Winner of the competition for designing outfits for Poland’s Pavilion staff at Expo 2020 Dubai announced!

Published: May 17, 2021

The competition for designing outfits for Poland’s Pavilion staff at Expo 2020 Dubai has just been resolved. Among the projects of students of clothing design at the Faculty of Materials Technology and Textile Design of the Lodz University of Technology, the judges recognized Barbara Florczyk’s design as the best. The competition was organized by the university together with the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and the Łódzkie Region.

Outfits made according to Barbara Florczyk’s designs will be seen by millions of visitors to the most prestigious exhibition in the world, Expo 2020 Dubai. The judges also awarded very interesting and creative designs of two students, Damian Miziołek and Weronika Wrzosek, who received the second and third place prizes respectively.

– Expo 2020 in Dubai is not only the largest economic event in the world. It is also a great festival of design. We are pleased to work with the best, starting with the architectural concept, internal exhibition, and designing the experiences of the Poland Pavilion visitors. The winner of the competition for outfits for our staff will join this group, and this will promote the image of Poland as a country of exceptional creativity. We are very impressed with the talent and commitment of the students of the Łódź University of Technology and the organizational efficiency of the competition supervisors. Thank you very much for this cooperation, we appreciate the exceptional energy that flows from the Łódź region and we look forward to seeing the staff of our pavilion welcoming guests in the outfits of the competition winner. Congratulations! – says Adrian Malinowski, Commissioner General of the Polish Section Expo 2020 Dubai.

As emphasized by Grzegorz Schreiber, Marshal of the Łódzkie Region, – Students are undoubtedly one of the greatest potentials of the region. The effects of the resolved Competition in the form of unique outfits combining tradition with a contemporary style are the best proof of this. The winning projects presented by the staff of the Poland’s Pavilion will be a beautiful showcase of Polish design in Dubai. The competition also turned out to be a great opportunity to strengthen the cooperation of the region with the Łódź University of Technology and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency. I hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful cooperation and many innovative projects. Congratulations to the winners and participants of the competition for their inspiring ideas and creativity.

8 students reached the final stage of the competition. The students did not disappoint the expectations of the Competition Committee consisting of representatives of the Łódź University of Technology, the Polish Investment and Trade Agency and the Łódzkie Region. The selection of the winners was not easy, it was accompanied by emotional and long discussions. The designs, combining new and traditional styles, in an original way matched the slogan of the Poland’s Pavilion „Poland. Creativity inspired by nature”. The representatives of he Polish Investment and Trade Agency and the Łódzkie Region in particular analyzed the designs in terms of the comfort and functionality of the clothes as well as their stylistic compliance with the arrangement of the Poland’s Pavilion at the Expo. The representatives of the Łódź University of Technology paid attention to creativity and interesting design as well as the possibilities of implementing the design.

Professor Katarzyna Grabowska, dean of the Faculty of Materials Technology and Textile Design of the Łódź University of Technology and one of the competition judges explains – The expectations of all parties were best met by Barbara Florczyk’s project, which bears a resemblance to Polish folk clothing. Our student created a beautiful, characteristic ornament of a geometric floral form, referring to the embroidery found on folk costumes. She incorporated this ornament in women’s and men’s clothes on a large, visible scale. It is to be made with the technique of laser cutting, which resembles the effect of folk cut-outs, so characteristic of Poland. The main colors of the collection are red and white.

Who are the winners of the competition and what do they say about themselves and their designs?

1st place

Barbara Florczyk has been involved in clothing design for four years. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Łódź, she is currently expanding her knowledge of clothing design at the Faculty of Materials Technology and Textile Design of the Łódź University of Technology. She is a finalist of the prestigious Contest Freudenberg Verona competition, for which, in line with the Sustainable Fashion slogan, she designed an eco-friendly haute couture wedding dress made of plastic bottles cut in the shape of flowers.

1st place

„My intention was to show chic elegance while maintaining lightness and a contemporary style. I wanted to avoid the style of clothes that could somehow categorize Polish culture. The design was inspired by Polish folk costumes. Elements of embroidery and laser cuts give the collection a consistent, unique character. For women, I also provided a belt with a handy leather handbag, reminiscent of a highlander bag. Modern design offers many possibilities of combining elements of clothing with each other.”

2nd place

Damian Miziołek is making his dreams connected with the world of fashion come true. He wants to become a designer. During his undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Materials Technology and Textile Design at the Łódź University of Technology, he finally had the opportunity to implement his projects, initially existing only on a sheet of paper. His diploma collection was part of the calendar of the Miss Łódź University of Technology for 2020. „When designing the collection, I was inspired by Polish nature, red poppies, and colorful rural fields. The geometrical details refer to the shape of the Polish pavilion at Dubai Expo.”

3rd place

Weronika Wrzosek is interested in clothing design, art installations and painting. Her works have been presented by the Wozownia Art Gallery, the ZPAP Gallery in Toruń, the Municipal Art Gallery in Łódź, and by Art_Inkubator.She was awarded at the 36th Władysław Strzemiński Competition and at the FAMA festival. „The assumption of the designs was to combine a contemporary style, original design, and functionality. The colors refer to Poland’s national colors and the colors of Expo Dubai. I paid particular attention to geometry and composition. I tried to make the clothes appeal to young people who were the target group, as well as to make them comfortable, environmentally- and skin-friendly materials, and emphasize the figure in an attractive way.”

Congratulations to the winners and participants of the competition!