Let’s talk about chocolate – not the kind you eat, but the kind you wear.
Nutico™ – the first market innovation by Bio2materials, a Warsaw-based research and development company that creates sustainable material solutions based on waste processing and biologically sourced raw materials – is a leather-like material made from cocoa husks and walnut shells. The scientists and designer behind it call it chocolate leather – and yes, it really smells faintly like chocolate.
Born from years of trial, error, and a failed experiment involving apples (turns out apple leather ages faster than you’d want), Nutico is the result of thinking differently about waste. Instead of synthetic binders or water-intensive processes, Nutico is made with zero water, no polyurethane, and no PVC – just food waste, organic cotton, and some very smart chemistry.
It’s not just a material. It’s a confident rethinking of the misconception that sustainability has to compromise on beauty or durability. Soft, rich, tactile – it looks and feels like the real thing, minus the environmental guilt.
“We hope that materials like Nutico will help reduce the use of both natural leather and synthetics. But we don’t expect to eliminate them entirely – there will always be people who prefer traditional leather”,
says Katarzyna Szpicmacher, the founder of Bio2materials.
You’ll start seeing Nutico in fashion, furniture, interiors, maybe even the dashboard of your next car. It’s an investment, but that’s kind of the point – good things take time, and this one took seven years.
Nutico isn’t trying to replace leather. It’s offering a different story – one that begins with a walnut shell and ends with something worth holding onto.
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Introducing the Magda Butrym pre-spring 2026 look-book: an ode to revived, lady-like femininity documented in the romantic courtyards and gritty streets of Warsaw’s most elusive quarter.
The look-book is an emotionally charged exploration of Warsaw’s lesser known, yet enigmatically alluring neighborhood: the Praga-North quarter. Defined and characterized by historic pre-war townhouses, secret courtyards adorned with sacred shrines and untamed blooms, and offbeat bazaars favored by locals, the district exudes a mysterious atmosphere that resonates with the sentimental and romantic notions of Slavic Heritage – one of the brand’s most distinctive signatures.
Photographed by Robin Galiegue and styled by Jacob K, the new season look-book expresses Magda Butrym’s deep affection for the ritual of dressing up and the innate, instinctual chic possessed by women of a bygone era. The nonchalance – and undeniable authenticity – of bouffant-haired ladies and sensational dames comes to life in ultra-feminine slip layered beneath robust fur coats; delicate, draped tops paired with lace-trimmed skirts; and bold floral prints clashed against unexpected hues. These codes of elegance draw from Butrym’s vivid childhood memories of the impeccably dressed women she loved observing—and felt inspired by. As she recalls, they didn’t dress up only for special occasions but made an effort with their style on daily basis – and that’s exactly what made such a long-lasting impression on her.
The pre-spring 2026 collection channels the spirit from real glamour, reimagined for the modern age – no longer just an ornament, but a powerful, confidence-boosting armor.
All dressed up and brimming with attitude, the look-book’s nearly cinematic heroines lounge on upholstered deck chairs, stride through the lively streets of Praga-North, and revel in the hidden, picturesque corners of the rough-around-the-edges quarter. The narrow silhouettes – accentuated by shoulder-padded, hourglass-shaped pony-hair jackets and knee-length skirts – are offset by the utilitarian energy of heavy-duty leather bombers and a slouchy rose-red tracksuit. Hip-padded mini dresses boldly reveal flesh, while shaggy boleros and voluminous masculine coats offer a sense of protection. A floor-sweeping crimson dress with a dramatic back slit is finished with a vintage-inspired flower necktie, its petals subtly shredded. Beneath the collection’s rich textures, artisanal details, and lady-like decorum lies a raw, risqué energy- sexual, liberated, and unapologetically bold.
The look-book thrives on an unexpected, magnetic tension: rose gardens blooming amid brutalist surroundings, sacred icons of Saint Mary tucked away in shadowy alleys. It reflects the designer’s vision of ambiguous femininity – glamorous and “perfected” at times, yet coarse and grunge-tinged at others. That sensual duality is especially vivid in this season’s leg-centric silhouettes: curved wedges and semi-sheer, tights-like trousers evoke a strong, sculptural attitude, inspired by one of Sarah Lucas’ tapering artworks made from stockings stretched over wire and anchored by concrete high heels. The season’s eveningwear – structured in body-morphing forms and elevated through exaggerated silhouettes- also nods to the British artist’s crude, unfiltered approach to the female body. Lucas’ provocative vision of womanhood fascinates Butrym – and inspires in rethinking contemporary femininity.
Introducing Magda Butrym’s pre-fall 2025 collection: a romantic, chic take on grunge.
Captured by Robin Galiegue and styled by Jacob K, the latest lookbook embodies real attitude and powerful sensuality – two elements that deeply inspire the Polish designer. The collection’s gritty, tough-at-heart energy is contrasted with touches of Slavic romanticism, a defining hallmark of the label.
The pre-fall 2025 collection thrives on contrasts, weaving together baby-doll silhouettes and porcelain-inspired florals with utilitarian aged leathers and charismatic, menswear-inspired silhouettes. It’s a dialogue between the refined and the rebellious, proper and raw. This is the spirit of grunge: the courage to clash unexpected style elements and finding utmost pleasure in playing with taste conventions.
The collection’s fearless essence was sparked by the documented style of grunge icons: PJ Harvey’s breezy vintage shifts, Courtney Love’s stage slip-dresses, Juliette Lewis’ broken-glamour and Kora’s unorthodox manner of dressing. Real women inspire Magda Butrym, so it was essential for the designer to convey authentic attitude – not just in the spontaneous layering of a masculine black leather vest over a delicate sage-green floral chiffon dress but also in the models’ dynamic, lively poses choreographed by Pat Boguławski in the lookbook.
Beneath the grunge-inspired layers, however, lies a space for unapologetic elegance – in its own way an act of rebellion in today’s fast-paced world. Statuesque refinement takes shape in a semi-sheer evening gown crafted from wire-structured silk, evoking the soft, sculptural beauty of a blossoming petal – or the calla lilies immortalized by Robert Mapplethorpe, the maverick artist celebrated for his erotically charged and groundbreaking work. Polka-dotted noble silks, ruched dresses, billow-y skirts, and the cascading drapes of earthy, mocha-toned eveningwear embody undone femininity – a grunge perspective compellingly reimagined by the designer.
Magda Butrym’s enduring fascination with Slavic heritage is vividly present in the pre-fall 2025 collection, manifested through unexpected handmade crochet details. A semi-sheer crochet skirt adorned with floral doilies surprises with mini-pannier padding. Lace embellishes the bustier and hemline of a floral slip dress and peeks out from beneath leather shorts, while the grunge-inspired bride-to-be wears a white crochet veil. The collection also revisits the headscarf – a quintessentially Slavic code. Reimagined in butter-soft leather, knitted mélange, or faded floral prints, the updated babushka look exudes sharp, feminine chic.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
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Magda Butrym proudly unveils her latest campaign, “Decade of The Rose,” celebrating ten years of redefining contemporary femininity. This visually stunning campaign, which blends intimate, dark backdrops with glimpses of Warsaw’s historic streets, perfectly encapsulates the brand’s signature aesthetic-a mix of romantic dreaminess, Slavic heritage, and modern empowerment.
The “Decade of The Rose” campaign – photographed by Vitali Gelwich and styled by Jacob Kjelgaard – artfully juxtaposes a mood of quiet intimacy with feminine confidence. Set against shadowy urban landscapes, the images feature evocative shots of the internationally acclaimed supermodel Malgosia Bela. Her role as the star of the campaign is not just a reflection of her global icon status, but also her embodiment of the sophisticated, sensual, and resilient femininity that defines the brand.
The autumn-winter 2024 collection clothing, including ink-black leather jackets, broad-shouldered coats, and petal-shaped red dresses, reflects the tension between softness and assertiveness. The rose motif-central to the brand- makes its presence felt in both the collection’s floral detailing and the overall theme of the campaign, symbolizing beauty, resilience, and feminine power. At the heart of the visuals lies a duality: a dark, cinematic mood intertwined with moments of softness and grace. The campaign resonates with Butrym’s ongoing dialogue with Slavic identity, subtly evoking folk influences through pieces like the floral headscarves and handmade lace from Koniaków.
More than just a backdrop, Warsaw plays an important role in this campaign. The city, with its blend of history and modernity, reflects the essence of Butrym’s design philosophy. From the cinematic alleyways to glimpses of historical architecture, the setting of Warsaw mirrors the contrasts present in the collection itself. For Magda Butrym, Warsaw is where her journey of fashion innovation began-a city that continuously fuels her creative process with its resilient spirit and cultural richness.
The campaign video, directed by Tatiana + Karol, is enriched by its soundtrack, featuring “Szał niebieskich cial” (“Frenzy of The Celestial Bodies“) by the legendary Polish band Maanam, sung by Kora. This iconic track, deeply rooted in Polish music history, encapsulates the passion and intensity of the campaign’s visuals. Discover – and fall in love with – the full video here.
Magda Butrym’s spring-summer 2025 “Gossamer” collection marks the house’s first-ever presentation during Paris Fashion Week’s official schedule. The collection fully captures the designer’s sophisticated, distinct and authentic sense of style and aesthetic that she has formed throughout a decade of her oeuvre. It also encapsulates a certain sentiment that’s close to her heart: gossamer.
A fleeting moment, a notion deeply rooted in Slavic sensitivity, a feeling thin like spider’s web drifting in the warm air, an invisible season that softly wraps the senses and dazes the mind. A sun-drenched moment that’s sheerly feminine in its subtlety and changeability. Blink, and you miss it. But when you happen to perceive it, you feel like in a dreamworld.
The spring-summer 2025 collection captures a sense of contemporary urgency and uncontrived, lively chic. Body-hugging, artisanally-woven crotchet is instinctively layered with utilitarian minimalism in form of high-necked, cotton cargo jacket or suede, broad-shouldered coat with a just-right, over-sized fit. Silky jersey dresses that strike with flou lightness are put in unobvious contrast with pragmatic trench-coats and no-nonsense leather outerwear. Floating-in-the-air veils are complementing the unashamedly sexy eveningwear that is subtly flourishing with draped rosettes – and is not afraid of subversive cuts and slits. With new shapes and sizes of the house’s Brigitte it-bag and sling-back mesh pumps covered in intricate crotchet, the collection is a thoroughly considered blend of womanly mystery, daring attitude and Slavic Heritage preciousness.
Other than the idea of gossamer, the collection’s creative impulse are the enduring and singular depictions of Slavic women seen in paintings by Polish artists from the turn of 19th and 20th century: Stanisław Wyspiański, Jacek Malczewski and Józef Chełmoński. In their idiosyncratic, artistic perceptions, where reality blends with buoyant dreams and mystical beliefs, and the visual codes of Polishness are eternally preserved, women are reflected as both strong and sensual; assertive and mythical; refined and esoteric. These women are in-between the real world and the world of goddesses. Their heads are swathed in swirling shawls and draperies – a bold, exuberant vision that inspired SS25’s sculptural headscarves woven with metal threads. Their bodies are covered – and uncovered by gusts of wind – with layers of flimsy silks and precious lace, like literal gossamer. Yet these characters are in their element, in full control of their destiny. In those paintings, women emanate with commanding, perplexing and empowering energy that inspires – and intrigues – the designer. In her SS25 collection, Magda Butrym paints – with transparent jerseys, hand-made crotchets, lasting cottons, brisk suedes and smooth leathers – a portrait of a woman who encapsulates that kind of modern mysticism.
This woman is nobody’s muse – other than her own.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki. Don’t forget to follow Design & Culture by Ed on Instagram!
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