They made the first collection more as a joke. And it is humor that is still the supporting element of the entire Jarda Praha brand. Who is behind it and what are the satirical high fashion brand’s plans for the future?

An ode to Czechness and a parody of fashion giants such as Balenciaga or Jacquemus. Highly glamorous mesh or leather beer holder. But all of this is supported by a professional approach and perfectly mastered construction and clothing technology.

The brand with the characteristic name Jarda Praha was created on the basis of the common sense of humor of four students of VOŠ and UMPRUM – Anna Ryšánková, Nina Dvořáková, Laura Váchová and Jaroslav Vícha.

During the four years of its existence, we could see models from the Jarda Praha workshop, for example, on the cover of the fashion magazines Vogue or Dolce Vita. The brand collaborated with the cultural server GoOut and was also in the wider nominations for the discovery of the year at last year’s Czech Grand Design awards.

Balenciaga from MHD

Their models are often influenced by pieces that already exist: “All the trends and brands follow and imitate them, they just never admit it. We are open in this respect. But we will add an element of Czechness and our humor to each model,” says Nina Dvořáková, one of the founders, and as an example she cites the first collection called Season 1, where the inspiring models were Demna Gvasalii and pensioners from the Prague public transport system.

But why, according to Jarda, does fashion need to be ridiculed? “We don’t take it as a mockery, on the contrary. We are students of fashion and we take it very seriously,” counters Nina. For them, a joke is simply a means of bringing fashion closer to a local publication, lightening it and giving it authenticity.

She presented her first collection in 2018 as part of the We’re Next fashion show and was originally supposed to be a one-off project. But it was such a success that the organizers of the event approached the creator the following year as well.

Czechs go to Croatia

The project is slowly but surely becoming a brand, and in 2020, in the inter-covid era, it presented the second Season 2 collection. Models inspired by a typical Czech trip to Croatia were presented to an audience hungry for products that were unavailable at the time.

“The responses were great and we decided to continue with Jarda, but on our own. It was clear to us that we wanted to organize the next show all by ourselves,” recalls Anna.

The costs of each show amounted to approximately 25 thousand, and until then everything was paid for by the founders. At the end of the year, they decided to start selling merchandise through Instagram, thanks to which they could afford to organize the presentation of the third Season 3 collection independently.

The so-called merch is also the core of the business plan of the “fashion house” Jarda Praha. In the future, the creators want to sell their clothes and accessories through the e-shop. On the contrary, they see fashion shows as a presentation of the brand’s vision.

“We mainly lend the show models to stylists or influencers,” says Anna Ryšánková, adding that there are often prejudices in this regard.

“People don’t even think that the model from the show is affordable, so they don’t even ask about the price. We are able to sew for five to ten thousand,” adds Ryšánková.

And now seriously

The turning point came when a show was held in Vinohrady, about which not only the entire local fashion show was held in November. With the support of sponsors and thanks to their own investment of thirty thousand, the collective of designers organized a show that was attended by their fans, but also by important stylists, editors and influencers.

They witnessed the presentation of the Season 3 collection, which was more serious, more sophisticated. “We felt that there was a need to elevate the creation, both in terms of the technical side and the quality and vision of the brand. It was no longer a child’s project, but a big deal,” Anna Ryšánková refers to ten elaborate models with the signature of the 1980s.

In the future, Jarda Praha mainly wants sophisticated design, technology and top quality clothes. But the joke won’t be postponed, just maybe it will be more refined and less obvious. The entire Season 3 collection was already financed by the profits from merchandise sales and cost twice as much as the previous collection.

And what are they planning next? “During the summer, we want to launch an e-shop complete with a lot of new products, for example t-shirts, charms, we are also planning a Jarda Praha placatka,” the founders laugh. But we are already working on the next Season 4 collection, which they plan to present during this November