It is a rare yet beautiful thing in today’s market driven industry when a designer turns to fashion because it is the ‘ultimate freedom.’ Throwing commerciality to the wind with creations that would even have Harajuku’s wildest turning their heads, Size hits the mark with Australian fashion lovers that aren’t afraid to brave a few stares.
The creation of Polish-born Brisbane based Andrzej K Pytel, Size is described by the designer as “fun, creative, functional, and full of ideas.” Creative is a word that comes naturally to describe Pytel whose background lies in architecture, namely working on the Bejing Stadium for the China Olympics and having his work exhibited in the MiArt Contemporary Design Fair in Milan.
Yet the jump from architecture to clothing was seen as the ultimate freedom for Pytel who started the label in 2003. “Both fields explore space as an extension of the human body, it’s really only the scale that changes, and the construction methods. A major learning curve has been to develop sensuality for the human body, scale has become the main focus, as the space I work with now is so close to the body where as architecture works with broader limits,” says Pytel
Yet Pytel’s architectural background has proved valuable in creating an intelligent label that is fearless in its experimentation with fabrics and proportion. Quick to avoid the A word (androgynous) preferring to call it “an exploration of proportion,” Pytel’s designs revolve around an innate sense of the body which aim to attack the old masculine vs feminine debate. The latest Spring Summer collection, ‘This Is Not Poetry’ aims to break down such hierarchies, with designs that juxtapose fluid volume with sharp lines.
When asked how he goes about designing a new collection Pytel is modest in his approach. “Usually I get stuck straight after completing a collection and wander around my workshop aimlessly not knowing what’s next, thinking that maybe I have finally run out of ideas. So what I tend to do then is lots of internet based research to get a feeling for what the rest of the world is doing, this includes all forms of design including furniture, architecture, art and photography.”
The collection ‘This Is Not Poetry’ along with one off experimental garments are available at the Size concept store, located in the TCB arcade, Fortitude Valley Brisbane.
www.sizedesign.com.au www.myspace.com/sizedesign