectively. We want the audience, when watching our show, to see, know and feel that we have put our souls into preparing it. Or even two (laughs). Every show is first and foremost for us.
MA: In retrospect, I get the unmistakable impression that we inspire others with our actions. I often see references to our collections in various places and I am very pleased about this. And it reinforces my conviction that we are going in the right direction.
The joint fashion and jewellery shows by Magdalena Arlukiewicz and Aleksander Gliwinski surprise with their innovative ideas, artistic inspirations in a unique execution, attention to the smallest details and perfect fit. This unique duo very quickly achieved mastery in their category and have been honoured with awards such as the 2014 and 2018 Fashion Wizards and the 2015 and 2016 Golden Loops statuettes awarded by the Polish Academy of Fashion, among others. Since 2013, they have both maintained their place in the ranking of the top 10 designers in Poland.
The interview appeared in the magazine Fashion in Poland, March 2019.
