In southern Poland, a company known as GlitterLab is transforming festive fantasies into tangible Christmas decorations, earning them the moniker “the magicians of glass.”
Their bespoke baubles adorn the trees of discerning clients, including luxury giants like Swarovski, the French department store Galeries Lafayette, and London’s iconic Harrods.
GlitterLab prides itself on its unique craftsmanship, promising on its website “the ability to create shapes and designs that glass will not normally take.”
The entire production process, described as a “closely guarded trade secret,” is meticulously manual, ensuring each ornament is one-of-a-kind.
Company owner Barbara Mostowska underscores the enduring appeal of their handcrafted items.
She told The Associated Press: “In an age when you can buy anything anywhere for next to nothing, something made from scratch here in a European country, with honest work and thoughtfulness, is truly valued by customers.”
Despite its modest appearance, GlitterLab’s workshop has been operating for more than 80 years in Częstochowa, a town of 200,000 in southern Poland.
It was founded by Mostowska’s grandparents in the aftermath of World War II, making her the third generation in the family to manage the business.
“They produced glass cigarette holders, then ‘eprouvettes’ — I think that’s the word — tiny bottles for cake flavors,” Barbara Mostowska said, fondly reminiscing about how the workshop operated when she was a child.
“And then tiny baubles, then slow-blown baubles, the ones we all know from childhood, some swans, mushrooms, pine cones, that sort of thing,” she recalled.
When the company accessed the US market, it started producing more molded ornaments, such as angels or Santa Claus.
On its website, the firm also draws from the history of the town, where a local monastery holds the icon of the Black Madonna, an important object of Catholic devotion since the 14th century. Pilgrims visiting the icon would come back home with souvenirs made by local artisans.
“We are their heirs,” the owners of GlitterLab claim. “The techniques we’re using can’t simply be learned. They need to run in your DNA.”
The company’s mix of artisanal methods, new technologies and savvy marketing is very lucrative. One of their exclusive designs for Harrods, the “Yellow Floral Bauble,” is priced at £125 (around $168).
