Zlin Design Week became a partner of the international project Salonka 2022 – the Visegrad Feature. In December, a selection of designers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary will be presented as a showroom in Bratislava. The showroom of Czech designers, including the finalists of the international competition Best in Design 2022, will take place from the 17th to the 21st of December.
Salonka is a joint project of local art, design, books, and goodies, located in the Old Market Hall (Stará tržnica). Under one roof, visitors will have the opportunity to purchase original gifts for their loved ones on selected days, from the 7th of December to the 21st of December, while supporting local brands, publishers, artisan food producers, and artists with their purchases. More than 300 vendors will gather here during the markets.
The Czech showroom will take place from the 17th to the 21st of December 2022, when the works of the Czech finalists of the Best in Design 2022 competition will be presented. The Best in Design competition is organized as part of the Zlin Design Week festival, which is held under the auspices of the Faculty of Multimedia Communications of Tomas Bata University. If you haven’t heard about the finalists of the Best in Design 2022 competition, let’s introduce them and their work to you.
Petra Kmošťálková
Petra Kmošťálková designed a set of porcelain plates called Hettie for people with various handicaps and specific needs requiring an individual approach and special aids. The porcelain plates break the stereotype of tacky plastic and visually neglected tools and bring the possibility of a dignified dining experience. She won 3rdplace in the Best in Design competition in the Product & Industrial Design category.
Karla Gondeková & Karolína Matušková
Not only could you hear about them in Brno at Design KANTÝNA delivery, but if you have children, their work may have passed right under your hands. Karla Gondeková & Karolína Matušková together created the web platform Listovatel, which distributes worksheets for children from 7 to 11 years old. It gives space for their opinion and develops creativity that is not limited by the visual environment of the digital world. The authors not only won 1st place in the Communication Design category but also became the competition’s overall winners.
Johana Kasalická, Markéta Vašíčková, Karolína Krupičková, Johanne Hammer, and Veronika Soukupová
Johana Kasalická, Markéta Vašíčková, Karolína Krupičková, Johanne Hammer, and Veronika Soukupová created together the publication Novy Zine, which serves as a platform for the presentation and expression of progressive authors and artists. It connects culturally minded liberal society, independent of commercial goals. Novy Zine is a celebration of Czech culture, art, fashion, and design, giving it an international dimension with inclusive and diverse content. The publication’s themes extend into socio-political issues and thus seek to engage the reader in reflection and internal debate. The publication is designed to bring readers a unique experience in both print and digital form. It implements a digital AR layer, thanks to which the reader can see subsequent digital content. They won 2nd place in the Communication Design category.
Milan Florian Flíček
Milan Florian Flíček created a collection called F*cking Stop Burning Clothes, inspired by a student Jan Palach, who decided to sacrifice himself in protest of the invasion and set himself on fire on the 16th of January 1969. In the 21st century, the fashion industry burns 94 million tons of clothing annually. The collection serves as the first act of activism, calling for change and raising awareness of the situation. Why are we even talking about sustainability when clothes and fabrics, and those that have been “sustainably produced”, are being burned by millions of tons? Fabrics from “deadstock” are modified using the “Fire-Piping” technique, which creates the impression of fire. Using the upcycling technique, the author offers a solution to prevent clothing from burning and thereby end its overproduction. He won 1st place in the Fashion Design category.
václav černý
As the name suggests, the IDENTITY collection by Václav Černý was created through the author’s exploration of his own identity, which is the basis for the morphology and colouring of clothing objects. The collection is full of bold colours and unexpected shapes, which uses a unique material – original knitwear made on the Dopleta hand-knitting machine. He won 2nd place in the Fashion Design category.
Kristýna Lovasová
Have you ever thought about self-presentation on social media? Have you noticed that most people show off only the front of their body as if the back doesn’t exist? Kristýna Lovasová reflects on this phenomenon in her Textile Manifestoes, Fake perfection collection. She was inspired by her own selfie. The intended representative presentation was rasterized after uploading. This led the author to the question, why do we all aim for absolute perfection and not admit our mistakes when neither we nor technology are perfect? The idea is transformed not only by Kryštof Novák’s graphic design but also by the clothing itself. She won 3rd place in the Fashion Design category.
Kristýna Mikolášková & Tereza Drobná
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kristýna Mikolášková & Tereza Drobná got the idea to create a collection of home accessories called the Scene Collection. The feeling of isolation and burnout made the authors seek an escape from reality and create a place where they would feel good and comfortable. The collection of tables, glass vases, book stands, and bowls refers to architectural fragments or scenographic backdrops. This makes it possible to create diverse compositions, responding to the needs and imagination of the user. The entire collection is inspired by bright colours deliberately chosen to evoke joy and happiness – emotions that everyone has been missing so desperately during the lockdown. They won the Media Award.
More details and information about Salonka 2022 programme are on the website.
