"BIZNES meble.pl" international 1/2018

the potential of Polish design X report international edition 1/2018 [ BIZNES meble.pl 7 f tion Cartier and many others. I worked with important institutions and musea. These were my first very important experi- ences in the profession and I am glad that they were on international scale from the beginning. I worked with each of the top- ics individually, depending on its charac- ter and audience range in different parts of the world. Getting to know different cultures and numerous trips, cooperation with famous people – that were my first experiences and, at the same time, enter- ing the world of design on a very profes- sional level, as well as cooperation with the oldest international architectural, design and art magazines. Besides all that, the most important thing that I got from Atelier Mendini is respect for an- other human being. It was an additional value, something that we usually learn in home, and that was also in my case, but the cooperation with the Mendini brothers made me realize it even more. The really great ones are those who, having great tal- ent, become famous doing large businesses and still have respect for all people en- countered on their way, regardless of their position and role. It has always captivated me and captivates me still to this day in the Mendini brothers. The experience and invaluable inter- national contacts gained in the Mendi- nie Atelier were the fundaments for the development of Studio Doroty Koziary. Life between Italy and Poland, between the capital of world design – Milan and the rest of the world, allowed me to build interesting bridges, such as my most im- portant bridge between Italy and Poland – admits Dorota Koziara. – Apart from designing, I deal with promotion of design, both in Poland and in Italy. It all started in my first studio in Milan in 2005, where I organized the first exhibition of Polish design ‘Polish Designers’. From that time on, I was a curator of many exhibitions re- lated to the promotion of design. The last of them was the first international collec- tive exhibition presenting departments of design of Polish state universities – ‘Polish Design. Tomorrow is today’. The experi- ence and contacts gained over the years allow me to promote Polish companies and support them in development and acquisition of foreign markets. Coopera- tion with top brands has taught me how to work with the client, understand their needs and how to respond to them in the projects, but also how to promote these brands based on specific budgets. SPACE TO CREATE Designers never stop searching for new solutions and forms and they also look for a place for themselves, a mar- ket gap, while discovering their passion. Here is one example. Aleksandra Gaca is a recognizable Polish textile designer who lives in the Netherlands. When the borders were opened I was a young person and I went with a group of friends to dis- cover Western Europe – recalls Aleksan- dra Gaca. – We started in the Netherlands where I eventually stayed for personal reasons. I am a graduate of art school and even as a high school student I had dreamed of fashion design, so I started studying at the Royal Academy of Art in Hague, at the Faculty of Textile & Fash- ion. When, on the second year of studies, we had to choose between fabric and fash- ion, first I chose fashion, but later I moved to the fabric because I understood that it is the fabric that really fascinates me, and fashion is shaping it in a form. Aleksandra Gaca admits that the beginnings were difficult because she missed her family and friends very much. I am a person who likes to have relatives around me – says Aleksandra The ‘Favon’sofa, designed by Mariusz Małecki, is a piece of furniture of gentle, soft lines that bring high comfort of sitting and lying.The complementation of the version in the picture are modules that allow creating space in both, private and public interiors. Photo by Joanna Pawłowska. ‘Wind of Salento’is a collection of handmade glass items, shaped according to traditionalVenetian techniques, designed by Dorota Koziara for the Christian Dior brand. ‘Noobé’is family consisting of three pieces of furniture – a console, a coffee table and a side table, designed by the duo Pawlak & Stawarski for Envy. The counter-tops are made of natural amaranth wood or plywood with grey oak veneer, mounted on a frame of painted steel.The console’s top has additional compartments for mail sorting. The project was awarded with ’Must Have 2017’.