Kraków - then next city of fashion?
Is Kraków about to become the new Milan? Considering the history of our city and its potential in the field of creative industries, it is not out of the question! The arguments in favour of this thesis are presented by Natalia Grygny in the article "Moda po krakosku", published by lovekrakow.pl.
The fashion industry in Kraków has a long history, great potential, but also specific needs. In the context of the growing popularity of brands associated with our city, the development of retail tourism, or regular events such as Cracow Fashion Week held in March, the Culture Committee of the Kraków City Council decided to take a closer look at these needs. Councillors consulted Rafał Stanowski of Lounge Magazine, co-founder of the Liberty Art Foundation, who for many years was associated with the School of Artistic Fashion Design in Kraków.
Although in Poland the clothing industry is usually associated with Łódź, it has also been intensively developing in Kraków at least after 1989. In fact, the fashion traditions of our city are even older, if we consider that Kraków's Cloth Hall served as the first shopping malls in Europe by playing the role of a "showroom" where fashionable goods and accessories were presented and sold already in the Middle Ages. Noblesse oblige, and the nobility of Kraków, and later the bourgeoisie, enjoyed nice clothes.
Today as well, there is no shortage of shops with fashionable clothes in a wide price range in Kraków. Many Polish fashion companies are associated with the city, such as Vistula, Wólczanka, Bytom, Medicine or the LPP group (Mohito, House). Several dozen creative brands operate here, and the Academy of Fine Arts, the School of Artistic Fashion Design and the Cracow Fashion Week offer opportunities to show off.
Kraków-based fashion is successfully conquering the world. For example, the streetwear brand MISBHV, created by Natalia Maczek, is one of the most popular brands today. Her clothes can be seen on the catwalks in Paris and in the wardrobes of stars such as Rihanna, Bella and Gigi Hadid or The Weeknd. Pat Guzik, who designs and produces in our city, also wins awards - she is the winner of the sustainable fashion Redress Design Award competition and winner of The Eluxe Award. A unique collection of clothes reflecting the mood of people who wear them was also created in Kraków - Emotional Clothing is a project by Iga Węglińska, a graduate of SAPU and the Academy of Fine Arts.
Each year, Kraków allocates several hundred thousand PLN for fashion and design. However, Kraków authorities want to look more closely at the needs of designers - creators who treat fashion as a form of artistic expression, and not just the production of clothes. Perhaps the support and promotion of young talents will bring Kraków closer to being a fashion capital like Italy's Milan?
