Various original designs, bold styling, inspiration from nature, the starry sky, or references to contemporary society, which is often manipulated by hoaxes and fake news. The Saturday evening of the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Live! brought elaborate collections and topics that reflect current social events. Mária Štvrtecká opened the second day with her “Fluidity” collection. Petra Weingart followed with fiercely wearable models underlining the elegance of every woman. Silvia Zrebná drew inspiration from the forest and the wonders of fall nature including glittering raindrops, dense darkness, and spider webs. Puojd presented patterns in bold colors and unique forms of clothing. In the “Asimilar” collection, the freier brand expressed concern about the acquired conformity that affects people’s judgment. The end of the evening belonged to Pavlo Dendis and his NORTH STAR collection inspired by the crew of a ship sailing on the dark surface of the sea towards the North Star Polaris.
The second evening, characterized by a strong designer’s signature,
sophisticated collections, and refined styling, conveyed a strong artistic experience to the guests.
Mária Štvrtecká – color wandering and movement analysis
In her work, the young fashion designer connects sociological themes with art. She likes to
move beyond the borders of conventional fashion design, mostly experimenting with form,
patterns, and innovative processing of materials. In the current collection “Fluidity”, she
critically analyzes the world around us and its influence on people’s behavior, based on the
ideas of the Polish-British sociologist Zygmund Bauman. The fluidity of the times is
transferred to the collection, both visually and conceptually. In her collection, Mária works
with the motif of a travel coat, which she perceives as a symbol of impermanence and
wandering. At the same time, the mantle personifies a certain kind of protection from the
world and its snares. Impermanence, movement, and variability are also reflected in the
fabric patterns, designed by the multi-genre designer Michaela Bednárová, the creator of
the Puojd brand. The Fluidity collection is full of playful colors, bold patterns, and original
details that highlight the wearer’s individuality.
Petra Weingart – on the waves of one’s existence
Creation based on functional clothing and streetwear characterizes Petra Weingart.
Minimalist silhouettes, high-quality materials with attention to sophisticated details, and
clean cuts are the answer to dealing with unnecessary excess. Petra finds inspiration for the
current Waves collection in the rhythm of life and the constantly changing tides of
existence. In the process of creation, she discovers the elegance of adaptability and accepts life’s changes as part of the journey. “With each piece, I sail with ease on the waves of life and embrace transformation as art,” describes the designer. The monochromatic collection in different shades of beige, gray, and black offers a practical and variable capsule for women who can appreciate tailoring skills and elaborate details, thanks to which the models have the author’s unique stamp of excellence.
Silvia Fröhlich Zrebná – in the embrace of fall nature
The SILVIA ZREBNA brand builds on clean lines and an emphasis on detail and cutting
solutions. It’s feminine, but it’s not just for women. It is intended for those who identify with
the brand. The collections are mostly dominated by dark and earthy colors, the key
combinations of which determine the mental state of the designer. The new collection of
designer Silvia Fröhlich Zrebna’s ANOTHER KIND OF LOVE comes from the bowels of forests
and emotions that accompany a personal situation. He looks for inspiration in the fragrant
forest after the rain, cobwebs, undergrowth, soil, dense darkness, penetrating sunlight, or
glittering raindrops. The concept of an autumn, rainy forest is evoked by the materials used,
which have their character and structure – for example, lace with sequins like a wet spider’s
web that glistens in the morning rays, green double-sided denim with a silver sheen, rust
fabric with a bark structure, cotton tracksuit fabric resembling a muddy garment and more
materials such as wool, natural silk or mixed materials mostly with a soft sheen. The colors
ranging from dark brown, green, and black, through striking orange and silver to white
evoke the dry autumn forest. The silhouettes are based on the styling and combination of
clothing – oversized coats, T-shirts with a logo or the name of the collection in the form of
embroidery, shirts with an extended stand-up on one side, and asymmetric skirts revealing
the body… At the same time, complementary corsets, narrow pants, and tighter skirts seem
to reflect contradictory emotions and thoughts. The cuts of the clothes are minimalist with
an emphasis on detail. “The collection is not intended for a specific gender or age category,
on the contrary, it is intended for all those who have love in them. The intermingling of
women’s and men’s silhouettes is a symbol of much-needed and at the same time natural
diversity,” adds Silvia Fröhlich Zrebná.
Puojd – experimenting with material and new forms
The work of textile designer Michaela Bednárová, who creates under the brand Puojd, is
mainly characterized by original designs that are produced using various textile technologies with an emphasis on experimentation with materials and the search for new structures. In her collections, she deals with various current social topics, works with feelings of nostalgia, and tries to portray an authentic Slovakia. In the current collection, she focuses on playing with form, freeing herself from preconceived themes and concepts. In the designs, she works with simple expressive elements – eyes, waves, and repeating geometric shapes, which stand out in the jacquard weaving technologies used. All designer fabrics are made in Italy and the clothes are sewn in Slovakia. As the designer claims, her goal is to approach creation more sustainably and practically. That is why in the current collection she benefits from proven cuts, to which she adds new elements and patterns. The designer Šimon Galanský participated in the collection with his designer shoes. They will become a
distinctive addition to simple and commercial clothing pieces.
Freier – an eye-catching western with masterful styling
A characteristic element of the Freier brand is a raw design inspired by street fashion with a
wide range of combinability. Experimentation with cut, strong visual detail on clothing and
perfect styling are the focus of the author’s work. When creating collections, he focuses on
men’s fashion, which naturally crosses its boundaries and becomes neutral. Part of the
proposed clothes is a reference to world cinema and iconic links that create authentic
stories. The presented “Asimilar” collection is a strong clothing attitude and at the same
time a metaphor for acquired conformity, which affects people’s judgment. Their opinion is
subliminally manipulated and changed in someone’s favor based on hoaxes, fake news, and
misinformation. As is usual with the designer, this time too the cult film THEY LIVE from
1988 by director and screenwriter John Carpenter served as inspiration for the collection.
The plot of the film focuses on the invasion of an alien entity-elite, which subliminally
manipulates and enslaves people through the media to maintain the established status quo
(the development of conformity and the promotion of consumerism). The collection of 18
different silhouettes works with a selection of denim garments (jackets, jeans, vests,
skirts…) that are the bearer of the concept. Woolen scarves, so-called Tibetan women are
artfully incorporated into the clothing. As domestic export goods copy Persian patterns and
fittingly complement the concept of implementing a change in traditional clothing. The
reference to the movie inspiration of the collection is carried in the embroidery and the
printing of slogans and slogans, which were created in collaboration with the creative studio
Flace.
Pavol Dendis – sustainable luxury in the colors of infinity
The work of designer Pavol Dendis is dominated by precise cutting solutions, tailoring,
attention to detail, and simple colors. He gained popularity among clients by designing his
signature coats and the rainbow PRIDE collection. He presents his collections at home and in the Czech Republic. In the latest collection, NORTH STAR describes the moment when the
ship’s crew travels across the dark surface of the sea in search of the only fixed point that
appears to them in the sky – beyond the North Star Polaris. The designer’s intention was to
materialize the feeling of a kind of nostalgia, which is present in his work together with
eclecticism. To the surprise of all his fans, the current collection combines many colors,
patterns, styles, and unexpected details. Materials include 100% pure wool, silk, pure silk
velvet, 100% cotton, rubber-coated canvas, rooster feathers, and lurex materials. The
collection partially consists of dead-stock fabrics, confirming the designer’s continual focus on sustainability in his work. It underlines the sailor storyline with stripes and checks, but also patterns of rose or tricolor violet. The color palette includes black, midnight blue, dark blue, burgundy, and off-white. Short and long raglan-sleeve coats with buttoned panels, construction and deconstruction sewing, tailcoats, dresses with frills, long and midi skirts, shirts with deconstructed sleeves and open, lined cuffs, boxer shorts – all these cuts and tailoring are recognizable characteristics collections by Pavol Dendis presented in the
preferred fast catwalk style.
About Mercedes-Benz Fashion Live!
Fashion LIVE! is a fashion event that makes Slovak and world fashion available to the public
through showcasing collections of seasoned fashion designers and promising young talents. During the three show days, fashion lovers can enjoy several shows a day. This year, the luxury car brand Mercedes-Benz became the new key partner of the event.
