RISK MADE IN WARSAW BY PAWEL SWANSKI STUDIO
What happens when two worlds meet? The world of painter and designer Paweł Swanski, of bold lines, murals, urban culture, men's streetwear and design, and the world of feminine cuts, timeless elegance, comfort and fashion commentary signed RISK Made in Warsaw?
The result is the limited collection RISK MADE IN WARSAW BY PAWEL SWANSKI STUDIO.
Swanski is a painter, a designer and one of the artists who grew out of skateboarding culture. His murals can be seen from Tokyo, through Los Angeles, to New York. He has exhibited in Milan, Cologne and Warsaw. For years he also ran his own clothing brand, Turbokolor.
RISK Made in Warsaw was founded in Warsaw in 2011. It designs clothes for women that combine comfort, functionality and sensuality. Designer Antonina Samecka loves translating cultural stories into clothes most of all, which is why RISK is known for its unexpected, original prints. Everything has always been made in Poland.
RISK had wanted to make a collection with Swanski for several years. When it finally happened, it wasn't a brand meeting an artist, but two people who know how to design unique, collectible clothes.
"I really wanted to bring Paweł's line onto fabric. He's an amazing artist with a beautiful, distinctive line. But I also knew our collaboration wouldn't stop at his artwork on our pieces. Paweł has designed clothes himself, so we worked together on the cuts, the colours and the smallest details," says Antonina Samecka.
That's how RISK Made in Warsaw by Pawel Swanski Studio came to be. A collection in which Swanski doesn't decorate ready-made clothes. His world becomes part of their construction: it appears on linings, hoods, backs, in embroidery, print and details. Sometimes it can be seen from afar, other times it's hidden and meant only for the person wearing the piece.
The main motif became mythical creatures. Swanski has long been fascinated by mythology and folklore, especially by how the same figures change meaning depending on the place and culture.
"In Japan, the dragon is not a monster to be feared. It's a symbol of strength, wisdom, happiness and good energy. The basilisk is a symbol of evil and death. This contrast is an allegory of life. Without darkness there is no light, without evil there is no good. We all carry both within us, and it's up to us to decide on the balance between them. That balance makes up the character and edge of the modern woman," says Paweł.
And so the Warsaw Basilisk met the Asian dragon. In a scarlet print it runs across the dresses and the shirt. In gold thread it appears on the jackets, the jumpsuit and the hood of the sweatshirt. It hides in the details and in the linings.
Swanski's Basilisk isn't meant to scare. It's meant to give you strength. You can wear it big and golden on your back or hidden under a blazer. It's part drawing, part symbol and part modern Warsaw talisman.
The city is another central theme: Warsaw. "While designing this collection, I also focused on the slogan «RISK Made in Warsaw». I grew up in Warsaw, and my emotional world was largely shaped by the history of a city that was destroyed and rebuilt. On top of that, a whole life spent on a skateboard means the Warsaw street has had a huge influence on me too," says Paweł.
Swanski wrote "Made in Warsaw" in his distinctive hand, which was turned into embroidery and artwork that appear, among others, on the jacket inspired by the military M65 and the oversized T-shirt.
In this single slogan, both sides of the collaboration actually meet. For Swanski, Warsaw is the city where he grew up as an artist, designer and skater. For RISK, it's where the brand was born, where the design work happens and part of its name from day one.
The collection includes: the Suka Jacket as a souvenir from Warsaw, with embroidered basilisks, Swanski's signature and a surprise inside: a scarlet basilisk lining, made so that the jacket can be worn on both sides. Plus a jacket inspired by the M65, a jumpsuit, two dresses, a blazer, suit trousers playfully inspired by Paweł's personal style, a shirt, a sweatshirt, an oversized "Made in Warsaw" T-shirt, a scarf and a bag. They were designed for women, but in a way that lets her boyfriend borrow them.
It's a collection full of contrasts. Swanski's bold drawing meets RISK's soft, sensual dresses. A Warsaw legend meets Asian mythology, but instead of drowning each other out, these things start talking to each other.
This collection couldn't have been made anywhere else. Made in Warsaw, literally and figuratively.
Launch: 24 September 2026
The collection is available in limited quantities at online store and at the RISK Made in Warsaw boutique, Szpitalna 6A in Warsaw
FUN FACT: Embroidering the three dragons perched on the Suka Jacket takes 16 hours; writing the program that translates the drawing into embroidery takes a week. The embroidery is made by a company with more than 100 years of tradition. Each jacket takes dozens of hours to make, which is why only 70 were produced.
