The fashion industry’s revolving doors continue to turn as it was announced today that Piotrek Panszczyk, who co-founded Area with Beckett Fogg in 2014, is leaving the brand.
“We are incredibly proud of all we have accomplished together over the past 10 years, and for Piotrek’s vision and dedication that have shaped the brand over these years,” Fogg said on a press release.
In the last decade Area shows became one of New York Fashion Week’s essential stops. Panszczyk had a flair for the dramatic and experimental, that was also grounded in party-ready dresses and embellished denim separates. “It’s been 10 years of huge independence, 10 years of championing creativity, people, inclusivity,” Panszczyk said ahead of the fall 2024 show last September, which would turn to be his last for the brand. “We were looking back at what we did, in a sense, but we would never do a greatest hits collection, so we were thinking about, ‘what is the key thing that really defines us?’” That would be crystal and metal embellishments, graphic prints, body-con dressing, and a belief in freedom of expression—personal and political—above all.
The brand has yet to announce if or when a successor for Panszczyk will be named.
