Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week F/W 2023

We already said in the article previously mentioned featured just two days before the shows kicked off that this new edition of Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week brought with it a change in the location where the shows would take place, being the Chuchle Arena Prague, a brutalist space which is usually inaccessible to the public most of the year, the main spot of their April call. The vast majority of presentations have been held there, in a location far from the city centre which, although not very approachable, allowed us to get away from mass tourism and fully connect with the artistic universe of each of the participating designers and brands.

As in its Spring/Summer 2023 edition, in which we were also present and from which we highlighted the best collections presented on the catwalk in this article, one of the main strengths of Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week is having bet from its beginnings on the confluence in the calendar of established designers and young talents, among which some of the big names of fashion in the future are. From Natalia Repkovská, Alexandra Gnidiaková to Štěpán Mareš and winner Jan Smejkal, this year's finalists for the Van Graaf Junior Talent 2023, a renowned contest that rewards the youngest voices on the national fashion scene, to Boris Kráľ, who put the finishing touch to this edition and was the protagonist of one of the presentations with the most expectation and influx of public.

If we delve into the quality and creativity shown in the collections, we must highlight the work of Michael Kovacik, who through a minimalist aesthetic and high precision demonstrated in the silhouettes and cuts of the garments, has designed a timeless wardrobe that grants the importance it deserves to design and contemporaneity. Nor can we ignore the new collection by Tobias Equipment, one of our three favourites in the latest edition of Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week and who has once again shown that its personal vision of fashion is very necessary for the creative scene of the country.

This is undoubtedly one of the projects with a stronger brand identity, which is inspired by futurism, science fiction and other worlds, thinking of what reality would be like in other hypothetical universes. In addition, in this latest collection we notice a growth in terms of research and experimentation with patterns and materials and fibres, taking its work a step further and consolidating its well-deserved place on the most important catwalk in the Czech Republic. While Pavol Dendis, who showed its new collection on Sunday, bets everything on black and white with a few strokes in the form of prints as a counterpoint in this collection, adidas originals makes dance, free expression and the combination of vibrant colours its distinctive signs.

The show hosted by adidas was undoubtedly one of the presentations that generated the most excitement in this latest edition, bringing together many well-known faces from the Czech creative scene as well as fashion professionals. The fact that the world-renowned brand is jumping straight onto the catwalk to share its vision is quite a statement. However, the greatest experimentation is found in the projects unveiled in the shows led by the universities, highlighting Technická Univerzita V Liberci and Univerzita Tomáše Bati ve Zlíně, After having seen the collections, we can confirm that the designers participating in these collective fashion shows are very aware of the need to create a unique brand identity from the very beginning of their professional careers, differentiating themselves from their peers and reaching an audience that appreciates the difference.

If we move forward in the calendar we reach Monday, a day in which four brands showed their latest collections: Vavrova, Afka, Bozidara and Denisa Dovala. The most stunning looks of the entire collection presented by Akfa were those that included padded oversize garments, achieving a balance between functionality and design. If Bozidara made minimalism its star ally, with straight patterns and a very sober colour palette, Denisa Dovala wanted to experiment with the colour palette, fabrics and textures in its dresses combined with some coats and suits. And if we talk about colour, we cannot fail to mention Vavrova's latest collection, a shot of energy in the form of intense red, purple and electric blue combined, proving not to be afraid of challenging the rules.

But if there is a designer whose new collection everyone has been waiting to see, it was Boris Kráľ. His static presentation held at the wonderful Andaz Prague hotel, where we stayed during these days and received an excellent reception, left no one indifferent. The guests dressed up to attend one of the events that had generated the most expectations in the previous days, showing their support for the designer and couturier, whose pieces surprised us with their perfect execution and attention to detail. From perfectly fitted jackets that remind us of the master Cristóbal Balenciaga, to a coat with structured shoulders that we cannot get out of our heads due to the neatness of their finishes. Kráľ is undoubtedly one of the brightest minds on the Czech fashion scene, and the success of his call-up and shows further consolidates his position in the country's industry.

Now we just have to wait for the next edition of Mercedes-Benz Prague Fashion Week and follow the path of the brands that we have got to know (or see again) during the past week. We will continue to inform you when there is news about their next call!