Meet Samek, the emerging Melbourne designer creating custom pieces from reclaimed materials

PHOTOGRAPHY BY GRUB GIRL

WORDS BY ZEMIRA WHITEHEAD

“Worn to be alive.”

Melbourne designer Samantha Gorczyca’s creative journey has been anything but conventional. At 13, she started sewing sheets to construct her dream hamburger-shaped bed (it was a Tumblr trend) and in her early twenties, Samantha began experimenting with creating clothing using old curtains and tablecloths.

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Her project Samek was launched in 2022, offering one-of-a-kind pieces to artists of all kinds. With a Kill Bill-esque colour palette, dramatic cutouts and athletic silhouettes, Samek is distinctly “not a clothing label”. Instead, it’s a made-to-measure service that collaborates with artists and brands to create individualised pieces of ‘artwear’. Below, Samantha reflects on Samek’s journey so far.

Tell us about you. What’s your fashion background?

My creative drive started early. Around 13 I was designing and sewing my own bed sheets as I desperately wanted a round bed in the shape of a hamburger (something I saw on Tumblr circa 2009, obviously).

The actual love for sewing clothes (not burger beds) came later, in my early twenties. I began experimenting with what was available to me which happened to be old curtains, tablecloths or fabric from op shops. I then learnt about the environmental impact of the industry, which led me in the direction of wanting to repurpose materials.

From there, I started a business collecting and re-selling secondhand hardware for making clothes (zips, buttons, etc). Although I still love this idea, I didn’t have the resources, connections or passion at the time to follow it through. My drive was always in the creative aspect of the industry, so I found my way back to that.

Apart from a couple of sewing classes, I never actually studied fashion design. It was mainly self-taught experimentation and YouTube tutorials. To be honest, I had no idea what was going on in the fashion world, I just loved finding a piece of material, seeing the potential in it and giving it a new life.

How did the label get started? Talk us through the process and the challenges.

Samek actually started less than two years ago, when I had the idea to create my own independent runway show in May 2023 and showcase my work so far. At that point, I had no business name, no experience in running my own events and had only done two paid customs, yet I had spent a few years experimenting and sporadically creating pieces for myself and others.

It was definitely a challenge. I had no idea how much needed to be done, I funded it all with my savings and essentially put it all on the line without knowing how people would respond. By the last few months, it turned into me working crazy hours every day [and] on weekends with no social life.

But it was all I wanted to do with my time, so I loved it. I learnt a lot about what it takes to put an event together. The support of the community around me really brought the whole thing to life and helped create what the brand was going to represent in the future. And it was so much fun.

What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?

I think my introduction to the industry came from my passion for protecting the environment and reimagining discarded materials, so I’ve spent a lot of time researching and being weighed down by the environmental problems within the industry.

Now I feel I’m at a point of ‘Okay, fast fashion is going to keep doing what it’s doing as long as people keep buying it’. We can’t change that overnight, however, we can get clear on what we are replacing the fast fashion industry with… what needs to come first is a shift in our values.

What were you trying to achieve from the project at the time? How has this evolved and what are you trying to communicate through the brand now?

I genuinely had no desire or thought behind launching it as a business or making money from it at that point, I didn’t think of it as a label launch nor did I want to sell any of the pieces, it was really just for the experience of seeing what would happen.

… Post-show there was definitely an inner pressure of ‘I should do a collection’, or duplicate designs for larger production, but that still doesn’t feel right for me. Instead, it has evolved into me centring myself as a custom designer for the arts and entertainment industry.

For artists, mainly musicians, but also dancers and performers of any discipline… I realised that I was more excited to create when each piece had a story… to support someone putting their own art out into the world.

How would you describe your label to someone who’s never seen it before?

Samek is designed for leaders in their artistry. The style has been described to me as your “superhero ’fit” – like you put that on and you know what you’re here to do. I do create from reclaimed materials [and] design and sew from scratch… so it is a very resource-centric process.

I really study the artist to extract key parts of… [their] internal environment and translate that into wearable art… You don’t need to know what you’re looking for, it gets revealed along the way.

On a deeper level, I describe Samek as “worn to be alive”. It is about being brave enough to be seen for who you are or who you’re ready to become. The clothing is simply the support and symbol of that…

What are you most proud of in your work on your label?

I’m most proud that I’ve learnt to trust myself in… [the] work I want to take on, and gotten clear on where the brand is going. I think in the beginning, I just did anything and everything… and I still sometimes do that. Yet I’m learning that when I take on a project, I’m all-consumingly in and want to put in the work to do it justice… it’s important to know when to say no.

Specifically this year, I’m so proud of the custom piece I created for the artist BVT. Creating ’fits for people who know who they are, and have a clear message to bring to the world. Our styles aligned and they really trusted the process and allowed whatever was coming through me to just happen. What an icon, goddamn.

What do you wish you knew when you started?

I would never know the right step unless I took it. I think I was waiting to be ready or sure that I was going in the ‘right’ direction, and that kind of left me in preparation paralysis.

A friend once told me that if you don’t look back on your first body of work and cringe, then you start too late. Forget about perfection and making a big impact at the beginning – start small, experiment and keep following the thread (pun intended) of what feels exciting to you.

And I know it’s cliche but it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s actually really helpful. It’s only through ‘failing’ that we really begin learning what we’re made of and what we want to evolve into. Your impact on the world – whatever it may be – will naturally come from trial and error, as you develop the skill of trusting what is right for you and your brand.

Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?

I mean for me, local designers on the rise are the most exciting to me… Local labels like Grub the Label and Bowe Fashion are two Melbourne creatives that bring really unique artistry through recycled materials.

Dream Australian collaborators?

There are so many artists that I would love to work with. Sampa The Great, Tkay Maidza and groups like Haiku Hands would be epic, I’ve always liked their style… I would really love to do something for Homie Reborn, I just saw their PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival runway and it was next level.

How can we buy one of your pieces?

At the moment I am only open for custom work… So if you’re an artist looking for a custom piece for a show, music video or just the next evolution of yourself, then you can DM me or jump on my website to see my recent work and enquire through there.

Some of my archive pieces are also available to rent for styling and shoots as well. I am beginning to work on the next runway show, which won’t be for a while, but I envision a very limited collection around that. At the moment, I don’t have any plans for ongoing collections of ready-to-wear.

Anything else to add?

I’m really excited for the future of the industry. There are so many talented people rising in their own unique way. My intention is to really create spaces that feel real and supportive of honest creativity and expression.

You can follow Samek here.