dressed lucifer

KATARZYNAKONIECZKA

backstage access

What kind of message is hidden in a stage cos-tume?The artist must identify with all that the costume ex-presses. The artist is the protagonist of his own film or story and it’s him who creates it. When it comes to Behemoth, one of the band’s members jokingly said: our characters like the sound of burning altar because it spits nice. These characters don’t wear denim jackets on stage; they wear skeletal like ribbed costumes covered in old cloth coated with dust from the deserts and desolate, otherworldly, wastelands their characters have wandered through. It's all about emotions, dirt and the road. When I was de-signing costumes for Doda (extravagant Polish pop star), I thought that such a sexy woman should look like a modern Barbarella. It’s hard to dress up a sexy singer. I had to find a completely new line for her which would live up to her expectations.

What about Nergal’s expectations? What did he ask you to do at the beginning of your collabora-tion with Behemoth on the Lucifer video?The band found my collection Nekromantic pretty insane and barbaric enough for them, that's why the models were shackled in those metal adornments just like in the collection. Both Nergal and Darek Sz-ermanowicz (who directed the video clip) liked the idea and the effect. I had made Nergal's costume

EMOTIONS, DIRT, ROAD.GRAINS OF SAND FROM THE LIFELESS DESERT.LOVE, DEATH, TORTURES.NEKROMANTIC SHAKES OUR MIND.JUST LIKE THE COSTUMES THATKATARZYNA KONIECZKAHAS DESIGNED FOR BEHEMOTH.

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Karolina Karbownikphoto: Mia Look / Kobaru www.kobaru.pl / Behemoth "Lucifer"

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earlier when asked me to make a jacket for him like the one from my collection Very Twisted Kingdom; al-though, he wanted his to be dirtier, ragged and more bedraggled looking!

What did you start with when designing for Be-hemoth?We began with conversations about our expectations. To be honest, at the start I was too focused on details and was forgetting the fact that the band members go really crazy on stage. So, it was not only some-thing new for me but was difficult as well. Everyone wanted to have a unique costume but at the same time there had to be consistency between them all. It wasn’t an easy project.

Did the musicians interfere with your work? Did you argue with each other or did you have crea-tive brainstorms?Technical issues were the hardest for me because I’m used to making outfits for photo shoots; let’s call them sculptures. When it came to this work, I had to make sure that they were both durable and impres-sive at the same time. The members of the band were my customers so I had to hide my art-manner, for-get my know-it-all attitude and understand that they were right. They really were. It was a great experi-ence for me.

If a costume could speak, what would Nekroman-tic collection say?Nekromantic was perfect for Justyna Steczkowska (Polish art-pop singer). I remember she had a very masochistic personality a few years ago. She is a kind of woman who represents that special type of sexu-ality: soft, womanly, aggrieved. This is what Nekro-mantic is about: harming someone but, at the same time, doing it in a caring way. The fabrics used for the costumes have to suggest some drastic pictures. This is reflected in the way the costumes were made, tak-ing many hours of handiwork. They also reflect a the nature of a woman. Part of a woman’s soul desires to be harmed. This is also what all these tools that look like medical equipment are about, torture. The truth is that it is all about love and the relationship be-tween women and men. Love, the most magic one, is never unrequited. Sometime ago I wrote something like this in the description of my collection's photos : In past ages, poems and sonnets were about platonic love – the one idealized, unrequited. This kind of love is the most dramatic one. It is as if it were possible to love a dead person – one whose body gets colder with every minute and seems to be more and more distant. Thoughts are so messy… “No, we can’t be together…”. Skin begins to be slippery, begins to smell awful. The object disappears. This moment is a big test for the power of feelings. Difficulties pile up because there comes physical disgust. On the other hand, caring for such relationship is something that really touches me…

It sounds both beautiful and disgusting. How has the world welcomed this collection?Well, not everybody understood the technical aspects of it. People thought those metal tools were ortho- >

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dontic tools or some other stuff that had been used in medicine and that my role was limited to styling. But no, I assembled these devices by myself and it took a huge effort and, of course, people were confused. I had to wait a really long time for anybody to appre-ciate it. Some designers praised me for designing a consistent collection and the others, so called com-mon people were terrified but also intrigued by my, probably sick, mind. Of course, there was this little scandal ;)

How is your work related to Lady Gaga’s styling?It wasn’t copying, but something that is well known, not described precisely but very common: an inspira-tion. Gaga’s stylists might have received my products and they certainly saw them on pictures or live and asked a company whom they had been collaborating with to make something similar. It's easily noticeable on Vogue photo shoot and in the video clips as well. It wasn’t only me who noticed it. There were people who knew that I had sent my products to the singer and when that video was made, they called me and congratulated me on it. I had to watch it twice, very carefully, to notice that the items weren’t mine. The artist sees those important differences: details, ele-ments, hinges and splints placed differently.

The Polish fashion community has split into two more or less equal groups: your defenders and your enemies who accused you of copying Lady Gaga’s costumes. It had to hurt.The funniest thing about it was that it didn’t come to many people’s minds that I could be in touch with Lady Gaga’s stylists. I’m not a graduate of any of those world famous schools; what's more, I’ve never been abroad and yet they still know my work. Being in touch with the a famous singer’s stylists made me some more enemies. I know that it sometimes hurts when other people succeed. Years ago I thought the same too. I used to admire many designers, but later their faces were looking at me from every magazine. I thought they were overrated and definitely not vi-sionary in any way. Some people were even offended. There's a lot of jealousy in Poland's fashion circles. Despite not having a manager, an assistant or any PR people around me, my portfolio was seen by a world famous singer, and some people can't stand it. To reach the point I'm in now, I had to be really deter-mined, even a real pain in the ass sometimes to all those stylists and managers, sending my outfits to so many people all over the world just to make them notice me in a hope of establishing some contacts. In this whole story, the most painful experience was with the fans and pseudo-fans of Lady Gaga. My Face-book profile was a total shambles.

When you talk about tortures, death, body and skin… It reminds me of The Silence of the Lambs. Can Hannibal Lecter serve as an inspiration?I’m very familiar with the movie but even more in-spiring to me is the man who was the inspiration for the story. That man, I can’t remember his name, was making a whole range of accessories and leather stuff using human skin. The story of his life made a big im- >

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pression on me. I never dig into things that inspire me. I care about that first memory, first impression – things that sink in my memory. Such drastic inspi-rations come from my personality. I’ve always been stimulated by strong impulses and they are the only ones I react to.

What about horror movies? Do they stimulate you? When my stylist friend saw your Lucifer works, she thought of that film, The Saw and few others moviesThis is a very common association. In that movie there are some well thought out tools set to kill after a set time elapses. I watched a few scenes of that film and I remember a girl who had some kind of snares on her face. I think that the tools are a continuation of The Cell where women were slaves shackled in metal collars. Stuff like gags and splints were also used there. I’ve also been inspired by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; young Willy Wonka had these old orthodontic braces fastened to his head and arms.

Your costumes are worn by many pop artists (Doda, Steczkowska) and now also by Behemoth. Which kind of music suits you better?I used to spend hours listening to Steczkowska. Now I tend to listen to all kinds of non-commercial music. I like Rammstein and Marilyn Manson. Visually they are very close to what I like.

Does this kind of music (Manson and Rammstein) simulate you the way you like?Manson has a perfectly thought out image and it goes well with his ideology. Both his video clips and lyrics make fun of show business. It's very grotesque and I love it! Everything is so perfect. Manson is al-ways up to date with all the trends. The last video clip contains scenes inspired by The Holy Mountain which has been extremely popular for the last three years or so. When it comes to Rammstein, what I like the most are live shows. These are huge performanc-es. I’m very thankful to my friends who introduced me to the world of such music by recommending me live video clips to watch.

What are your memories from making of Lucifer? Anything particular that you remember?To be honest, we had a blast. Lots of fun. Total ha-voc at times even. There were many creative people around and all was spiced up by Maciek Malenczuk (Polish singer who appeared in the video clip) and his sharp tongue. He's one of those Show Business guys who's in no way overrated.

Where can we see your costumes in the near fu-ture?I believe the next opportunity will be in Paris. We're still fixing some details. It will be an exhibition of cos-tumes and photographs. Probably in May. �

Special thanks to Kat Smith for help in the translation.

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