I would like to talk about amber... <\/b><\/p>\n
...well, there's not much to talk about. I attend the Amberif Fashion and Amber Gala in Gda\u0144sk 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.<\/p>\n
I think you're being overly critical though...<\/b><\/p>\n
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 D\u0142uga Street in Gda\u0144sk - 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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/b><\/p>\n
I did not accept this proposal because, de facto, I would have had no say there. This function did not at all mean a \u201efree hand\u201d 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 Gda\u0144sk. <\/p>\n
Who do you have in mind?
<\/b>
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>). I highly appreciate Daria Jankowiak for her innovative approach to amber already a decade ago, which she showed in a great collection \u201eMetamorphosis\u201d 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. <\/p>\n
Despite your rather critical attitude towards amber, will you appear at the Amberif 2012 Fashion and Amber Gala?<\/b> <\/p>\n
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....<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Michal Starost needs no introduction: a talented fashion designer, controversial personality and frequent guest at the Amberif Fashion and Amber Gala. That is why I decided to talk to him about amber.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"slim_seo":{"title":"Bo ja naprawd\u0119 lubi\u0119 bursztyn... \u2013 rozmowa z Micha\u0142em Starostem - Amber Portal","description":"Michal Starost needs no introduction: a talented fashion designer, controversial personality and frequent guest at the Amberif Fashion and Amber Gala. That is why he pos"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[148],"sekcja":[245],"class_list":["post-15587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wywiady","tag-amberif","sekcja-ludzie-opinie"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15587"},{"taxonomy":"sekcja","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/amber.com.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sekcja?post=15587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}