Finding yourself is not so straightforward as portrayed in an illusion society created about work and success. We are expected to know what we’re doing from a young age. Ideally, stick to it. If not forever, then for a long time. This idea never quite aligned with Magda’s experience in the industry. She is walking evidence of constantly trying, redirecting, and eventually getting to the place which feels the most comforting. She found her soul in Art Direction and Content Creation after many hit-and-misses on her way. Now, she’s a successful creative with a good number of honest followers, but the journey was long. Here she comes to tell the story of herself and a mysterious, colourful figure she created online.
Born and raised in London, she’s no stranger to fashion. Since the age of six, she has assisted her grandmother in exploring the fashion world. It was her who made Magda fascinated with design. “She is my inspiration for every creative thing I’ve done,” she says. Followed by her love for Alexander Mcqun, she always knew her heart belonged to fashion, although she wasn’t sure which way to take to feel at home. She started as a designer, studying Fashion Design. “I wanted to do everything to be in fashion. I was fifteen when I worked for this brand with a designer who makes royal pieces. I did a course with Zandra Rhodes which was good. I did everything until I realised, I hate making clothes.” she says.
She quit designing, changed a course and successfully graduated in Fine Arts and History of Arts. After graduation, she started a feminist magazine, which led her to writing. It was obvious to her to end up working as a content writer in fashion, however, life’s got different plans for her. “I got to Net-a-porter, doing a production. I watched these art directors doing their work, and I was like ‘OMG that’s what I want to do’. That’s how I got from six years old to 26-years-old of my career path and interests,” she says.
Pandemic was a kick start point for her to post online. “If you told me six years ago, I would be doing this now I wouldn’t believe it. I used to hate social media. I had so much anxiety around posting, and now it’s nice to have social media and not have a personal Insta anymore. Very much a journey which people don’t realise,” she says.
It happened. Magda started posting online and built her community, however, it feels like there might be some misunderstanding coming with her presence online. “I think a lot of people think that I am just that Gen-Z young 20-year-old girl who just got on Instagram and is doing her thing, but there’s so much creativity behind it,” she says. Being creative plays a huge part in her life; she wants it to have meaning. She knows that clothes take over her social media, with no emphasis on who she really is. “My identity isn’t really on my Instagram; it’s just my creativity. My day-to-day life is something that people don’t see. Sometimes I do a little bit of personal stuff, but I don’t think people are really fussed to hear about me and what I am going through. Some people are, but as soon as I talk about myself, doing normal posts, the engagement drops heavily. I know that people follow me for the type of imagery I am creating, and I appreciate that,” she says. Even though she’s done it all and finally created an online persona she’s comfortable with, she also wants to be heard. “I love doing interviews because that’s a really nice way for people to understand what I am doing and who I am. This is not just me goofing around on social media,” she says. It has so much more to it.
Magda is a person to admire. She turns simple pictures into magic. Posing in funky clothes, creating DIY editorials. It seems like she can pull off anything. Fluffy hat and checkered skirt? Why not? Full denim? Hell yeah. Neons? Duh. She’s inspired by simply existing. “My imagery is very simple. I never have a busy background; the clothes always have to speak for themselves. How I present the clothes need to have this clear narrative; it’s there to inspire people as well. I look at the clothes to inspire me and then I think about the environment. If it’s a summery beautiful piece, I do the blue sky. Locations inspire me as well. I love car parks and industrial spots. I am still yet to explore a lot of places. I have my one Waitrose car park in West London. Whenever I am stuck, I just go there. I’ve been kicked out twice already but I keep coming back,” she says.
Magda has many incredible collaborations on her account but there’s one which is hard to beat. “I am still at the beginning of my art directing career, but my D’Accori campaign (which is the brand of those crazy green shoes I always wear), is still my favourite bit of work I’ve done. We came together with this idea of a girl getting dressed in the back of the seat with heels everywhere, having this nightlife, nighttime, sexy dark vision. I brought my photographer friend Daniel Tarcher (@danieltarcher) and we made the most magical photography, it’s so good. To this day, that is definitely my pride and joy. I am waiting for another campaign to top it but at the moment I think it’s too good,” she says.
As growing on Instagram is uncertain, she wants to go more towards Art Direction. She’s a self-learner, inspired by various editorials and creates spectacular images. Magda wants to stick to this method of self-expression, even though the era of video is slightly taking over. “Despite the social media push behind video content, my heart will always be in imagery, as I don’t feel like I can be as creative with video as I can with stills. With stills, it’s easier to create unique, editorial-inspired content without needing any special effects, curated spaces and expensive equipment. The most interesting videos I’ve seen on social media often need that higher level of production. I really hope it comes back around because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep scrolling through TikTok – my screen time has doubled,” she says.
Even though she adores the fashion world, there is still a lot to fix. “Opportunities in fashion are endless, but actually getting them is often the difficult part for many people, due to this ongoing structure of ‘interning’ for free. Nearly every person in fashion I’ve spoken to has worked for free at least once in their career! And it’s why so many people in this industry come from privilege. I often get asked how I got to where I am. Even though I’ve worked hard, at the beginning I was also able to get opportunities that helped kick start my career because I lived in London with my parents paying no rent and was able to work for nothing. Without that I’m not sure I’d be where I am now,” she says.
It felt so necessary to also speak about fast fashion and Magda’s approach to it. It’s been a hot topic for the past few years and has its different outcomes. Many people have been cancelled or shamed for wearing fast fashion. Magda explains what she thinks about it. “I really dislike cancel-culture, however I’m not here for fast fashion brands and will not work for any anymore. So many of them steal work from young designers, and then of course there are all the environmental issues too. But not everyone can afford to buy more expensive pieces of clothing. I know the pieces I wear are often too expensive for a lot of people, so I understand some elements as to why many still shop fast fashion, despite various arguments such as ‘why don’t you just buy all clothes second hand’, which I don’t think is a particularly fair point. I do my best, though, to use my platform to be a voice for small designers and showcase exciting work that comes so far away from fast fashion,” she says.
In an era of judgement, comparison and constant hustle, all you gotta do is to do your thing. “Start small, work your way up, keep reaching out to people. If you’re not getting experience in what you want to do – try doing stuff yourself as I did with a magazine. Research who you’re working for, who you want to work for, and network. Networking is so important in this industry. That’s something I am not great at, but you have to try at events. Without a glass of prosecco, it’s a long way for me,” she says.
Be yourself, be unique, embrace it, eventually, it’s going to pay off. Magda had only friends on her Instagram. Now she has a little army of fashion admirers. Thanks to her, we can explore small brands, upcoming talents and designers. Her love towards Alexander Mcqueen, Ashley Williams, D’Accori, Molly Goddard, and recently Margiela has its impact on the outcome of her projects. There’s much more to come. What is it? We don’t know, but for sure, it’s global. Good luck on your colourful journey Magda!
Text by Kinga Ludwin
Photographer Magda Kaczmarska
