This selection is especially relevant, as Bratislava Design Week is held in the beginning of June, and we would very much like to attend the event ourselves. And what else does our neighbor have? Mountain tops enclosed into porcelain, funny socks and totally cool leather kicks. And of course, the Czechoslovakian heritage also comes up here and there.
Bratislava Design Week
Slovakians hold their own design week in the beginning of June, and it is not something we should miss. Bratislava Design Week will be held between June 6 and 9. The four-day event will feature Slovakian, Czech and international designers. The designers include French designer Marlene Huissoud, who is a master of experimental furniture design, and her pieces have already been exhibited in Victoria and Albert Museum, Pompidou Center and MAK in Vienna. The special Coccoon cupboard is definitely something we should remember. Maria Cristina Didero will also be there in Bratislava old town: the Milan-based journalist and curator participated in editing DOMUS and VOGUE Italia magazines, and will hold lectures about vegan design to the audience of the design week this year. These and many more in early June, in Bratislava. Pentecost is coming, so go and visit our neighbors for a long weekend.
Fusakle
This is a must in Bratislava, if you don’t want to return home with a crappy souvenir. This is exactly the aim the Fusakle brand was created with, as it is a small and practicable gift, which is also funny at the same time. Their brand name has probably already given this away, but guess what: they design and manufacture socks. Besides the ones that are simply funny, one can also find quite unique Czechoslovakian ones, too. One of the most popular collections is the one featuring cartoon characters: this is particularly heartwarming for us, and especially the pair of socks inspired by Deduško Večerníček. For those who were not brought up on the territory of the former Czechoslovakia: Deduško Večerníček is the TV Maci of Slovakia: this guy in a sheepskin coat and his white dog announced bedtime stories in the evenings. For those who do not share this nostalgic feeling with us, we recommend the urban collection, which features the iconic buildings of Bratislava, Košice and Prague. The socks are not only funny, they are comfortable too, and as for composition: they are 92% cotton (they also contain traces of elastane and polyamides for the sake of sufficient flexibility). They can also be bought in a canned form!
Lucia Kováčiková
Lucia Kováčiková’s inspiration for creating her porcelain pieces comes from childhood memories and human relationships. The young designer graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava in 2014, and her works have already been showcased at several Czech and Slovakian design fairs during her university years. In 2015, she could also debut at the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair – one of the most prestigious events of the industry. Today, she prepares her ceramics pieces in a village of 600 inhabitants, in her own workshop. We noticed her when we first took a glance at her vase collection called ’Falling in love’ in one of the earlier issues of Designum. Then, we actually fell in love at the sight of ’On Mountain’: golden pigment twinkles here and there on the marbled caps formed in the shape of hilltops. A true gem! Besides all of the above, Lucia also has a sub-brand, KL/minilab: this brand offers limited edition jewelry destined for everyday use, which we would accept willingly, for example the playful coffee cups of the ’Deliciously’ set.
KOMPOT
KOMPOT has quite a funny story. The founder, Peter Hajdin had an advertising agency named Komplot, but the clients kept mishearing the name of the company, and most often they said: “Hello, Kompót?” in the telephone. The brand started off with 300 funny printed T-shirts packaged in glass jars at a summer festival, and it was all sold out quite soon. At the beginning, a few square meters were snapped from the agency’s office, then they opened their own store and also launched the online shop. Later on, they expanded the range of products offered, and they also started to distribute the items of other Slovakian design brands. Humor, irony and quality – they define the brand along this axis, and now they not only print their funny signs on T-shirts, but on canvas tote bags and phone cases, too. One of our favorites is their „Mám čas každý piatok” (“I am free on Fridays”) T-shirt, which we would very much like to incorporate into our wardrobe (provided that we were, indeed, free on Fridays). They draw a lot of inspiration from the Czechoslovakian heritage: the old 10, 50 and 100 koruna notes were printed on outer clothing items, and they also designed graphics for phone cases and T-shirts for the 45th anniversary of the handover of the metro in Bratislava.
Curious Leather Crafts
Well, it is sure you won’t find any of the like on the streets! When we found the smoking leather kicks of Curious Leather Crafts, we instantly thought of the brand of Anna Zaboeva, the Pleasemachine (it is a pity it doesn’t exist anymore). “Life is too short to wear boring shoes” – is their motto, and we can agree with that for sure. Their range primarily includes classic Oxford style shoes, but you will also find boots and light slip-ins, too. Recently, they also added leather bags to their selection, so you are bound to find the accessory that matches your shoes perfectly. The pieces are made for order, based on the wishes of the customer. Not only for women!
In our weekly series, we are presenting such Czech, Slovakian, and Polish brands and design spots, who we think are worthy to join our mental design map. It is a teaser guide for those who are curious about other things than the usual tourist sights.
LEGO covers
Budapest by Labrosse | The block on Várkert Quay
