She studied sociology, but fell to substances.Jana Pelánová teaches Czechs to sew and love organic cotton<

Jaký je tvůj vztah k designu?

Jana: Gradually develops.When I started with fabrics, I had no significant relationship to design, more important to me was the material and I perceived the beauty subjectively.I know more trends today and I'm heading towards minimalism.In the beginning I focused on patterns, which has a practical reason-when I order substances from abroad online, such as America or Japan, it is easier to choose according to patterns than by material.In addition, when we started seven years ago, there was a very limited selection of substances.The second moment was that I became interested in bio-bavlna and I found it important to offer people an alternative.Under the term bio-bavlna, people imagined a batik, for example, no one thought that the colored material could have a distinctive design.

Can say that my relationship to design is moving.I myself surround myself in my personal minimalism with things that make me sense.I do not belong to the community of people from the UMPRUM, but today I know more people in the field than before.My relationship to substances defines much more my original profession of sociologist, I am particularly interested in the social impact.That's why we make sewing courses and try to spread know-how and so-called.“Empowerment”, we give people a choice.People do not necessarily buy our substance on our courses.

Jana Pelánová |Source: Materialistic

Who goes to your courses?

Jana: People who are close to the design come to us, but at the same time, those for whom the design is not authoritative, for example, want to sew clothes for their children.

Do you work with designers?

Jana: Very nice cooperation was created with Tereza Saitzová, who helped me prepare a change of brand two years ago.She suggested us logos for room 10, which shields sewing courses and our brand Materialistic, which sends quality material and aids to sew to the world.Tereza knows us really well and captured the basic idea of materialistic and rooms 10 and that is the search for order in contradiction.The contrast of sharp and soft lines in the logo that works harmonious is my dream as we should work too.I do not need to be sharp, but it is some basic dichotomy that we process on the daily basis and in which I somehow I try to find a new reality.Even the name Materialistic is intended to connect the world of matter and pure idealism - I have both and the way I am looking for is partially old known and partly completely new and unexplored.

And did you think about your own fabric design?

Jana: This is one of my dreams to devise in cooperation with the designers of their own collection of fabrics.Maybe we'll do it sometimes, but we're not there yet.The problem is that the Czech market is small for this and we can not target any other than the Czech and Slovak markets.Such a thing cannot be done on a small scale if we are to get to the price that people will accept.At the same time it is quite difficult to get under control of the production chain.When you print in the Czech Republic, you have no control over what conditions the yarn comes from - no one will tell you anything even if you ask a lot.We once worked with Anna Šebestová, who has the Annanemone brand.She studied in England and makes her own distinctive textile design.Together we created her collection of substances that were printed specifically for us.

It was a very nice cooperation.A lot of people still remember these fabrics and ask when we think of something again.But the truth is that we both know that next time we need to do it differently and ideally to make it economic, which our first attempt did not.Anička is dedicated to custom creation of her fabrics and I watch people who have rushed to create their own prints of fabrics.I keep them all my fingers crossed but I'm not going to do it at the moment.

Materialistic substances |Source: Materialistic

Who are your customers?

Jana: Our customers are mostly people who sew at home and 30 % are people who have their own small brand and sell on Fler or have their e-shop, but it is not worth buying directly from the manufacturer.From established brands it is like Lusinda or Daya.These brands sell Store creation in Veverkov, a shared shop of smaller brands that have already grown up.Small ad hoc cooperation is enough, but as the brand grows and moves, it is more interesting for them to take the substance directly from the manufacturer.We are not a wholesale and we are not planning that at the moment.We are especially here for people who want to sew from quality materials at home or for those who are such enthusiasts that this passion will continue to go into the world through custom sewing.Currently, for example, we are a great fan of Martina Bartošíková from Slovakia with her brand Marabarandaughehters, which combines beautiful material and precise and timeless processing.

I stand literally for every fabric.I do not sell it until I have tried it.I want our brand to be a guarantee of quality.People come back to us, and on the contrary do not return, although we have a free return.Most fabrics are sold in e-shop so my experience and my description of the fabric plays an essential role.Must faithfully reflect what the product is.

Materialistic substances |Source: Materialistic

How is the choice of substances where are you looking for?

Jana: I follow mainly foreign resources and we choose smaller studios for cooperation.For example, the French brand Atelier Brunette, which is one of our favorite brands, I found in the Berlin substance shop and then addressed them directly.Substances produce in India and design arises in France.It is not in organic quality but are constantly moving, it is important to me.I follow ten brands and choose according to the collections that address me and choose half of the patterns from each collection.Unique are eg.Japanese fabrics brand Nani Iro, behind which painter Naomi Ito, which transmits their paintings to fabrics and uses exceptional and breathable material, double gauze.We can say that these two brands are our flagship.But newly, for example, Danish Mind the Maker and Meetmilk.I am still trying to discover what is new, because it is first my passion and secondly I want to bring the Czech market such "snacks" that are not here yet.

Materialistic substances |Source: Materialistic

Do you go around any fairs?

Jana: I was twice at the Premère Vision in Paris, which is a huge event, but the Munich Fabrics Start fair is definitely more sympathetic, where the curator selection is well done and you can watch trends in the materials.I would definitely recommend that designers looking for new materials.

Now, for example.In addition, the viscose we take has undergone the transformation with Ecovero certification, which makes it no longer an environmentally controversial material.Party of the new trends is recycled polyester from which we can find threads today.This year I met a great bamboo in Munich that we have on the knit and canvas.It is a bit difficult to navigate in trade fairs, but it is also the eyes opening experience.But we will see if this year's fabric fair will still be…

Is it possible to feed the sale of fabrics?

Jana: Certainly, but it requires to connect a lot of different skills.Especially in the model in which we do.If I only went to economic profit, I do it differently.At the same time I cannot ignore that some of my hearts are simply not sold, so we slowly disappear from the portfolio.And honestly, the fabric trade itself would work on the survival limit if it did not hold it two more projects, and these are currently sewing courses and selling sewing machines that we have taken with the greatest responsibility.

Materialistic substances |Source: Materialistic

How did your business shift over the years, how big do you have a team?

Jana: Business is moving all the time and it's actually a quick shift and growth.Over the past year we grew up four times the turn and the last crisis caught us straddled over the abyss because the growth was very fast and to some extent spontaneous.Somehow we stood it and I learned a lot.Long ago it is not my “One Woman Show” as the first two years.Somehow participate in about fifteen people and my task is all to align.I'm learning on the go, it's the constant balancing of everything, but actually I really enjoy it.

Materialistic substances |Source: Materialistic

How did you experience the crisis that came in March?

Jana: The last year I have been thinking about how complicated our concept is when we make a little from everyone and that I actually tame a small octopus.I wondered if I had any tentacles to cut off, but she suddenly almost died alone and I found out that I would miss these things.I had to focus more on the e-shop and this tentacle saved us.Plus, of course, was fascinating to watch the tremendous power of the sewing community in our country - from which I am still now.

I look forward to seeing a few of our own cuts this year and go with the courses to Onlin.I have been planning it for a long time, but at the moment we started doing something for it, so we'll see if we can handle such a big bite.I'm talking here how hard it is to tame the octopus with many tentacles, but at the same time I think of another tentacle - I guess I can't help myself somehow.