Interviews

Jewellery in the spotlight: Interview with Marcin Giebułtowski

Introduction

Jewelry is not only an accessory, but also an expression of artistic expression that can dominate the entire look. In this unique interview, Beata Bochińska talks to Marcin Giebułtowski, a respected jewelry designer, who shares his experiences, inspirations and unique approach to creation. Find out how jewelry can become a fashion centerpiece, what challenges the contemporary art scene poses, and what trends dominate the design of luxury accessories.

Conversation

Beata Bochinska: Is jewelry an accessory or does it happen to you when clothing designers design clothes for jewelry?

Marcin Giebułtowski: Most often, jewelry is an accessory, because such is its role, but there have been situations when jewelry and clothing were created simultaneously, but also when clothes were created for jewelry. This was the case, for example, in the case of my most favorite show at the fashion week in Łódź — three clothing designers and me, each mini-collection was different and adapted to my things. We have created a fantastic collection in very close cooperation with Beata Jarmołowska for Swarovski. Beata is a sensational designer and master of color and has created brilliant clothes for my jewelry.

B.B.: You are a designer who creates jewelry for special official orders - how do you approach such a topic? Describe the process of creating such jewelry? Show us your design kitchen.

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E.G.: It looks very different. I get a task - it can be a specific party, song, brand or photo shoot - and I try to do it as best I can, sometimes you have to fight and negotiate. And sometimes I have an idea or even something ready. The more open someone is, the greater the pleasure, sometimes the effect is completely different from the initial idea, and it's great. I am very proud of the collection created for the brand of household appliances - each line of appliances had its own jewelry. People caught their heads seeing the 'cooker hood bracelet' or the 'induction hob necklace', and I had fun both choosing the materials to describe the equipment in question and observing the reactions.

B.B.: Does the scene (musical, theatrical, film) love jewelry?

E.G.: I guess not as much as she could. Partly it's a technical issue — stage costumes need to be simple and reasonably comfortable, so they'll have embellishments sewn on rather than something that can move or wrap up not where you need to. Much more often jewelry can be seen in music videos, because there you can, for example, take several shots. My jewelry can be seen brilliantly, for example, in several music videos of my beloved Kasia Klich.

B.B.: Who did you design stage jewelry for recently?

E.G.: The fantastic Ukrainian singer Onuka on the cover of her previous album performed in my necklace, it is a great honor, because she always works only with the best. We saw each other in Warsaw in May and she got another necklace, I can't wait to see how she uses it. Probably not on stage, because, as usual, it is too big.

B.B.: You live in London, a very cosmopolitan city. Is jewelry in modern fashion present on the street every day?

E.G.: Not much, unfortunately, most often trifles, some chains with pendants or bracelets. Apart from fashion, this is a necessity — in order to survive everyday life in London, you need to dress comfortably and practically. Of course, there are also those who wear larger specimens, but there are not enough of them, which I say with sadness as a fan and creator of large-sized jewelry.

B.B.: Is jewelry still a prestige enhancing product, or does it have a different role today?

E.G.: This is certainly the case with the most expensive jewelry — diamonds, pearls, platinum, gold, palladium. And the remaining jewelry is mainly an ornament, a spice for a dish as I call it.

B.B.: How do you understand the feeling of luxury today?

E.G.: Luxury is something unique, of great quality, preferably rare, handmade, unique crafts and materials. No logos or instagram! This is my personal definition of luxury, probably very similar to the recently fashionable so-called quiet luxury.

B.B.: You have given workshops for different people. I know you used amber in them — what do you think of this material?

E.G.: I grew up by the sea, so amber has always been present in my life and work. It is an amazing material - a fantastic variety of colors, types, textures, shapes, from almost colorless transparent through all shades of yellow to black rough slag, to gypsum white and azure blue. And on top of that, warm and friendly to the touch! But it's a little stressful because fear inadvertently spoils a piece of prehistory.

Very interesting are the reactions to amber of people from different countries, less' amber 'than Poland — most often it is delight and fascination with the beauty of amber, as it was at the workshops you mention, during which ladies from five countries in the beautiful hall of an old hotel composed their bracelets. But sometimes he's treated like some other rock out there and I'm surprised and usually, if I have a like, I convince and tell pictorial stories about him.

B.B.: You designed in Poland at the beginning of the 21st century. Tell me what it looked like then?

E.G.: I was one of the first fashion jewelry designers in Poland, my first photo shoot was published in June 1999 and from the beginning I struggled to break with the perception of jewelry mainly as a deposit of capital and a family souvenir. I have always used unusual materials and had strange ideas, even the most typical wire mustache for me, it took a while before the circle of my female fans grew from a few closest friends to quite a large group.

These were the early Internet times, without online shopping, shops for jewelry makers who were not jewelers were not yet very much in Poland, so I did shopping mainly abroad, always the best was Paris, but also London. At least there was a reason to go there again and again spend a lot more than planned.

B.B.: You have created a special necklace for the exhibition — for some it looks like foamy water, from which amber balls pop out, for others like an orifice of feathers and amber. Describe what idea you had when creating this necklace.

E.G.: People can perceive what I do in all sorts of ways, and that's great — I'll admit that I'm only now seeing frothy water and amber, I'm very much for it! Feathers — this is a common reaction to my white recycled plastic jewelry, indeed it often looks similar. And I, first of all, decided to collide something very, very old, that is, amber, with the present. And there is more and more plastic in the seas and oceans, and amber less and less. This necklace definitely looks best 'foamy' or as I call it 'intense' — in chaos and movement. This is the basis of what I do — beauty in motion and change. Put on the bracelet and twist the joint so that it comes to life.

B.B.: You are famous for paying very close attention to sustainability and environmental issues. How do you see this trend in jewelry design?

E.G.: It is a trend that is increasingly clear - from the use of recycled materials, old jewelry or industrial waste to the increasingly common second life of accessories, i.e. resale or rental and repair and rework. You can also find more and more ethical jewelry — produced with respect for employees and from ethically sourced materials. For me, it is important to use fully recyclable materials — that's why I use pure copper and polypropylene, among others.

B.B.: An exhibition of Arkadius has just opened in the Textile Museum in Łódź, and in the National Museum in Wrocław, Joanna Hawrot kimono — it is evident that fashion is becoming a topic of interest for art historians. Can you describe what a jewelry and fashion show for famous brands looks like from the kitchen.

E.G.: Fashion, in addition to being a big business, is also an art, and it is best when it is created by a real artist. And such clothes or collections definitely have their place in museums, where they are protected as part of cultural and artistic heritage.

Shows are a pleasure and something terrible at the same time, months of work of a large team and huge expenses for a dozen minutes of performance. If the show is organized by a brand, then usually the artistic director or chief designer creates the collection and the concept of showing it and the scenography and the general appearance of the whole. Models are selected for the collection and the show, then they are arranged in order, made adjustments, and rehearsed until a coherent whole is achieved.

B.B.: And how is your jewelry made? Where do ideas and materials come from?

E.G.: Very often I start with the material — I have something, for example, some stones, I will add something, something else, something begins to happen because colors or shapes have played. I have been experimenting intensively for a long time, mainly with recycled materials, primarily plastic, there is primarily mold and one color. I have a lot of different shapes and I'm looking for an idea for them, sometimes a few years, and sometimes I play right away. For a few years now, as part of my return to the absolute beginnings of my business, I have been using rolled copper wire, which is both technical and ethnic, and it is aging, which is why I like it even more, because over the years I have grown tired of perfection.

B.B.: You know how to define your style, because many people distinguish your works and talk about them Giebūlty.

E.G.: My style is usually a mixture of textures and colors, a lot of contrasts, usually what I do is very vegetal and organic, even if I am convinced that I am doing something strictly geometric. But if I'm careful, it's technically and geometrically, to the point of brutalism. If concrete were lighter, I would make jewelry out of concrete. Maybe even concrete with amber, who knows?

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