About

The Polisher Project is created by Annika Anaguano Zelichowska. A fashion designer and pattern maker based in Italy. Her roots are originally from Colombia and Poland, a cultural clash that serves as inspiration since her childhood, as the closeness to skilled handcraft, color, and creative resourcefulness is strong in both cultures. 

Annika studied at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, and has worked for diverse fashion brands. In the last years working as a knit/jersey pattern maker for H&M in Sweden, the place where Annika found the rest of the inspiration and skills on knitwear, by looking at Scandinavian knit/crochet history, and developing a strong and critical eye for pattern and fit. This is the step which led to leave the job to focus on her own crochet project. 

 

Behind The Polisher 

The Polish(er) - as a name originates from her BA Graduation Collection at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute. A fusion of 80s Polish Communist vibe and Latin American handcraft are placed on a sci-fi setting in which stories of civilian insurgency, military order and tradition are explored through upbeat and disruptive contrasts of a retro-futuristic aesthetic. 

 

 

'Personal stories from my own background; both in Poland and Colombia, are the main inspiration because as contrasting and different as they can get, both nations are tied with the inherent idea of recycling, rooted from the past scarcity they experienced. The concept of making is shared and carried from generation, to generation. Both countries overcame hard times of violence, shortage and difficulty. However, both cultures remain strongly inspiring, hard-working, patriotic and unique. This is what makes me feel creative and firm. The feeling that I can make anything despite the limitations. My own talent, creativity and sustainable ideas were given to me because all my family is able to stitch, knit, embroider, fix, repair, recycle, create…and I am just one more of them. Now, my task is to bring this to more people.' :)