Krakow: a rising fashion hot spot

For the past eight years, Gabriela Francuz has been capturing the weird and wonderful wardrobes of city-dwellers on her blog Street Fashion in Crakow. Today, she shares her thoughts on Krakow's place on the world fashion stage, the best places to shop, and the future of her city's fashion.

Inspired by street style blogs in Japan, Gabriela started her blog with a simple aim: "I was admiring people's outfits in Krakow and I wanted to show them widely, to the people." Scrolling through her gallery you'll see a colorful collection of edgy dressers in pork pie hats and round sunglasses, dapper gentlemen in vintage suits, and fashion mavens in head-to-toe black.

Up and coming

Gabriela says that the city's "independent and alternative character" is a big part of its success. "We have have a very good fashion design school, SAPU, and many young and extremely talented fashion designers," she adds. The design school, Szkoła Artystycznego Projektowania Ubioru, is the main organizer of Krakow Fashion Week, which shines a spotlight on promising new artists who promote the city as a fashion capital.

Although Krakow still doesn't have as many fashion shows as Gabriela thinks it should, she's happy to admit that "every year we have more and more fashion events – not only shows, but presentations and conferences." These shows stay true to the spirit of Krakow's style, as Gabriela describes them as "very independent" with "local character... you can meet a lot of your friends, 'local celebrities' and other bloggers."

Ones to watch

With Łódź and Warsaw also holding annual fashion weeks, Polish designers have more and more chances to display their work on a national stage. In recent years, many have gone international, with Gabriela citing Gosia Baczyńska as "the first Polish designer who had her show during Paris Fashion Week" and well worth seeking out during your stay in Krakow. Joanna Klimas is Gabriela's "queen of minimalism", while Ania Kuczyńska's projects are described as "minimalist also, but linked to the Far East." If you're in the market for unique new accessories, Anna Orska creates jewelry from "untypical materials like wood and nautical rope, and makes it personal by adding specific details", while Lucreative uses "minerals, glass and dandelion flowers" in their delicate pieces.

Fans of the high street should head to Reserved, which Gabriela says is "the most popular Polish fashion brand." For men, Bytom has made waves with its homages to historic cultural icons described by Gabriela as "the biggest Polish artists," including author Marek Hłasko and musician Grzegorz Ciechowski.

Best boutiques

Gabriela recommends:

Vintage Classics: A 10-minute drive from our Radisson Blu Hotel, Krakow, you'll find "clothes, handbags, shoes, hair accessories, and jewelry from the '30s to '80s." MO61: At this perfume store, "you can compose and order your own personal scent." Pasaż 13: "Here you'll find Polish brands like Łukasz Jemioł, Gosia Baczyńska, Robert Kupisz, MMC, Mokobelle, Paprocki & Brzozowski, and Natalia Jaroszewska." Koko Design: Selling fair-trade fashion from Colombia, Morocco and Peru, "don't hesitate to talk to the owner, Agata, who speaks five languages." Noe Vision: "Something for shoe lovers! This Polish brand was established in 1969 and has beautiful, comfortable designs." It's also notable for its extensive range of sizes, as "a full size chart is very rare, especially in Poland."