Catholicism meets Science Fiction
© Giang Pham
Our first #creativemind – Pavel Vlodarski – stands out because of his peerless provocation. The young designer has only recently completed his B.A. in Design at VIA University College and is planning to pursue a M.A. programme in London where he can specialise in men’s wear. We met Vlodarski at the VIA Design fashion show in the town hall of Aarhus, Denmark, where he presented his final graduate collection.
The collection, comprising three total outfits, is meant to provoke and at the same time celebrate the absurdity of life. He created quirky, spontaneous and nostalgic designs, thrilling the audience with bizarre patterns, prints and stitcheries. Vlodarski’s theme for his fashion line takes the death of Pope John Paul II as starting point. He explains that “The collection is called 21:37, because that’s the time when the Polish Pope passed away. It is based on a science fiction made up story that the Pope dies and travels to space to save the Catholic nation.” Therefore, the number 21:37 is a recurring element in Vlodarski’s outfits. He claims that the collection is a manifesto against conservative politics in Poland and the whole world: “The Polish Pope was a symbol of Catholicism, tradition and conservatism. My collection is supposed to make fun of it and sets an example against conservatism”.
“John Paul II’s space suit”
Vlodarski’s graduate collection is a wild mix between different materials like towels, raincoat fabric, fake fur and fake leather. The colourful jacket, aka “John Paul II’s space suit”, is based on pure handcraft, hence the most elaborate and time consuming piece of the collection. While the cross stitches on the jacket refer to the traditional Polish way to decorate houses and furniture, the crazy colour combinations were inspired by Poland´s appearance encompassing colourful bill boards, buildings and fences that rather clash than match each other. The multi-coloured pens in the front pocket are an example of Vlodarski’s eye for detail. He describes the item as equally practical and witty. For Vlodarski his masterpiece is a fusion of funni- and prettiness.
Not only the space suit refers to Catholicism and Conservatism. The designer also created a grey cowl with a yellow headgear. The headgear, which reminds of a mix between science fiction and medieval crusaders, embeds two blue earmuffs in form of baroque “putti” angels. The third outfit is a grey over-length top mixing neoprene with knitted details. The key element of this design is a forest green coloured outline of Poland. Once again, the number 21:37 appears, placed in the centre of the design.
© Giang Pham
“Unexpected juxtapositions always excite me”
Art and fashion has always been a big part of Pavel Vlodarski’s life. In his early teenage years he got crazy about second hand clothes and started to try out different combinations and eccentric cuts. Vlodarski gets inspired by many different subcultures. More precisely, he illustrates: “I am inspired by phenomena, gay culture, weird Internet finds, absurd and newest technologies. Unexpected juxtapositions always excite me.” For his graduate collection for instance, he was influenced by unwanted and ugly things that have become forgotten.
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