Designer Profile

Andrzej K Pytel completed his Architecture degree at the University of Queensland in 2002, and Bachelor of Environmental Design at the University of Canberra. In his early career, he worked for Daryl Jackson in Canberra, HOK and BMA in Brisbane. He was also head designer for the New York Highline competition with A4A architects in Milan, receiving an honorable citation by the jury. However, after only 3 years working as an architect, Andrzej began to feel frustrated with the repetitive, commercial aspects of the industry and progressively became drawn towards other fields of design. He began exploring with a different range of mediums and materials, applying design processes acquired from architecture to inform his studies. Several of these works including a furniture piece and tiles for a kitchen, were selected and showcased in MiART Milan and Earls Court London Exhibition. The graphic nature of the work led him to experiment with t-shirt print application and ultimately fashion design as an alternative to architecture.

In 2004 he eventually quit his position as an architect and launched fashion label SIZE. Within 6 months, the first collection was available in 12 boutiques across the East coast of Australia. In 2006 SIZE was a finalist at the NRA National Retail Association, winner of the Christian Hell award sponsored by Yen, and Home Bake Yound Designer Award by Dazed & Confused. In 2007 Andrzej participated in the Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival; in the same year, he opened the SIZE flagship store. Since opening the store, the brand has grown considerably, establishing a strong local following among a variety of target audiences.

In 2009 Andrzej participated in New Zealand Fashion Week, launching his new brand House of Ezis. EZIS marked a shift in design approach, from surface application to geometry based garment design; exploring draping and folding as a means of customizing garments within a context. Since launching EZIS, Andrzej has been published in Oyster, Culture, Dazed & Confused and SPOOK magazines. He has received considerable interest from international musicians like Groove Armada, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, Don Diablo and TyDi who choose the brand to portray their unique individual identities while performing. The brand caters to both sexes, focussing on three key target markets; Performing Artists, Creative Professionals and Youth Culture.

In March 2011 EZIS was ordered by Japanese department store giant, SEIBU in Hong Kong, and the range is currently available among the worlds top fashion lines. Between design, production, retail and wholesale, Andrzej has presented at QLD Art Museum and QUT School of Design, regarding the relationship between Fashion + Architecture and design process.

The collection titled - Forgotten, was showcased at the "memories of King Kowloon" Exhibition in Hong Kong (20 April - May 31). The collection explored the concept of non-duality through metamorphic design processes and was exclusively produced by invitation from arts education organization - Hong Kong Creates.

Andrzej is currently exploring 'the unit' - questioning the infinate variations of one envelope of fabric that perpetually returns to its origin following a cycle of growth and development. This approach is a conscious move toward meaningful practice and product development customized with respect to space and time specifics.