By
Emma Greenberg
Photography by
Michael Hauptman

Styling by Zara Zachrisson. Makeup by Emi Kaneko. Hair by Takashi Yusa. Model: Zlata Mangafic at IMG Models. Photographer’s assistant: Kiri Wawatai.

AREA


At first glance, Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk may not appear to have a lot in common. Fogg is a lanky UVA grad from Kentucky; Panszczyk, an energetic European who was born in Poland and raised in Holland. But the two have three things in common: MFAs from Parsons, an appreciation for a particular fashion æsthetic, and a year-old clothing line called Area.

Their varied backgrounds play an important role in the concept and execution of their textural designs. Panszczyk comes from a family of pattern makers, cutters, and designers; studied fashion at school in Holland; and moved to Paris to work at Chloé post-Parsons in 2013. Fogg studied architecture at UVA and didn’t even know she was interested in fashion design until her senior year in college. She worked at Calvin Klein after graduating from Parsons in 2012 but credits her architecture background with helping her think in a way that Panszczyk can relate to.

“But we also work very differently, which is great,” Fogg explains. “We have fallen into this way. Piotrek is amazing at pattern making and working directly with the clothes and fittings. We’re both very interested in textile development—”

“And we come together and work intensely together,” Panszczyk cuts in. “When I work on something very technical which is a pattern, Beckett can say something about it—everything is a dialogue, back and forth.”

Their t-shirt capsule collection, a tradition every season, features manipulated, textured fabric: embossed cotton shirts are folded in a specific way so that the shirt contains both the positive and negative imprints of the embossing process—a process that rarely is used on cotton, or really any fabric besides leather. While the t-shirts started as a visual aid for their main collection, they have become a staple in their own right.

“We like to stretch ourselves,” Panszczyk explains. “Our collections start out very intense and over the top.”

“But you would never know we started that way,” Fogg adds. “It has to be wearable.”

While the final designs are definitely wearable—the capsule t-shirts, though unique in texture, can be worn as a daily uniform— the amount of work and thought that goes into each piece is anything but basic. The designers rarely use a fabric in its straightforward form. When they do, they almost feel like they’re cheating.

In the same way that they see fabric as just a starting point—as a blank space, or area, that they can manipulate—Fogg and Panszczyk are sure to punch, shave, or emboss their mark on the fashion world.

Area is available exclusively at Opening Ceremony, New York.

NW_Area_02

By
Emma Greenberg
Photography by
Michael Hauptman

Styling by Zara Zachrisson. Makeup by Emi Kaneko. Hair by Takashi Yusa. Model: Zlata Mangafic at IMG Models. Photographer’s assistant: Kiri Wawatai.

  • Share

Related