Area’s Piotrek Panszczyk Exits After 10 Years
After a decade of working together, Area’s cofounder Beckett Fogg and cofounder and creative director Piotrek Panszczyk are going in different directions.
Panszczyk is exiting the company. In a statement announcing his departure, the cofounders said, “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.”
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His plans were not immediately known Tuesday morning. A spokesperson for Area did not respond immediately to a request seeking more information, and he did not respond immediately Tuesday to a direct message on Instagram seeking comment.
On Sunday night, Grammy watchers could see Area’s finery on Janelle Monáe on the red carpet. The musician played up her signature avant-garde style in a two-piece deep navy power suit with a jacket with exaggerated shoulders and an oversize slouchy vibe. The singer, who later performed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as part of a tribute to the late Quincy Jones, opted to go shirtless beneath the blazer. She also wore high-waisted pants that were perfectly hemmed at floor length. (Cardi B is another high-profile fan of the brand.)
Panszczyk is the kind of talent who creates a baring black gown made of black embroidered bugle bead hands that are images of photocopied hands, or another risque gown made of gold plated brass and crystal and glass beading and sequins. He once explained, “Hands, at the root of creation, symbolize the artistry and craftsmanship that define our work, embodying the intricate processes and personal touch behind each design.”
Born in Poland and raised in Holland, Panszczyk met Beckett at Parsons School of Design while they were pursuing master’s degrees in fashion design and society. After Beckett had a run at Calvin Klein Collection and Panszczyk worked at Chloe, they teamed up to start Area in downtown New York and built up global distribution through several leading stores. How the perception of femininity and beauty evolve over time and across cultures has been explored in their designs. In 2023, he told WWD, “Area is always about looking to the past, but informing the future with it.” In step with that ideology, the brand rolled out a see now, buy now fall runway show.
And before the craze around nails set in with millions, Area used that as a starting point for a collection about hard-core femininity in 2016. Panszczyk shared the starting point for that collection with WWD at that time, “We looked at pictures of women who had just had their nails done, the shine, the gloss.”
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