Misbvh, by Natalia Maczek, is the leading light of Poland’s streetwear scene. The brand has risen from the streets of Warsaw to international acclaim, while maintaining its Eastern Bloc edge and Post-Soviet cool. Known for its post-punk take on streetwear, which melds 70s attitude with graphic boldness, Misbhv has even caught the eye of Rihanna, who recently wore one of the line’s patent jackets (printed with the giant gothic letters “HARDCORE”) at a festival performance in the UK. Now, the brand is preparing to take New York Fashion Week by storm.
You’ve worked with Rihanna, collaborated with exclusive Dutch boutique Ansh46, had great international press… Now you’ve just announced that you’re going to take part in NYFW. How does that feel?
We try to work hard on projects we believe in. Doing a presentation during New York Fashion Week is a huge challenge and we have devoted a couple of weeks to prepare everything. After four seasons focusing on men’s silhouettes we feel that we have already created a world in which “our boy” can move freely. We believe that we can progress only by pushing our boundaries and leaving our comfort zone. That’s why we’ve decided to take part in NYFW not with a male, but female silhouette, and not with the strong graphics we’re known for, but with something very minimal. Our presentation will take place an hour before Alexander Wang’s show. We realize that we’re putting ourselves next to top players, but the press and buyers are very excited about our presence in New York and we can’t let them down.
What will you present?
Our spring/summer 17 collection is very abstract and personal at the same time. It’s a fantasy about a 17-year-old girl from a 2000s disco, where youthful naivety and freshness mix with the raw aura of techno, and nostalgia blends with modernity. We listened to this one song, called “Age Of Love,” a lot while designing. If there’s one song to embody our collection, that’s it.
NYFW is a great chance to grow, but it’s also a new challenge. Can you keep your streetwear authenticity in the fashion spotlight?
Our approach to each product is the same: we always do what we like at the moment, what we think is appropriate. We try to stay true to ourselves, to always remain authentic. Honestly, spring/summer 17 feels like our most “liberated” collection.
Are you becoming a luxury brand? In August, you opened your first boutique in a prestigious location, in the Vitkac luxury department store in Warsaw, where you can also find Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
Misbhv right next to Gucci is in our opinion an expression of Vitkac’s modern approach to business. It makes sense when you look at the broader picture of fashion right now, and the changing landscape of fashion in the last couple of years. “Streetwear” five years ago was anti-establishment fashion. “Streetwear” today is Off-White and Vetements. This is the new streetwear, grist to the mill of the system. Avant-garde and luxury are not incompatible anymore; they are energies, which complement each other. Avant-garde by itself is boring. Plain luxury is shallow. The interesting stuff happens in between.
Much of the press surrounding Misbhv emphasizes the fact that you come from Poland. Do you think that your success is partially driven by the Eastern European trend? Do you feel related to Gosha Rubchinskiy, Lotta Volkova, or Demna Gvasalia?
Naturally, we operate within a similar aesthetic. All the people that you’ve mentioned are connected: they reject polished beauty, work with wardrobe elements stemming from streetwear, use pop-culture motifs.
Your last few months must’ve been hectic. How do you challenge yourselves now?
We feel that the road to presenting at NYFW has taken not months, but years of hard work. This is our biggest professional challenge up to date and we don’t contemplate what’s going to happen next. Now our main goal is September 10, we don’t think further than that. Challenges that will come after will be inextricably connected with the reception of this presentation and collection.
Credits
Text Basia Czyżewska
Photography Nicole Maria Winkler dla Misbhv