The jury consisting of representatives of the competition organisers: TUL, Polish Investment and Trade Agency S.A. (PAIH) and the Lodz Voivodship, also awarded very interesting and creative projects of two WTMiWT students: Damian Miziolek and Weronika Wrzosek, with the second and third prize respectively.
Eight people made it to the final stage of the competition. The selection of the winning collection was not easy, it was accompanied by strong emotions and long discussions. The designs created, combining modernity and tradition, fitted in an original way with the theme of the Polish Pavilion: 'Poland. Creativity inspired by nature". PAIH and Lodz Voivoidship representatives analysed the designs in particular in terms of comfort and functionality of the garments, and their stylistic compatibility with the arrangement of the Polish
Pavilion at the Expo. The representatives of the PAIH paid attention to creativity and interesting design, as well as the feasibility of the project.
Prof. Katarzyna Grabowska, Dean of the Faculty of Material Technologies and Textile Design at Lodz University of Technology sitting on the jury explains:
The project by Barbara Florczyk, which we associate very well with Polish folk costumes, met the expectations of all parties. Our student proposed a very beautiful, characteristic ornament of geometrised floral form, referring to embroidery on folk costumes. She proposed this ornament for women's and men's clothing on a large, visible scale. It is to be made using a laser cutting technique, which resembles the effect of folk cut-outs so characteristic of Poland. The colour scheme of the entire collection is predominantly a combination of red and white.
Barbara Florczyk has been involved in the field of clothing design for four years now. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Lodz, she has been deepening her knowledge of clothing architecture at the Faculty of Material Technologies and Textile Design of Lodz University of Technology. She has already been a finalist in the prestigious Contest Freudenberg Verona, for
which she designed an ecological haute couture wedding dress made from plastic bottles cut in the shape of flowers, in line with Sustainable Fashion. Speaking about her work on the project, she said:
My intention was to show chic elegance while maintaining lightness and modernity. I wanted to avoid a style of clothing that might in some way categorise Polish culture. The design is inspired by Polish folk costumes. Elements of embroidery and laser embroidery give the collection a coherent and unique character. For women I have also designed a belt with a handy leather bag, referring to a highlander pouch. The modern design allows you to freely compose the elements of the outfit together.
World EXPOs are the largest and most prestigious events in the world, combining economic, promotional, cultural and tourist themes. Their scale is comparable to the Olympic Games or the World Cup. Expo 2020 in Dubai will be the first World Expo organised in an Arab country and, according to the organisers, it aspires to become the biggest show ever.
According to a decision by the World Expo, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Expo 2020 in Dubai has been postponed by a year and will take place between October 1, 2021 and March 30, 2022 under the theme: Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.
The Polish Investment and Trade Agency is responsible for Poland's participation in the Expo 2020 World Exhibition in Dubai. The institution supervising the project is the Ministry of Development, Labour and Technology. More information on the website dedicated to Poland's participation in the World Exhibition: www.expo.gov.pl.