Rudnicka & Śliwa

I’m Julia Rudnicka, a 23-year-old fashion designer currently based in Switzerland. I graduated from HEAD Genève and I am now pursuing a Master’s degree alongside developing my own independent projects. In parallel with my studies, I collaborate with stylists and multidisciplinary artists, exploring fashion as a space for storytelling and cultural dialogue. My work revolves around themes of femininity, heritage, and Slavic identity. Originally from Warsaw, Poland, I feel a deep need to translate my cultural background into contemporary garments. Through my collections, I seek to pay homage to Polish femininity, its strength, its elegance shaped by history, and its quiet resilience. In Western Europe, this sensibility often remains unknown or reduced to stereotypes, and I see my practice as a way to give it visibility and nuance. Sustainability is central to my process. I mainly work with deadstock fabrics or upcycle existing garments, embracing constraint as a creative force. Materiality plays a crucial role in my designs. I am particularly attentive to textures, to what touches the skin, and to sensuality as a subtle but powerful language. Sequins, lace, fur, and silk, elements traditionally associated with femininity, frequently appear in my work. I reinterpret them, making them bolder and more complex. Through this transformation, I question conventional codes of femininity while still celebrating their emotional and tactile richness.