Area Creative Director Piotrek Panszczyk on Elevating Denim

Since 2014, Area co-founders Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg have been carving out a special space in the fashion industry for their quality craftsmanship, textile development and creative embellishments. The result is ultra-innovative, high fashion garments—with clever, often humorous winks.

Thanks to its cult-like following from celebrities and consumers alike, Area’s creative director, Panszczyk, has expanded the brand’s unique take on beauty beyond its megawatt crystalized occasion dresses, performance fashions and couture styles. An expanded range of everyday wardrobe silhouettes like humble blue jeans are imbued with Area’s signature playful glamour.

Take for instance Area’s Resort 2024 collection, which Panszczyk said was about “doubling down on everyday wardrobing, the Area way.”

Here, Panszczyk shares his denim-filled mood board of inspirations, Area fashions and a behind-the-scenes look of his design process.

Rivet: What’re your biggest inspirations when designing new denim styles?

Piotrek Panszczyk: I usually try to approach denim from two different angles: on one hand thinking of innovative ways to play with material and or shape, and on the other as an item that will both stand out and blend into your everyday wardrobe.

Rivet: Any particular or iconic denim, fashion or era references?

PP: The ongoing recontextualization of denim within culture is always a point of reference within my work.

Rivet: What words do you associate with your designs?

PP: Innovative, iconic, expressive.

Rivet: How do you personally wear your denim, or how would you style Area denim from day-to-day?

PP: Personally, I like to wear tromp l’oeil denim styles, so textiles that mimic the look of denim but are actually fabrics like leather or viscose—something that to the eye seems casual, but in reality, is something very special.

Rivet: Do you have any nostalgic or specific memories regarding denim throughout your life?

PP: I remember going to Antwerp and finding these hyper-shredded Margiela jeans that I couldn’t afford, so I re-created them myself by studying the technique and creating the look myself with a vintage pair. I was never the type in search of the perfect denim, for me denim was a tool for self-expression. There was something so accessible about it but also unique depending on how you style it, so my first ways of expressing myself through fashion a lot of times were rooted in denim.

This article was previously published in Rivet magazine.