SHOP, Prague City Fashion — 2011-12

SHOP, Prague City Fashion — 2011-12

From satin elegance to quirky outfits made of felt, Muset has created a strong brand identity in its clothes as well as in its often dramatic presentations of them. The striking XXY project, for instance, consists of all black and white unisex outfits that the designers present in an eerie yet glamorous atmosphere. Also gaining popularity is Sisters Conspiracy, a design team consisting of Alice Klouzkova and ]ana Jetelova, both graduates of Prague’s Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design. They opened their studio in 2005 and have focused primarily on menswear, attempting to offer an alternative to mass-produced products using high-quality materials supplied entirely by EU manufacturers. They have a showroom in Prague and their clothes are available in a number of other retailers.

Another designer whose reputation has spread well beyond national borders is Mimi Lan, who was born in Hanoi in Vietnam but settled in Prague 15 years ago. Lan’s La femme Mimi brand consists of stark, simple yet vividly colorful designs in which an Asian influence is blended into a modern, international look. Feeling half Czech and half Vietnamese, Lan thinks there may be Vietnamese aspects to her work she isn’t aware of because they come so naturally to her. Prague as well as a shop in Amsterdam and her clothes are available in a number of other retailers throughout the Czech Republic. Besides everyday wear and accessories, Lan also has made a name for herself designing out-of-the-ordinary wedding gowns. Entering the wedding-dress business was an easy one, according to Lan. Rather than let women rent badly fitting wedding gowns for around CZK 7,000 that make them look, the designer says, ‘like cheap dolls’, she prefers to offer an alternative of made-to-order dresses that range in price from CZK 7,000 to CZK 5O,OOO.