A Snake Sheds Skin in Carpathia

I’m Michal Rzonca (using the name Mav June in my creative work). I am a Polish fashion designer based in London. My Slavic heritage plays a huge part in my work and it was the main inspiration behind my graduate collection. I wanted to dedicate it to feminine individuals who face many hardships in the patriarchal Slavic societies back home and create the world, in which sensitivity is considered beautiful and no one is shameful to feel sensual. I juxtaposed the tradition with the fresh new London fashion scene in order to create the space of freedom and empowerment to the once who are being overlooked. The XIX century’s art met Ballet Russes and modern Abramovic’s performances, which influenced the silhouettes and print ideas. The traditional roses combined with the snake motifs visible on certain garments are infused with a deep symbolic meaning, that indicates my attention to details and how big part of my life is orchestrated by spirituality. I use tarot cards as my guide and a vessel that lets me overcome the obstacles in the creative process. That is a perfect example of how I like to come up with ideas and create art - by making a constant change, bringing inspirations from various places and making everything extremely personal. One of the most important parts of my process is the draping, self styling and character development, in which the references combined with draping are weaving into a mood and a main storyline I want to tell with the garments I make. Because that’s what fashion is supposed to be to me - a platform that allows designers to speak through created pieces and shine the light on what’s important to them. My practice usually involves playing on gender roles and breaking the existing norms in order to bring attention to the issue of inclusivity in fashion, in terms of sexuality these days and open people’s minds.