He is one of the few fashion designers from Central Europe who has achieved international success, both commercially and artistically. His clients have included world-famous celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Ashanti, Bjørk and Janet Jackson. The work of Arkadiusz Weremczuk, known in the fashion world as Arkadius (1969), is the subject of the first ever monographic exhibition devoted to him, opened in June 2024 at the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź, in his native Poland – Arkadius. Powerful Emotions. Confrontations. https://cmwl.pl/public/informacje/arkadius-wielkie-namietnosci-konfrontacje,334
Arkadius is a graduate of London’s St Martin College of Art, and has often been compared to John Galliano and Alexander McQuinn, largely due to his inclination for aesthetic provocation. However, he quickly developed his own distinctive style. Already during his studies, his designs sold easily, and his graduation collection (2000) received such acclaim that industry experts saw him as the greatest fashion revelation of the new century and predicted a great career for him. Articles about him were published in the New York Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and Vogue.
The exhibition in Łódź, showcases 14 of Arkadius’ collections, totaling more than 200 objects. There is the mythology-inspired graduation collection “Semen of the Gods”, the “Lucina,O!” collection, the “Queen of Sheeba” collection prepared for London Fashion Week 2000, and “Paulina”, inspired as much by Polish folk art as by memories of Arkadius’ grandmother named Paulina. But there are also objects from the most daring collections, such as: “Prostitution”, which is an affirmation of pleasure and sex work, “The House of Pleasure”, or perhaps the most famous “Virgin Mary Wears the Trousers” referring to the image of Mary with the Child.
The exhibition takes the viewer through the most important ideas the designer touched upon during his artistic activity. The fashion he created is based on emotions – it is moving, shocking, thought provoking, but certainly will not let anyone remain indifferent or bored.
The designer juxtaposed and combined the sacred and the profane, which is why he was inspired by both the Virgin Mary and the sex worker. He reached back to the sources of faith and religion, i.e. to love, and through it proclaimed pacifist ideas and anti-discriminatory postulates. He appealed to sex, eroticism and other great passions – says Marcin Różyc, curator of the exhibition.
In the collections on show, we will find Arkadius’ fascination with mythology, literature and art, echoes of folklore, references to nature, vitality, the theme of life and death or themes relating to queer culture. He was a pioneer who shocked but also fascinated. His fashion is an art that deserves to be exposed as a valuable heritage of Polish and European culture. It is worth mentioning that in 2021, the first comprehensive publication about Arkadius was written by art historian Dominik Zielinski, Arkadius. Fashion that became Art.
The museum is in possession of over a thousand objects designed by Arkadius. All of them have been thoroughly restored and have enriched the collection of contemporary fashion that we have been consistently building for many years – says Aneta Dalbiak, director of the Museum.
In 2006, Arkadius gave up fashion design and disappeared from the media. He settled on a small island off the coast of Brazil, where he successfully designs furniture and interiors. He also works as a painter and photographer and has adopted the name AFKAA (Artist Formerly Known As Arkadius).
The exhibition in Lodz will be on display until 27 July 2025.
All photos come from press materials provided by the Central Museum of Textiles in Łódź.