Magdalena frackowiak jewelry

MAGDALENA FRACKOWIAK (pronounced, and prizes for guessing this if you're not Polish, "Frunce-koviak") is a model on a mission. The seasoned catwalk favourite presented her debut jewellery collection during Paris Fashion Week and is enjoying every moment of her newfound designer status. "I'm used to reviews, I suppose," she grinned broadly, as she showed us the collection, "it's just that usually people are commenting on whether they think I'm beautiful - but now it is for something I actually created. It feels so wonderful to be able to show everyone something that I made. I studied architecture before I became a model - I didn't finish but that was definitely an interest - so this is a way to explore that. I wanted to be an architect because you create something very intimate for people: their home. Jewellery is really the same - you make something personal, that lasts from generation to generation. Jewellery is the perfect combination of art, architecture and fashion. Cylinders, rounds, spikes... the collection is very architectural - it's all about geometry, it's an opportunity to play with shapes. It's not necessary for me to create an accessory that's trendy. It's more about creating an object that I think is beautiful." As adorable as she is ethereally beautiful, Frackowiak has a goofy accessibility that belies her exquisite froidure and obvious intellect. Freshly arrived from visiting Frieze, which she calls "wonderful and inspiring", the Polish beauty is animated about her varied sources of inspiration - from an exhibition at MoMA in NY by minimalist sculptor Richard Serra; to Raf Simons for always having found "new ways of doing things" at Dior; to the jewellery of Gaia Repossi and Delfina Delettrez. That's my challenge; I want to create something that can uplift you. Involved in the design process at every stage, and with a frighteni

You studied architecture before becoming a model. How does that influence the way you design jewelry?

Studying architecture has strongly influenced the style of my jewelry as well as the many subsequent years spent travelling in my career as a model. I love geometrical and minimal shapes, similarly to the work of some of my favorite artists such as Richard Serra, which is evident in the clean and effortless style of my designs.  My first collection has a focus on volume, sharp lines and textures, with my second collection focusing on the spherical shape in varying styles and volumes.

You went from learning to design houses to conceiving pieces of jewelry – is the act of creation important to you?

It is important for me to create something beautiful and something meaningful. I love creating jewelry pieces because they are very intimate to the people wearing them, they are passed on from generation to generation. It is the same with designing houses; it is very personal. My entire collection is hand crafted in my native Poland, I wanted to give back to my country and expose the amazing local artisans on an international stage.  I work closely with skilled local artisans to build the molds and execute refinements to ensure each piece reflects my exact aesthetic.

What was the inspiration behind the gold pins?

 I remember as a child I would attach little brooch pins with colorful enamel and motifs such as Mickey Mouse onto everything I owned!  I would treat them as little jewels that would brighten up every look; they were the 90’s cool kid accessory!  My second collection is based around the spherical shape so I designed eight tiny 18k gold pins in varying sizes and weights, designed to be worn collectively.

The collection has a distinctively 90’s feel (the pins, the chokers) – quite surprising for fine jewelry. What led you to choose that decade?

Memories of wearing macramé bracelets as a

Jewellery for women too beautiful to be adorned. WITH more than a decade of experience at the very top of the fashion industry - from working as a fit model for Lee McQueen to gracing the Victoria's Secret catwalk - Magdalena Frackowiak knows what makes her look beautiful. Not for her the enormous baubles favoured by some starlets, the Polish beauty has instead always chosen delicate and minimal jewellery with a twist: an idea that spawned her own label. Surrounded by model friends (Irina Shayk, Candice Swanepoel, Karlie Kloss, Lily Aldridge and Natasha Poly to name but a few) who also have no need to gild the lily, Frackowiak's eponymous line has become the go-to jewellery label for women whose beauty needs only a subtle flash or highlight. Vogue catches up with the woman herself. Sum up your aesthetic in five words. Elegant, sensual, refined, fragile, seductive. This aesthetic defines my personality and my jewellery is exactly as I am. Describe the woman who wears your jewellery. A woman of any age. Her dress code is minimal. She looks for jewellery that will finish her look with a touch of sophistication and uplift her spirit. That is my main intention when I design jewellery. What is your most popular piece right now? From the second collection, the beaded chokers in varying patterns. Each choker is made from threading 2mm diameter golden beads onto silk threads. It's a very long process to make one choker and we finish them with silk ribbons. From the beginning, my aim was to create handmade jewellery in my native Poland and these beaded chokers very much reflect that idea. What is your next big hit; which piece will everyone be wearing in a year’s time? I'm working now on two exciting ideas. One is a lip ring that will soon be released. An important detail about that piece is that it catches the lip without need of having them pierced. It brings the punk aesthetic that always fascinates me bu

The Golden Girl – Glass meets the Polish beauty Magdalena Frackowiak

INDUSTRY icon, Victoria’s Secret Angel and now a designer of an all-gold eponymous jewellery line. In between her infatuating laughter and telling incredible stories , top model Magdalena Frackowiak talks to Glass about her newly found passion for jewellery design, the importance of charity work and how she found a way to combine the two. She walked onto the Glass set, jaw-droppingly beautiful without any make-up, and immediately displayed a familiar warmth, elegance and sophistication – just what she hopes to capture in her jewellery.

Enchanted Lotus earrings in pink gold with white diamonds, De Beers.
Gold necklace, Magdalena Frackowiak Jewellery. Top, Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane.

What made you create a jewellery brand?
I always had a strong connection to design and to creativity. Before modelling I studied architecture for a while. I never finished it but I always wanted to create a line, and jewellery has a very strong connection for me with what I do. It’s very connected to fashion, it’s connected to my childhood because I grew up with a grandmother who was a big jewellery lover.

I’ve been modelling for 15 years now and jewellery was always an accessory that I had the most respect for. It’s something that stays with us and can be given to the next generation. And for me it always had the power to polish off a look. And gold in particular makes you shine or makes the outfit shine. Also, looking at the process of designing jewellery, it’s very similar to architecture. For me it’s like miniature architecture.

Earrings, Tiffany & Co. Ring, Magdalena Frackowiak Jewellery. Love ring in 18k pink gold with
six brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.08 carats, Love bracelets in 18k pink gold with 12 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 0.78 carats, Love bracelets in 18k yellow gold, Cartier. Watch, Gucci. Jacket, Stella Mccartney.
Bra, Lisa Marie Fernandez. Jeans, 7 For All Mankind. Socks,