When I stepped off the bus in Lodz to meet with Ewa Michalak, her son Dominik kindly met me and accompanied me to the studio. Lodz, Dominik quickly volunteered, is not the most beautiful city in Poland. By this point in the trip, I had briefly visited three major cities: Warsaw, the modern and wealthy capital; Krackow, a historic center of education and culture; and Poznan, what a native described as "just a regular city where people live and work". In comparison, Lodz enjoyed it's golden age during the Industrial Revolution and like the manufacturing cities in Northern England, it focused it's attentions on commerce and production, rather than arts or politics. Today, it's a center for Polish full bust lingerie, with Comexim, Kris Line, Corin and Ewa Michalak all situated in the city or surrounding area. Down a narrow alleyway, Dominik drove us to a rather nondescript office building. Ewa Michalak's atelier is situated on one of the upper floors, hiding away the lingerie magic happening inside.
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