broKat . Wear black gold. Turn your swag on Silesian-style.

2 November 2015

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On Monday morning, laden with luggage, we get in to the train on 6 A.M. Destination: Katowice. What’s so interesting there? – our friends would ask, to which we would reply, with a mysterious smirk on our faces, – to see black gold. After reaching the city, Katarzyna, who’s much more city topography-savvy, lead us to a tram station. Katowice’s trams are much different from the ones in our Poznań – they have tiny cars, which are significantly more noisy. 😉 However, we don’t give up on the public transportation, because it’s a great way to observe and get to know a city. Having reached our destination, we’re admiring a house on the other side of the street covered with wallpaper, a remnant of a street-art festival. bro.Kat (a clever name that means “glitter” but also highlights the first letters of its hometown) was created five years ago, in an industrial district of Katowice – Załęże. We had a very friendly greeting that included some coffee and crispbread with pesto in a very modern studio of young and energetic designers. Their passion is artistic construction of items and architecture. Not only are they business partners, but also best friends. They know each other form first grade of elementary school, went to the same high school and both chose to major in architecture. Together, they designed HOCHGLANCE collection, which means “high flash.” There’s a bunch of people involved in its creation: local jewelers and sculptor, Mr. Czesław. It’s a cool story that I’ll gladly share with you. Czesław Jurkiewicz is a sculptor from Katowice. He creates bas-reliefs, figurines of miners – everything from coal. Everything is also connected with the region industrial of Silesia, where lies Katowice. “I’m a plastic by trade, not a miner. But it’s mining that my live revolves around” – told us Mr. Czesław. Everyday, he walks around the mine and collects the hardest pieces of coal. However, the designers warn to take special care with the jewelry. So don’t bite the coal, or let it fall down on the floor. 😉 Each piece of the collection is unique and handmade. Each lump of coal, as a result of being chipped off a larger block of stone, has a unique shape. “Once, the regions wealth was built on it, today, as its role as a fossil fuel is decreasing, we’re trying to rediscover it in our designs.” That’s how the designers have created an incredible type of architecture on a micro-scale. An object of dark desire, which can definitely arouse envy in others!

Fed-up with constantly repeating patters and motifs, we proudly wear the pedants and thin rings. They shine marvelously in the sunlight. It’s the first black gold in our collection.