A R K A D I U S

FW2002/3

SS 2001

Arkadiusz Weremczuk (pronounced Ar-kah-dee-us Veh-rem-chuk) was born on July 5th 1969 to a family of teachers in Lublin, eastern Poland.

He attended Jagiellonian University in Krakow where he read Pedagogic (1988-1992), but left before graduating to pursue his dream of a career in fashion.

‘I became fascinated by fashion because in Poland at that time there was no fashion,’ he says. ‘I was a fish without water,’ who reacted by creating ‘my own fantasy world - I lived in my dreams and imagination.’

In 1992 he left Poland for Tuscany, where he worked as a kitchen hand in order to save enough money to come to England. He first went to Munich, however, where he worked in a graphic design studio. Arkadius eventually arrived in London in 1994, with the specific goal of applying to St Martin’s, but first he had to learn enough English to walk through their doors. He enrolled in a School of English on Oxford Street and decided he never wanted to leave. ‘I exploded - coming to London was the best thing that ever happened to me,’ he affirms. In September 1994 Arkadius was admitted onto the Foundation Course in Fashion Design at Central St Martin’s, and in 1995 was accepted for the BA in Fashion Design with Marketing, led by Janet Lance-Hughes. During his second year, he met fashion impresario Isabella Blow, who introduced him to Alexander McQueen, who offered him a work placement. Arkadius launched his own label, Arkadius London, in 1997 and built up a small clientele of private clients (including Isabella Blow, Honor Fraser, Margy Fenwick, Olga Polizzi, Tessa Keswick, Jung Chang, and Harriet Sergeant). His graduation show in July ’99, for which he received a double first, was sponsored by the Daily Mail. Arkadius was immediately approached by Swiss watchmakers Ebel, who offered to collaborate on his debut collection at London Fashion Week in September 1999. The collaboration with Ebel continues for London Fashion Week, September 2000.

The new A/W 2000/2001 collection is being stocked at Henri Bendel, New York and Fashion Gallery , London.