I am so pleased this week to be featuring Urbanetka in my folk fashion feature. Hands up who loves Polish folk art - I do, I do.
I discovered this brand on Facebook last year. There's a Polish Deli on Surrey Street in Croydon that I often pop in to (I love a bit of kabonosy) - one day Urbanetka had a pop-up shop there. I checked out their website and ended up ordering myself some slippers. I love the fact that they are local to me - they sell online but are based in Croydon. My grandad was from the Ukraine so perhaps that's where my love of folk art came from?
Urbanetka is owned and run by a Polish native, who is dedicated to promoting fashion designers and accessories from her homeland, having come to London from Silesia over a decade ago.
The name Urbanetka has come to symbolise a Polish woman in a big city abroad – as Poles truly are world travellers - experiencing and absorbing different cultures but one who, ultimately, never forgets her roots and wants to display them proudly in her lifestyle.
The brand aims to be a mixture of ‘the old’ and ‘the new’, offering contemporary styles of clothing, handbags, umbrellas, shoes and scarves with traditional folklore themes and designs.
It sources products directly from Polish suppliers – often made by hand and therefore genuinely ‘bespoke’ – with the intention of not only assuring quality and high standards of craftsmanship but also of helping small domestic businesses to thrive.
“I love what London continue to offer but on a route of rediscovery, I fell in love with Polish folk patterns and made it Urbanetka’s mission to show that Poland is not only a country of sausage and vodka, but also a country of beautiful culture and heritage, which is reflected in folk inspired fashion.”
I love the Folk Koko t-shirt - Polish folk art meets modern trendy design with this whimsical rooster tee.
The folk dress in dark grey Sultry sophistication makes beautiful music with whimsical folk art design in this smoky grey knit party dress!
Black folk rooster mini dress Polish folk art meets modern trendy design with this whimsical rooster mini dress from the Folk by Koko fashion collection.
As well as clothing you'll also find a large array of accessories and homeware too. I love the umbrellas.
These are possibly my favourite pair of slippers ever. The Zakopianki Slippers are handcrafted using traditional techniques, the sole is sturdy, the shoe tops are embroidered beautifully and the ankles are upgraded with a band of all natural sheep's wool.
I even have their Lowiki Baubles.
