There’s nothing new under the fashion sun. We decided to put this bold claim to the test, joining forces with Textil Forum to get two students from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague to create a wedding dress or bridal accessories. In this issue of Mile we present Textil Forum and its owner, Jana Řehořová, and meet the designers and their projects. You can look forward to the result in the next issue.
Career change
Jana Řehořová left her job in IT to swap crisis management for silk as light as a summer day, velvet as soothing as a quiet night and brocades fit for a royal court. She is the owner of Textil Forum, a company that supplies fabrics to top Czech and Slovak designers. But anyone can buy from the shop in Prague’s Vinohrady district or via the e-shop. “I quit IT after experiencing everything from burnout to bossing and sexual harassment,” says Jana, describing her experiences before switching to the textile industry.
Comprehensive services
Jana currently divides her time between three companies: Textil Forum, selling fabrics and haberdashery; a small clothing collection called Yollo; and organising courses and training events under the brand name Stehovka. “I want to offer people a comprehensive range of services, to show that sewing is not just for the older generation. To educate people in sustainability and what sewing is all about, that it’s not possible to sew a pair of trousers for peanuts,” she says. What does a comprehensive range of services mean in real life? At Textil Forum you can buy fabrics, have someone make something out of them, or learn to sew on courses and create something yourself from the fabrics, all under one roof. You can have items repaired or altered here. Jana also offers to help designerswith their collections, if they’re at risk of missing a deadline, say, or one of their tailors or seamstresses drops out.
ŠÁRKA ZEJDOVÁ
Clothes designer and student of fashion and footwear design at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. She focuses on fashion art, finding inspiration in nostalgia and rural aesthetics. Experimenting with technologies and materials is a major part of her work.
Fabric treasures
Look at the page opposite. Isn’t it beautiful? Do you know how many dif- ferent shades of white there can be? How crepe silk differs from Dupioni? What material to make a coat out of? At Textil Forum you can find fabrics from Japan, the United States or Denmark. It’s the Czech Republic’s only seller of Italian cotton velvets, high-gram matte satins and decorative or lace fabrics from India. Jana will be happy to advise you, she can arrange custom printed fabrics, from silk to wool, order small quantities and track down the seemingly unavailable.
Symbolism of new beginnings
“My design for a wedding dress for Mile is based on the traditional saying, ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, silver six pence in her shoe,’” Šárka Zejdová explains. She understands this saying as symbolic of happiness, wishes and new beginnings, and she adds silver to this tradition to link past and present. “Silver is a mirror of elegance and the strength that is important for this moment,” Šárka adds.
The delicacy of ballerinas
“I prefer natural materials, so I went for silk chiffon for lightness and Dupioni silk, whose coarser fibres enhance the natural feel, ” says Klára Drevenák. “The dress is inspired by Degas’s ballerinas. I’ve developed them into a grown-up version, while retaining their delicacy and innocence,” Klára explains. Her inspiration came from the theme of this issue – hues – and also the theme of the next issue, which the designer has hidden in the dress’s silhouette.
KLÁRA DREVENÁK
Fashion design student at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. In her work she tries to reflect environmental issues and explore the link between fashion consumption and sustainability.
Text: Hana Janišová | Photo: Eda Babák | Article partner: Textil Forum, textilforum.cz
