When designer Krystof Strozyna was growing up in post-Communist Poland, he was always flicking through fashion magazines. His real inspiration, however, came from his mother, who supposedly ran around the house in the latest fashion offerings she found in Paris. “She would wear a yellow leather skirt and a matching cropped jacket!” he recalls ecstatically. Ever since graduating from Central Saint Martin’s MA course in 2007, Strozyna has taken that sense of power dressing, and translated it into his own exuberant aesthetic. Graphic lines, come-hither shapes and XXL wooden jewellery are a few of his design trademarks, and his spring / summer 2010 collection follows a similar route, with tropical flower prints inserted into panels of bodycon dresses, jackets and zippered leggings. We spoke to him about his favourite music, women and this season’s inspiration.

Dazed Digital: The new collection goes back to your signature styles, such as bodycon shapes juxtaposed with oversized lacquered jewellery. What caused that decision?
Krystof Strozyna: I think those styles were my strongest, so I decided to take them and make them look better. It’s important to go back to your roots sometimes and I think this collection is probably the most polished version of what I’ve been doing so far.

DD: What was the inspiration?
Krystof Strozyna: Ocean. Rainforests. Tropical flowers. Some of the prints you see on dresses are pictures of sand photographed from a plane, which I manipulated digitally later.

DD: Did you have any particular person in mind when designing?
Krystof Strozyna: I never think of any particular people, but this year I’ve been looking at a lot of videos of French singer Arielle Dombasle. She’s almost 50 now, but looks and acts like a 20-year-old. She’s amazing! I also love women, who have some kind of madness about them – like many characters played by Isabelle Adjani for example.

DD: What music do you listen to in your studio?
Krystof Strozyna: Lots of old Vanessa Paradis! I love her. I was actually thinking of playing one of her songs in my show.

DD: What are your plans now?
Krystof Strozyna: Working and learning how to relax too. I always try to wind down in-between the shows, but for some reason, it never works out…

Photography Patrick Lindblom
Model Daul Kim
Make up Ken Nakano
Hair Akio Nishiyama