This week, we were in Warsaw with Zalando to learn more about Cultural Ties, the project dedicated to exploring the connection between streetwear and six European cities: Amsterdam, Antwerp, Berlin, Paris, Stockholm, and finally, the Polish capital.
For each destination, Zalando has created a special collection. The project features interviews with local trendsetters, a series of photographs designed to highlight the predominant trends in each city, and a list of must-visit hotspots. To top it all off, there’s a book and an adidas Originals collaboration arriving in December. Let’s take a closer look at what it’s all about and share our thoughts on the relationship between Warsaw and streetwear.
Cultural Ties in Warsaw
Cultural Ties — involving a wide range of influential personalities from each city’s streetwear scene — showcases how each of these figures is changing the way streetwear is narrated within their community. In the case of Warsaw, the baton has been passed to Mih Michalski, founder of newonce, an online platform active on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Soundcloud that covers street culture, trends, and much more.
After a typesetting workshop, we also met with Yulia Czub, Creative Lead of newonce, who — in relation to the project with Zalando — talked to us about how Warsaw is taking its first steps as a fashion hub in Eastern Europe. The complexity of Warsaw, both socio-politically and geographically — positioned to the east of the West and to the west of the East — makes it a fascinating city from a stylistic perspective. The reinterpretation of the coquette style, oversized furs inspired by post-Soviet aesthetics, and some adidas pieces found in the Zalando selection are all part of an aesthetic that Czub herself describes as Polish-coded. These influences remind us of Instagram profiles like @easternblocgirl.
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«When we started newonce in 2015, streetwear was about collecting sneakers; camping out under the stars to get your hands on a special collaboration release. Today, people don’t collect anymore; they express themselves. Streetwear in Warsaw now is much less homogeneous — it’s actually blended with a more high-fashion sensibility. We think the time has come to emphasize individuality, not to build a unique streetwear scene» the team at newonce says, reflecting on the evolution of streetwear.
The fusion of trends and streetwear no longer revolves solely around sneakers or athleisure but now includes a variety of style codes, with influences from Northern Europe and subcultures born on TikTok, for example.
In short, the conversation sparked by the collaboration between Zalando and newonce is one of the most exciting and thought-provoking we’ve seen recently. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll all be following Warsaw Fashion Week just like we do with all the other major fashion weeks.
