Meet The Designer: Magda Butrym
Meet The Designer: Magda Butrym
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Meet The Designer: Magda Butrym

Giving romance a new edge and craftsmanship a contemporary twist, Magda Butrym has created one of fashion’s most distinctive signature styles. Since launching her label in 2014, the Polish designer has redefined femininity as something sensual, self-assured and never performative. Here, she talks creative process, heritage, and why emotion is the secret to enduring style.
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On how it all began…

Styling gave me a foundation and a clear sense of purpose. Before launching the label, I worked as a stylist and studied fashion, which taught me how to tell stories through clothes. I saw firsthand what women actually want to wear – how pieces need to move, feel, and fit into real life. I also learned a powerful truth: the most magnetic women dress for themselves. That idea still shapes everything I create. Styling showed me that a single silhouette, the perfect shoulder line or the right texture, it can shift an entire look, even an entire mood. That’s how I approach design: thinking not just about how something looks on the rail, but how it’ll make a woman feel. And yes, I’ll always champion a strong shoulder. It’s not about aggression – it’s about presence.

Polish style is full of tension, and it shaped my eye early on. Growing up in Poland, I was surrounded by a very specific aesthetic sensibility: one that’s emotional, layered and quietly expressive. Even during difficult eras like the communist period, Polish women dressed with thought and intention. There was always an element of defiance – a refusal to give up on beauty or creativity. That contrast between restraint and poetry deeply influenced my perspective on fashion. It taught me that elegance doesn’t need permission, and that even the smallest detail can carry power. 

I launched my label to express something deeply personal. Magda Butrym began when I realised I had something to say about identity, femininity and a kind of beauty that doesn’t shout, but lingers. I didn’t want to fit into someone else’s idea of style or follow a trend for the sake of being current. I wanted to carve out my own aesthetic language – something intuitive, rooted in emotion and entirely mine. The clothes had to speak for themselves, quietly but powerfully.

Starting out in Warsaw wasn’t the obvious choice – but it gave me freedom. In 2014, it wasn’t exactly a fashion capital, which came with its challenges, but being slightly off the radar meant less noise and pressure. I was free to create without compromise, growing the brand slowly and instinctively. Learning to run a business while protecting my creative vision was a steep curve – the hardest part was finding balance without burning out or losing the soul of the brand.

GROWING UP IN POLAND, I was surrounded by a very SPECIFIC AESTHETIC SENSIBILITY: one that’s emotional, layered and QUIETLY EXPRESSIVE.

On how it’s going…

Now, our Warsaw studio is a beautiful kind of chaos – fabric strewn everywhere, sketches covering every surface, and an incredible team working with both precision and emotion. It’s not polished, but it’s full of life. That energy feeds into every piece, and I’m endlessly proud of the people behind it all. Designers, pattern makers, seamstresses and technicians, each one brings something irreplaceable.

On inspiration…

My aesthetic lives in the space between softness and strength. I’ve never felt the need to choose between romanticism and structure – to me, the two belong together. Just like a rose has petals and thorns, I think women contain multitudes, and fashion should reflect that. I want my clothes to feel like emotional armour – something beautiful and bold that gives you a quiet kind of power. 

For me, femininity is strength. Some of the strongest women I’ve met are also the most feminine – there’s no contradiction. That’s why I focus on designing pieces that don’t feel like protection in the traditional sense, but still give you that inner confidence. My clothes are meant to feel like you’re stepping into yourself more fully, not covering up. 

Inspiration comes from everywhere – and rarely from fashion alone. I’m drawn to the unexpected: Magdalena Abakanowicz’s tapestries, the texture of vintage tablecloths, women walking through Soho in golden light, even grandmothers in headscarves. I collect these moments like fragments – seemingly unrelated, but together they create a mood. I don’t start with moodboards or chase trends; I start with a feeling, something emotional and abstract. Sometimes that comes from travel or a fleeting conversation, but often it’s found in stillness – simply watching how women move, speak, exist. When I stop searching, inspiration usually finds me.

On customers…

There’s never just one woman I design for – it’s more a state of mind. She’s not a fantasy – she’s real, complex, unapologetic, slightly elusive. She has depth, a sense of self, and maybe a little mischief. When I design, I think about that woman’s energy – how she moves through the world, what she needs from her wardrobe. 

I love when women wear my pieces in unexpected ways. A lace slip with a bomber jacket, a crocheted top worn to a casual breakfast – those juxtapositions are where the magic happens. When a woman takes something I’ve made and makes it entirely her own, it becomes more than just fashion. It becomes a conversation.

On the new collection…

Every collection begins with emotion, not references. I don’t sit down with a stack of vintage images and build a theme. It always begins with a gut feeling – something I want to express. From there, it becomes about fabric research, endless draping and adjusting proportions until it feels exactly right. I try everything on myself. If I wouldn’t wear it, it doesn’t go forward. If I don’t feel the urge to steal it from the rack? Back to the drawing board.

For SS25, I wanted to explore weightlessness, in both spirit and construction. The collection, Gossamer, is built around lightness: sheer textures, delicate hand crochet, and silhouettes that feel barely there, yet grounded. There’s a softness, but nothing fragile. Every piece is purposeful, every detail considered. It’s about stripping things back to reveal a stronger emotional core. Fewer elements, cleaner lines, but more impact. A quiet, assured kind of femininity that whispers, not shouts.

Crochet is the heart of this season. We’ve always used it, but this time we pushed it further – sculpting it into pieces that feel bolder, more sensual. It’s no longer just embellishment; it carries the weight of the silhouette and the emotion of the piece. It proves that craftsmanship can be both beautiful and essential. The woman at the centre of it all is grounded, present and effortlessly sensual. She dresses for herself – no performance, just confidence.
 

When a woman takes something I’ve made and makes it ENTIRELY HER OWN, it becomes more than just fashion. IT BECOMES A CONVERSATION.

On the future…

The future of fashion lies in connection, not speed. People are tired of throwaway clothes – they want pieces that feel intimate, that hold meaning and memory. We’re moving into a new era, one that values resonance over volume, and I find that shift incredibly hopeful. For me, relevance isn’t about being everywhere or chasing every trend – it’s about staying in tune with the woman I design for. If the work still speaks to her, makes her feel seen, then I’ve done my job. That relationship matters more than any algorithm.

Creative control means saying no more often than yes.  As an independent label, you’re constantly being pulled in different directions – to be more commercial, more saleable. But I’ve learned to trust my instinct. I’d rather grow slowly and stay personal than become generic. It’s the long game, and I’m okay with that. 

Balance is something I’m always chasing. I try to protect small rituals – a walk, a quiet meal, time with my family. Without those moments, it’s easy to lose yourself in the demands of building a global brand. The work can be all consuming, but I remind myself that I exist outside of it too.

My advice to young designers is to stay obsessed. That passion is your fuel, especially when things get difficult – and they will. Don’t try to fit into someone else’s mould, and don’t chase validation. Be stubborn. Be specific. The world doesn’t need more of the same – it needs your unique voice. 


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