• 17/01/2023
• By wizewebsite
• 360 Views

The most important thing is to start working, says designer Macháček<

When I went to one of the blocks of Mercedes Benz Prague Fashion Weekend (MBPFW) shows this March, I had no great expectations - the classic Polanka, the ascetic Denisa Nová, the somewhat unwearable Staněk or the boulevard-boiled Lukáš Macháček.

It was the presentation of Macháček's models on celebrities and the fact that I included him among the stylists who one day decided to become designers, that always bothered me somewhat. But I got rid of my prejudices as soon as I saw Macháček's brilliant men's collection in shades of gray and black. The minimalism of his models in contrast with the thoughtful details, plus the wonderful leather bags convinced me that the young designer's work is worthwhile. So I set off to his new Prague studio in the former Elektrické podnice on Bubenské nábřeží.

Lukáš Macháček shares the beautiful bright space, which is dominated by a large conference table, with his partner, an interior designer. Macháček's showroom is located in the right part of the spacious loft. There's a sewing machine on the table, one wall is filled with the latest show models, and I can't help but notice a huge black buffalo hide on the floor. It is clear to me that it was the leather bags that caught my attention at the show...

This year at MBPFW, in addition to women's models, Lukáš Macháček also presented a very successful men's collection for the first time.

* How many bags can you make from one such leather?

One buffalo is enough for two bags and one briefcase. The show model had a seam on the bag, but when I make a bag to order, I make it in one piece. A buffalo has the thickest skin on its spine, and the closer you go to the underbelly, the thinner the skin. But I use everything. I like imperfections. Those bags are roughly cut, without linings. It doesn't matter to me that the texture of the skin is visually connected. The collection of bags was designed so that they do not hold their shape, can be squeezed and carried in different ways.

* This year you presented a men's collection for the first time. What made you do it?

I enjoy women's fashion. But I'm a guy, I have a boyfriend, and I've actually always made clothes for someone else, for women. At the same time, when I was looking for inspiration in foreign magazines and something men's caught my eye, I couldn't find it here. So I once bought linen and made an oversize top. When my acquaintances saw me wearing it, they asked where I got it from and wanted it too. So actually the demand determined the supply. The men's collection is made up of things that I myself would like to wear.

* I always thought you were the type of designer that others sew for…

It's true that most people know me more as a stylist. But I studied fashion design. I liked to draw since I was a child, and my mother once thought that the only school around Olomouc where drawing is also a clothing factory in Prostějov. We only had two hours of drawing a week, the rest of the lessons were devoted to technical things, cutting, materials, clothing technology. During those four years of high school, we learned everything from pocket making to a complete men's tailcoat. I suffered enough. I still wanted to be a painter, but then I started to enjoy it, we went to competitions, created models, made models for each other. Finally, I organized my own show. That's when I won the Prostějovská zlata jhla competition with it, and that polished vase filled with coffee and oranges inspired me to become a designer.

Young fashion designer Lukáš Macháček is successfully building his own brand.

* But a few years have passed since then...

When the time came to go to university, I wanted to go to VŠUP, to the fashion design studio of Josef Ťapťuch. Back then I read the tabloids, I was numbed by the Moravian perception of the fashion world and I thought I knew everything best. I was surprised that they wanted to know how the trench coat was made after me at the tests. In the end, they didn't choose me, so I tried it at a higher vocational school in Brno with Petr Kalouda. Suddenly I was in Brno, at the intro, and when they wanted me to sew a pocket pattern in my first year, which I had learned years ago, I didn't enjoy it. After some time, when the Dolce&Gabbana boutique opened in Prague, I started to earn a living as a salesman.

* So when did you start working as a regular designer?

Working in the Dolce&Gabbana boutique enriched me professionally. The owner of the store allowed me to go with her to Italy to order collections. There I found out that in July we are already selecting from the lookbook for July next year. I understood how important it is to do things in advance, how important presentation is. For example, purchases of collections are made even before the show. Of course, one does not order the models on display, but chooses from the catalog. This jacket five times, these pants ten times, this and the poppy color design... It makes you think. Otherwise, I didn't enjoy standing in a boutique all day and decided to make a women's black and white collection and present it at Dreft Fashion Week, where I ended up winning the main prize with it.

* The prize also included a financial reward. So that was the impetus to start the brand?

Actually, you could say that I earned my first collection at Dolce and Gabbana. (laughs) I won 60,000 crowns in the competition - and that's not enough to launch the brand.

* How much money does it cost to build a fashion brand?

That cannot be said. I am of the opinion that a fashion brand must be built over a lifetime. It's not just about opening a showroom and sticking a sticker with your name on the door... But in terms of money, your own brand is worth a lot. One has to register it at various authorities, create logos, register the font, color design, and list the options for future use. I was surprised, for example, that if I wanted to have a boat named after my brand, I had to state it in the registration form. These things, which are not even related to the actual creation, will cost around a hundred thousand. Beginner mistakes also cost me something. I didn't have a background, I didn't know anyone, and I was always pretending to have money. Some tailors I paid more than I should have, other times I bought material I liked without checking with the competition to see if I could get the same thing cheaper. But you learn from mistakes. The most important thing is to start working hard.

This year at MBPFW, in addition to women's models, Lukáš Macháček also presented a very successful men's collection for the first time.

* This year, for the first time, you decided to present the collection at the Mercedes Benz Prague Fashion Weekend. Why?

I wanted to try a confrontation with Czech designers who do the same thing as me. At Dreft Fashion Week I stood next to brands like Replay or Versace Jeans. In addition, I like the new concept of the fashion weekend, which is being created by its creative director Lukáš Loskot. The point is that thanks to her, the Czech population is beginning to understand how things work in fashion, that it is important to present autumn collections already in the spring, and not in May to send a flowered dress that I sewed a week before to be photographed in magazines, because it was the 1st. May. The current concept is great. It makes us designers work. It is true that non-wearable items also appeared at the shows. I like to look at them, but I admit that I can't afford to make them.

* What all preceded the parade?

At MBPFW, I first encountered it, and they offered me all the help from choosing models, make-up and choreography to music. They were able to arrange everything for me on a turnkey basis. But I'm used to doing everything myself, because I know that I can do it myself best. I didn't plan months in advance what the makeup would look like. All preparations were made gradually, ideas came from different sides. In the final, it was a perfect mix.

* Foreign buyers also came to Prague for the first time at MBPFW. Did this idea work?

Buyers did contact me, but not in connection with MBPFW. In my case, Facebook and Instagram worked better, or projects like Notjustalabel.com - I was contacted by the Bikini Berlin headquarters. It is a shopping center in the center of Berlin, the interior of which consists of only glass, concrete and wood. It does not have stores like Zara and Mango, but a lot of concept stores that offer the creations of young designers. And it was from one such shop that they were interested in some pieces from my men's collection. I had their representative here last week, and based on the lookbook items, we selected a few dozen pieces that I will sew and send to them. It was actually the first time I've come across someone ordering a fall collection in the spring.

* Can it be done?

It's not easy. The hardest part is finding good tailors. In our country, most of them are based outside of Prague and it is difficult to get around them. This is also the reason why I created a showroom where not only I go to work, but where I also want to create a space for tailors. I want to have them in one place, at least a few days a week.

* If online store Mrporter.com called and ordered a thousand pieces, would you refuse?

Certainly not. I know that in Moravia, for example, there is a tailoring base where they are able to sew such a quantity. But it depends on what kind of pieces it would be. There is a difference between producing a coat for a show and a serial production coat adapted to the client's requirements.

* So clients dictate how your clothes should look?

You could say it like that in quotation marks. My show models are made for tall people, they have long sleeves and pants. Based on the demand, a mini-order is then created, which can be easily adjusted for the client. But I never remake my models in such a way that they differ from the basic idea. I always explain to the client why I sewed them that way. I'm a designer, not a custom tailor.

* What is the most difficult - design, production, or selling a collection?

If I exclude regular customers, in our conditions it is definitely a sale. When one satisfies one's clientele, it is difficult to move on. If I were to sell below cost, it's not a problem, but selling things to recoup the costs of rent, utilities, and fabric purchases is difficult. It's going slowly.

* Do you also hear from customers "from the street"?

Thanks to the way my clothes appear on famous people, orders from Moravia and Slovakia started piling up on my desk. An example can be an oversize blouse, which does not need to be tried on because it fits everyone. People have been writing me long emails about how much it costs, what material it's made of, how they want it sewn. And I found it insanely long-winded. That was the impetus for me to create an e-shop. A person clicks and immediately sees what and for how much he can expect. The shyness will disappear and the delivery will be speeded up, which I guarantee within ten days of the order. In the e-shop, I offer both ready-made items and the possibility of a special order - then I will meet the customer. People like the service and exclusivity, which is different from shopping at Zara. The e-shop functions as a communication channel.

* Who will become the face of the men's collection?

I am currently working with AC Sparta footballer Lukáš Vácha. It is a phenomenon among young people. He really liked long sweatshirts and t-shirts, which he still wants from me. He is young, he has courage, he takes care of himself - just the type of person for whom I want to sew my collection. I also do his styling, and then when he takes a picture and puts it on Instagram, a series of questions immediately appear under it about where his jacket and pants are from. Of course, his fans don't have a Rick Owens leather jacket. That's why Lukáš and I came up with a limited summer clothing collection that will include a t-shirt, tank top, sweatshirt, sweatpants and shorts. Those things will be affordable so that his young fans can afford them. The collection will have labels with his initials and the number 6 he plays with in the national team.