Know Your Labels: Magda Butrym

Instagram is a fantastic resource to scout new talent. Without it, I wouldn’t have learned about the small fashion houses — like Amélie Pichard (Pamela Anderson, anyone?), or Brother Vellies (purveyor of the fur sandal) or Atea Oceanie (if you’re looking for the world’s best blazer, look no further) — affecting the public discourse in a big way.

Last month, I found another one that launched in 2014, based in Warsaw, Poland, called Magda Butrym. Fresh off the mill! Anja Rubik was wearing one of the designer’s skirts — short, pencil, leather and laser cut. It wasn’t me, but it was great. I could appreciate the attention to detail, how obviously carefully it had been constructed and this unflinching sense of this is what Hedi Slimane could have done with the house of Saint Laurent that the craftsmanship espoused.

So in this week’s edition of Know Your Labels, we bring you Magda Butrym — the highly intelligent lead designer behind the eponymous brand that favors hand-craftsmanship in defense of slow fashion, marries technically amazing feminine knits to hard leather details and cites the complexity as a favorite character trait in other women.

Why did you launch your label? I used to work as an in-house designer for a regional fashion brand. It was a great opportunity to learn how a design house functions but after several years I had a clear vision what kind of fashion I want to create. Pursuing my vision and design aesthetic required leaving to start my own brand. I knew I wanted to combine modern fashion design with traditional craftsmanship.

What does high fashion in Poland like? The Polish fashion scene is booming but the focus is very much on the street-wear. Some of the brands are becoming commercially very successful. Due to historical circumstances, Poland has no fashion houses with a long history and my parents and grandparents’ generation had very limited means to access high fashion. Today regional fashion is shaped by the 20 and 30-year-olds.

Have you found penetrating the Western European and American markets challenging? Coming from a region outside of the big fashion capitals has its advantages and disadvantages when it comes to launching a high fashion brand. The hard part is making the first contacts with the buyers, international editors and industry influencers. Poland doesn’t have infrastructure in place to support young designers as opposed to countries like Great Britain, where the British Fashion Council goes a long way to help promote new talent. On the plus side, the costs of labor are much lower than in Western countries, which, in my case, created a big opportunity for a brand focused on employing handcraft.

This season should be a big breakthrough for my brand as we had over 50 appointments with top international luxury fashion retailers. Two things that surprised me very positively is that industry people are not biased against a brand from a region they did not associate with high fashion before, and the amount of support I started to receive from complete strangers who say they like what I do.

Do you design with a specific woman in mind? In fact I do, and I think with every season she becomes more and more defined in my head. She is a girl with things to do who doesn’t overthink what she wears. She likes to play with fashion but her style is effortless.

What’s your favorite piece from the most recent (Spring/Summer) collection? I think it’s my blue jeans. I call them the “Mama jeans” because they remind me of the pants my mom used to wear in the 90s. Even when I match them with elegant pieces I still feel very cool.

Re: Inspiration, have you spent a lot of time observing the women of Poland? Do you travel often? I keep searching for new craftsmanship types and techniques; I like to work closely with the craftsmen to develop the techniques they used for a long time to give them a new “spin.” I also browse piles of archive photos from the 60s, 70s and 80s in search of inspiration. I try to incorporate my findings into my personal style to see if it is something I feel good wearing. I do travel but not nearly as much as I would like to — my brand is at the beginning of its journey so I spend a lot of time in my studio.

If you were introducing someone to the label and only had two minutes to explain your purpose, what would you tell them? The brand combines modern design with traditional craftsmanship to create clothes that make women feel effortlessly cool regardless of whether they are dressed up or casual. The hand-craft I use is the core of our DNA. I think it’s something that sets us apart from other labels and from fast fashion. The techniques I use like braiding, pleating, knitting, etc. are something I can continuously build on; in fact, it’s a platform that can be used to expand the line to include accessories.

What is your favorite quality in women? Definitely  how complex women are – men would probably call it “complicated,” but to me it’s what makes us fascinating. I also love that women can listen.

Shop Magda Butrym here.

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