Koniaków Lace

THE EXQUISITE HANDCRAFT BORN IN THE SILESIAN HIGHLAND VILLAGE LED BY CREATIVE, VISIONARY WOMEN WHO CULTIVATE THE TRADITION SINCE OVER A CENTURY 

Koniaków craftswomen with Maria Gwarek (first of the right) 

Every Thursday a group of the most experienced and talented craft matrons of Koniaków meet up to exchange motif ideas, practice and socialise whilst doing what makes them most fulfilled and relaxed - lacemaking. The tradition has been passed from mothers to daughters for over a hundred years now. In the 19th century crocheting got introduced to local schools. Nowadays there is about 700 women who can boast to have acquired this skill. It makes Koniaków one of the largest lace making centres world-wide.

Village’s picturesque location in the Silesian Beskid mountain range provides the organic inspiration for local artists who translate surrounding nature into elaborate compositions. Those lace works resemble nature also in its imperfection. No motifs are the same, all embody unique personalities of makers integrated within their loops. The key for an artist to succeed in this craft is creativity. Koniaków lace is created in a one of its kind method with no ready patterns or templates. Motifs born in a head of an artist are all made separately to then be merged by fine spiders or geometric figures and arranged in a circular or star shaped pattern. 

Traditionally, lace was commonly used on bonnets - traditional women headgear in highland districts of Silesia. It also adorned church altars and variety of garments and tablecloths. When the craft’s popularity was going through a harder time, in 2002 the younger generation of lacemakers came up with a new product - Koniaków lace thongs. While it divided village community and shocked many older makers, it surely did its job of putting Koniaków back in a spotlight. This fine lingerie piece made its appearance at the V&A’s “Power of Making” exhibition in 2011 and got into wardrobes of many celebrities including Britney Spears.
Koniaków lace ows its success and continuity not only to the beauty of the work itself but foremost to women of courage and vision who guide it into the future. 

Maria Gwarek (in the centre) showing the ropes to other makers

One of the most notable role models for Koniaków’s community was Maria Gwarek. She could be compared to a mother of the local lace. She was a woman of great skill, creativity and was a powerful social activist. As a founder of Koniaków Lace Cooperative she eventually led to bring together 250 lace makers from the region. She elevated lacemaking to the level of respected, paid profession. What previously was just a side activity and a break from physical work, Maria Gwarek turned into a profitable job allowing women to earn their living and later qualify for a craft-work pension. Moreover thanks to her efforts Koniaków got electrificated. It facilitated the work of artists and made their community easier to connect with the outside world. It enabled contacts and commissions of a global scale. 

Unfinished commission for the queen Elisabeth II (framed) and Maria Gwarek at work

Among many prestigious orders, in 1962 Maria Gwarek got to create a lace trey cloth for the queen Elisabeth II. The beautiful piece was realised in a particularly demanding medium - surgical silk thread. Extremely fine motifs and elaborate design of the arrangement is an example of her mastership of skill and vision. The creation of the piece was interrupted by her sudden death and eventually never found its way to London. This design among the richness of her other works can be now seen in Koniaków’s Maria Gwarek Memorial Hall dedicated to the creative heritage of the artist. 

Local lace makers nowadays refer to Lucyna Ligocka- Kohut as a modern incarnation of Maria Gwarek. Born and raised in Jaworzynka, a village neighbouring with Koniaków she is an educated ethnologist and anthropologist. Lucyna does not make lace herself. Instead, with her entrepreneurial mindset, she has dedicated her career to lace craft promotion. She is the brain of new projects, challenging the current presumptions about the craft and its application beyond a traditional form. 

Lucyna Ligocka-Kohut presenting laces to younger generation of makers / five artists who designed and completed the Guinness book lace submission - Marta Haratyk, Danuta&Renata Krasowska, Mariola Legierska, Urszula Rybka

Her first initiative was a submission to the Guinness Book of Records. Five outstanding local artists within a time frame of five months created a doily with a diameter of five meters using 50km of thread and applying over 8,000 motifs. The impressive work travelled to several exhibitions attracting significant interest in Koniaków’s heritage craft. Following the success, Lucyna founded a Centre of Koniaków Lace establishing it in a charming little building in the center of the village. Since 2019 it is a home to foundation, museum and educational space. “It was a response to a lack of place where one could learn the genesis and growth of our lacemaking, familiarise with the pioneers of the craft and buy locally handcrafted products.(…) It is also a place where our local lace artists meet up to exchange their craft knowledge and pass it on to younger generations during workshops and events.”  says Lucyna.

Her restless attitude and ambition made Koniaków an attractive spot not only for handwork enthusiasts but also leading fashion businesses. Brands like Dior, Louis Vuitton or Elie Saab as well as Arkadius, used Koniaków’s open-work in their collections. One of the particularly exciting fashion commissions was the recent one for Comme des Garçons. 

“The contact started in 2017, when I received the first email from Japan from Kazuki Hamamoto who works with Rei Kawakubo researching artists from all over the world for collaborations. Visiting Poland a few years back during the brand’s collaboration with polish graphic artist Filip Pagowski, he stumbled upon our laces.” Lucyna recalls. 
The project was an exciting opportunity but also a challenge as the company needed a whole lot of laces to be delivered within just two months. Worth to mention that in lacemaking some little, singular details can take even six hours to complete. 

opening look from the Comme des Garçons AW18 collection featuring a tail-coat in layered Koniaków lace

“They initially understood that our production is organised on the basis of a company. They thought they are dealing with a crocheting powerhouse hiring a high number of makers.(…) I explained to them that here our ladies have been dealing with lace since generations and there are many of them but all work individually, for some of them it is only a joyful side activity. I told them that feasibility of the order depends also on a period, bank holidays, season which allows for longer or shorter working hours.. Additionally, they had to accept that since it is handwork, all pieces can vary depending on a specific hand of a maker.” However, such an honest and detailed explanation only further piqued their interest in collaborating. “They found these adversities to further increase the value of our work produced and thus found our offering to increase the value of their collection.” says Lucyna. 

Forty lacemakers stood up to the task and completed the order of over 300 square shaped tablecloths, which were later cut and sewn into a dreamy multilayered lace look. It made a stunning opening of the brand’s autumn/winter 2018 collection show in Paris. 

The new project they are currently developing in the centre is wool lace. It is an idea to utilise wool from local sheep of Koniaków. “Our Koniaków wool is extremely itchy. It is not a material you would like to wear close to your skin as a jumper. It is a shame but it is therefore mostly wasted. We worked with it and turned it into a lace. We developed an outerwear capsule collection to test the idea.” explains Lucyna. Bombers and small accessories come in tonal creamy and grey laced motifs. The thickness of the wool adds a great volume to the shape while the interior is lined for extra warmth and comfort of the wearer. 

wool lace capsule collection

Koniaków will be showcasing their work within the Polish pavilion at the Expo Dubai 2020 in January 2022. An event of such renown will surely attract the lace centre a lot of new collaborators and opportunities. Local makers have been working tirelessly throughout the past years to prepare for the global exhibition. “It has been such a busy time since 2020. It actually distracted a lot of us from the anxiety of the pandemic.” admits Lucyna Ligocka-Kohut. She says that lacemaking was a mental cure for a lot of older women who were contained at homes throughout the lockdown. They felt needed and included in Expo work preparations, whilst dedicating their time to the craft they love and enjoy doing. 

“One can only learn this skill truly, by coming to Koniaków.” admits Lucyna Ligocka-Kohut. “Getting to know the local community of makers and experiencing the surrounding nature puts it all in the right perspective.” The Lace Centre organises series of brilliant workshops running throughout the year. They are for makers of all levels and age. “In the past, lace makers strongly guarded their profession, were very hesitant to letting in people from the outside. (…) Nowadays it is quite the opposite. We want to encourage others to try and play with the craft, to fall in love with it and carry our tradition into the future.” 

All images courtesy of Koniaków Lace Museum and Maria Gwarek Memorial Hall

by Paulina Czajor

craftsmanshipPaulina Czajor