Do it yourself and better
Pavlína Fričová needed a clutch bag but couldn’t find any she would like. And so she decided to make one herself. She did what most of us do when we need some advice. She watched a few tutorials and two days later she held the dreamt-of clutch bag in her hands.
Pavlína made a few more bags that way, but soon found out she can’t continue without a proper introduction to leatherwork. Eventually, she found a spot with Lucie Kratěnová from Leather Utilities who taught her all about the craft – and that, ladies and gentlemen, is how YRNCHE was born.
Inspired by philosophy of brands like Hermés, CHANEL, PB0110 or Building Blok, Pavlína now makes handbags, totes or wallets from natural leather (leather with no added chemicals). Sustainability is really important for her, which is why she only uses leather that is a by-product of the meat industry. Her goal? To create items that will pass from mothers to daughters.
Craft will never go out of fashion
Whether we realize it or not, the things we surround ourselves with – especially those we rely on daily – become a part of our personality. Well-aware of this, Veronika and Max have dedicated their brand to creating handbags that are worth carrying around.
The two met in Hong Kong and bonded over their love for well-crafted items, art and design. They travelled, got married and when Veronika became pregnant with their first baby, they decided to settle in Prague and start Verlein.
They have been polishing their first collection for two years and it shows. Each item is meticulously designed and the soft-toned colours are a pleasure to look at. All handbags are ethically handmade using the finest leather, which is processed in a little town near Venice and sewn together in Spain.
Project bag girls
PBG is a Prague-based studio focusing on handbag design. It was founded in 2011 by Aneta Vojtová and Tereza Horáková, two childhood friends who were struggling to find a handbag that would be both elegant and big enough to fit everything they needed. At first, the two self-taught designers made handbags just for themselves, but when more and more people asked if they could buy a piece, they decided to start a business.
They now create 2 to 3 collections a year (about 2000 pieces) and their repertoire includes handbags, backpacks, totes or fanny packs. Their designs are minimalistic and elegant, made of real or vegan leather. Thanks to the high-quality material and precise execution, the PBG bags pride themselves in being resistant and practical as well as beautiful. They are the best of both worlds.
Bottled up smells from around the world
Have you ever come back from a holiday with an intense memory of that distinct smell filling a particular city’s air? Well, just as every place in the world has its unique culture and cuisine, so are varied parts of the world characterized by different smells – and the Thai brand Vuudh knows this very well!
This brand’s range of interior fragrances captures the atmosphere in each one of the eight different Asian metropoles Vuudh picked as their inspiration. From walking inside of a temple in Bangkok to spending a hot summer evening in the glowing streets of Tokyo, each of Vuudh’s eight scents are inspired by personal recollections of cities visited by the creators.
Using high-quality and natural essential oils, Vuudh fragrances are exotic yet sophisticated and are guaranteed to recreate a memory of a chosen place in any household, including yours!
Playful ingenuity
MUCK is a studio comprising of Romana Jašková, Kristýna Kouřilová and Ondřej Červený. They got together for a school project during their studies at Prague’s UMPRUM and when they discovered they make a great team, they decided to continue working together.
Their characters, views and opinions often clash, but they believe the conflict makes their work better and keeps their ideas fresh. Whether they are designing an interior, furniture, tableware or home accessories, they always work with a concept in mind, which means there is a bigger idea behind everything they do.
In 2015, they designed an innovative furniture collection called UNI, which earned them nominations at both Czech Grand Design and Designblok. And we are certain it wasn’t their last one. Whatever they are working on, it is granted to be meticulously crafted and – most importantly – clever.
A beautiful equilibrium
Andrea is a designer with a wide range. She designs interiors, sets, furniture and home accessories – the latter of which fall under her brand Piece of GRAM. The essence of her brand lies in a perfect balance between beauty and technology, as well as between the masculine and the feminine.
After graduating from the Czech Technical University in Prague, she studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in the K.O.V. (concept, object, meaning) atelier. It was there she created the first version – a predecessor, if you want – of her acclaimed Bertram mirror series, which you can find in our store.
Just like the rest of her products, the Bertram mirror set is a meticulous blend of clean lines, functionality and traditional materials of the highest quality.
The best of both worlds
Michal is both an interior designer and a glassmaker. He graduated from UMPRUM’s atelier of product design with a beautiful set of beer glasses. During his studies, he learnt a very difficult but very exciting silver-plating technique, which makes glass look as if it was alive. It was this technique that inspired him to create “Waves”, an iconic collection of bowls and lamps, which look just like rippled water.
However, product design isn’t his only forte. In the designer circles, he is well-known for combining product and industrial design, and for being really really good at it. The new, soon-to-be-opened ZOOT stores are a shining example thereof, and so is his Žižkov apartment, where he lives with his wife, little son and a cat.
A slightly different take on ceramics
Who says ceramics = bowls, plates and vases? Not Nina. Instead of forcing her hands to create a perfect object that would tick all the artistic boxes, she lets her hands take over the process. She approaches ceramics without rules, following nothing but her intuition – just like the first humans did when they first discovered this wonderful material.
What is it she’s doing exactly, then? Nina’s creations most often qualify as sculptures or installations. Rather than showing the outcome of her efforts, she gives her audience a little sneak peek into what is the creative process like (hint: it is an absolute magic mixed with existential crisis).
Although she studied ceramics and porcelain in Prague and Amsterdam, she often expresses herself through drawings, photography, text or video as well. Her work has been a part of all kinds of exhibitions and events, be it in Prague, Belgium, Lithuania, Netherlands, Korea or Sweden.
Beechwood in motion
When she was deciding what to do for her dissertation, Pavla Boháčová (then a student at the Faculty of Art and Design in Pilsen) didn’t have to think twice. Although she was, technically, studying illustration, she took on a challenge of creating her first toy collection.
The outcome? A flock of multi-colored wooden birds that won hearts of kids and adults alike. Encouraged by her success, Pavla joined forces with friends and fellow enthusiasts and started her own brand – KUTULU. Under its flag, they are now making not just wooden birds, but also wheeled horses or figures and creatures inspired by Greek mythology.
The brand’s philosophy is as simple and elegant as their designs – to make high-quality wooden toys that will grow up with their little owners and, eventually, become a cherished piece of memorabilia. And we have to admit – had we grown up with toys like this, they wouldn’t end up in the attic, ever.
The master of understated design
Martin is an industrial designer and innovator. He believes the best product design is such you barely notice, which is why he favours high functionality and sophisticated details. In the past decade, he’s been particularly interested in 3D printing technology, which influenced his vase collections (WAVE, SPIRAL and ZIG ZAG) and prompted him to co-found Prototypum, a start-up studio focused on innovations and prototyping.
Even though he worked in studios all over the world – in Brazil, Spain or Russia – his work, he says, remains inspired by Czech temperament and language. He’s received many awards in his career, notably the prestigious American Good Design Awards for KON, a tea and coffee set he worked on with Matěj Chabera.
Nature immortalized in glass
Pavel was born in the north of Bohemia, the cradle of Czech glass making industry. When the time came to choose what to do with his life, he decided to honor his roots and become a glass maker himself.
At first, he studied product design under MgA. Zuzana Kynčlová in Železný Brod, then he moved onto the faculty Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem where he studied under Jan Fišer. Finally, he applied for his Masters at the Faculty of Architecture at ČVUT in Prague, where he is still studying now.
Pavel’s main focus is handmade glass. He draws his inspiration from nature – his lamp inspired by the landscape of the Lužické mountains won him an award for the Best New Designer at Czech Design Week and his signature grafit vases resemble bodies of common Czech beetles.
And her search for meaning
You know how life never follows a straight line, but when you look back on it, it always makes perfect sense? That’s exactly what Mária’s designs feel like – organic, just like life itself.
Mária is a designer and a jewellery maker, as well as an exceptionally perceptive human being. Perhaps that’s why she always wants her designs to have a meaning – and no, she is not afraid to dig deep in the search for it. Her work was recognized at international exhibitions in Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Germany or Poland. She was nominated for the Talente Award in Munich for her jewellery and won the competition for the Czech National Culinary Team with her porcelain set of tableware.
Although she comes from Slovakia, she lives and creates in Prague – across the river from us, actually – and we are happy to have her here!
