Prague's Barrandov Studio goes 'spooky' with medieval fashion show

Renowned Czech fashion designer Jan Černý opened his autumn show at the Barrandov atelier on Monday, transforming the Prague-based studio’s wardrobe department into an event that merged the past film heritage with contemporary design.

With his recognizable daring masculine and unisex designs that maintain a dialogue with uniforms and street culture, Jan Černý is one of the most well-known and noteworthy young Czech designers, who works on high-profile national projects, not just niche fashion circles.

He attended Tomáš Baťa University of Zlín where he pursued a fashion design degree, and then later on earned acknowledgement nationwide for redesigning the traditional Prestige shoes.

After his internship at Louis Vuitton's menswear department, Černý was chosen as creative director of KARA in 2020. In the past year, Černý designed the official Czech Olympic collection, which Czech athletes wore to the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony on the river Seine in Paris.

Černy’s 13th runway show, held on Nov. 3, was entitled “Cursed,” a title that meant to evoke a dark theatre of fashion using Barrandov’s vast archive of movie costumes. Hundreds of people attended the event, as reported to numerous Czech media forums, showcasing high demand in Jan Société manufacture.

The designer described his approach as “my way of responding to the endless recycling of archives by major fashion houses,” he told Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic. The pieces were full of sharp contrasts, shimmering details and drew inspiration from Barrandov-made films such as Nosferatu.

Despite the light drizzle of rain and early autumn darkness, the runway show was set up outdoors, which added a spookiness to the ambience. “The collection contained 30 pieces, predominantly garments that could be interpreted as traditional men's wear, but with the added perception that the apparel was intended to be considered unisex,” said Jan Černý in an interview for Harper’s Bazaar Czech Republic.

Several garments of the collection included hand-sewn beadwork and couture-level embroidery. One standout apparel item was a pelerine cape with long pointed ends that suggested the now-trendy “drippy” emoji.

Another striking accessory displayed was a pope’s dazzling papal-style crown, which accented the designer’s clothing and theatrical mood.

The highlight of the evening was a white silk vest hand-embroidered with red beads, a piece of clothing that was collaboratively created by over 10 master tailors and took more than 100 hours to complete.