"My collections are about chance and also about luck," says the designer, who built her business on quilting
Why do I have to re-stitch my clothes?
I simply got tired of shopping for clothes not only in chains and shopping malls, but as such. I tried to have a professional seamstress sew a few pieces of clothes for me from the leftover yardage and I started thinking intensively about consumerism, how not to buy new ones and how to use what is already there, how to work with textiles that nobody wants anymore...
How did you go from being a hobbyist to starting your own brand?
I've always been fascinated by handmade. And the more I got interested in the workings of the fashion industry, upcycling and working with textile waste, the more I started thinking about a project of my own. I'm new to sewing myself, but on the other hand, I've been doing marketing for a few years now, so I thought that teaming up with someone I could give life to a brand with a deeper meaning.
But you didn't just stay with brand management, you also threw yourself into adding education directly in the field...
Exactly, the idea of my own project and adequate education went hand in hand, and so now I am in the 3rd year of a distance learning course at the Secondary Industrial School of Clothing in Prague's Holešovice with other seamstress friends.
How important is sustainability in fashion to you?
It's hard for me to define "sustainability", almost nothing is inherently 100% sustainable, but if we're going to talk about select natural materials, timelessness in wardrobe and quality pieces, it's important to a lot of people.
Do you see a shift in that direction for us? Are we more interested in slow fashion than we used to be?
Personally, I see a shift, but that's mainly because I'm in this environment. For a person who is a customer of conventional stores and brands, slow fashion can still be a big unknown.
How are your collections created?
We mainly base the alterations of clothes on what is on offer, or what unwanted clothes and material is available at that particular moment. It's sometimes about chance and also luck, but we usually manage to make our ideas come true. Lately, it's not just "every dog, every village" pieces, but together with the clever and enthusiastic Alenka Hartmann, we are realizing more comprehensive low-end collections, most recently a collection of upcycled W H I T E shirts, and we are preparing for the next one. The individual pieces are more in the vein of simplicity, minimalism, in shades of white or earthy colours and the colours of nature.
Your collections are beautifully photographed. How is the shoot going and do you always shoot with the same team?
Oh, not at all. Maybe, as they say nowadays, I don't have such a fine-tuned "feed", but I'm always interested in making collaborations meaningful for both parties. I like to work with creative people with whom we are in tune with each other. And I have to knock on wood that so far it's working, I'm grateful and excited about the results of the work.
What are you currently working on?
I'm currently working on a new concept of vintage and second hand wedding dress rental. It's a project of mine that has been "in the drawer" for a long time. I've been collecting vintage wedding dresses for almost two years now - often you just have to look in your mothers' or grandmothers' wardrobes. I think a wedding can be a memorable experience without being wasteful, which is why Wedding by Design is a very personal affair from the dress selection to the final styling.
Do only brides choose to be in your Bridal by Design?
The concept is primarily aimed at them, but as I am aware that not every one of them would walk down the aisle in a 70 year old dress, I offer dresses for hire, for example to change into as so-called "after midnights". However, the composition of the dresses and the colour range in the hire shop is varied and can be used for all sorts of occasions.
What's behind the name Creation?
Making something, working with your hands, being able to touch the finished product... Creating. To live by making. I like the Czech language and bending the noun into another form was just a game to make the brand not sound too conventional.
And finally: you have a little girl, how do you manage to combine work and motherhood?
It's hard. Nina is still small and I don't want to waste these precious moments of childhood, so I try to work mostly when her eyes are closed...
This article was written in collaboration with Life is Fashion.
