GLOBAL YOUNG TALENT 2021: KINGA INDRZEJCZAK | STORYTELLING SKILLS OF OBSERVATION, MARKET INTELLIGENCE, AND SENSITIVE IMAGINATION

Kinga Indrzejczak is a Polish-born fashion designer currently residing in New York. Kinga represents style best described as off-femininity. Her collections are inspired by art, nature, and primarily her own life experiences with her heritage playing an important role. Truly inspired by her work we had a chance to talk to recently featured in April Harper’s Bazaar graduate.

You said yourself that your skills: observation, market intelligence, and sensitive imagination make you a great storyteller, did they also inspired you in a way to become a fashion designer?

Absolutely. I imagine storytelling as a constant urge to search for the deeper meaning and symbolism in whatever surrounds us and happens to us and to share this acquired knowledge, these "discoveries" with others through some artistic articulation. I have always loved to write: poems, short stories, diaries. In elementary school, I even won a regional poetry contest. I have a degree in Journalism, and I worked for 10 years in the marketing and PR field, where the ability to create and write catchy stories is of great importance. The thought of taking up fashion came to me very naturally. At one point, I felt a great need to express myself differently than in my previous work. I guess the more stories you create, the greater the need for self-expression. I turned to fashion because it was something familiar that I knew from my family home: my mom made her own party dresses, one of my grandmothers is a professional seamstress, and my great-grandfather was known for making beautiful coats. However, I decided to create fashion the way I know best, that is, through my clothes, I would tell a story. Fashion storytelling is actually as old as the world. In almost every legend, the princess's gown creates a certain image of her and, in a way, dresses her up in a story. Sometimes I feel like there's a story going on in my head all the time. I cannot see the world in any other way, so for me being a fashion designer definitely means also to be a storyteller.

How would you describe your style as an artist? ?

One of the photographers I sometimes work with tends to say that my style is edgily sophisticated, and I think that describes it very well. I like to make clothes that are feminine but not too literal, rather a bit off. I always look for some elements of mystery, something whimsical but also modern.

“ One of the photographers I sometimes work with tends to say that my style is edgily sophisticated, and I think that describes it very well.”.”

What kind of material you like to work with the most and do they have a specific impact on your garment pieces?

I work mostly with natural fabrics. I like when fabric breathes because then it performs the best on the body, becoming an integral part of it. I enjoy manipulating textiles. I use various techniques of dyeing, embellishments, embroidery, fabric collages, and felting. I never fully know what the outcome will be, and I guess I like that uncertainty. I think natural textiles are the most beautiful and sophisticated, and in most cases, some manipulation might only bring out that beauty even more. On the other hand, natural fabric requires patience and, sometimes, openness to an outcome different than originally expected. It's not plastic, and it will not always bend as you like, so draping skills matter. It just feels more organic, and as does the final garment.

“I like when fabric breathes because then it performs the best on the body, becoming an integral part of it. I enjoy manipulating textiles.”

Does the degree of MA in Journalism and Social Communication helped you become a better designer?

Definitely, as I said before, it gave me the storytelling skills that I use all the time. It also taught me to listen and run a conversation, which I think is very important if you want to be a designer in the long run. I believe that every collection starts with emotions, and to capture that emotion that you want to follow and transfer it into a garment is the artistic part of being a designer. There is also a business part of it, and for that, my MA in Marketing and Management, combined with my working experience, come to an equally important place. Once, at Parsons, we had a student meeting with Piotrek Panszczyk, cofounder of Area. I remember him saying that it's important for a designer to learn other things besides fashion, like economics and business. No matter if you work for someone or build your own brand. I couldn't agree more.

How would you like to be pictured in your target minds?

Bold. ‘Be bold’ - I've heard that advice so many times that it started to be my mantra. I would definitely like to be recognized for the style I represent, but most of all, I would like to be seen as professional, reliable, and real. I would simply want them to feel empowered and beautiful for the clients who would choose my clothes.

“I would definitely like to be recognized for the style I represent, but most of all, I would like to be seen as professional, reliable, and real.’.”

Discover Kinga Indrzejczak's full collection

Words by Katarzyna Korcz