Pre-fall 2024 “Sękacz”
The leading motif for this mini collection is a decorative golden clasp. Its organic form recalls a traditional layered cake baked on a spit over an open fire in eastern Poland. Called “sękacz” (“knotted”, because of its tree-like rings), the cake has a long history on Polish lands, prepared for special occasions, holidays, and weddings at least since the end of the 15th century. Thanks to its unique, ornamental shape, it served as an adornment for every table.
Traditionally, sękacz is made from emmer, a variety of hulled wheat. Layer after layer of dough is poured over a spit rotating on an open fire, creating the signature “tree knots” in the cake’s cross-section.
It’s a taste of my childhood. In my house, sękacz was always sliced into thin discs, family members competing over who’d cut it into a continuous, unbroken round. The shape always brings up for me the sweetest memories.
