Fashion designer Vlado Morávek has introduced a zero-waste collection of woman clothing BEZODPADU (WASTELESS) in cooperation with Piskacie. The first batch was sold out in a week and new pieces are on the way. Each piece is made of unused textile offcuts, waste left in the manufacturing process of squeaking t-shirts. Vlado was born in Bratislava and presents himself by brand Vlado Morávek Bratislava, focusing mainly on Slovak clients.
Can you tell me more about your work? What is the line between commercial work and your own creations?
I focus on womenˈs fashion. My clients are of different age and body shapes. I design occasion dresses, evening gowns, not casual everyday clothing since such pieces are widely available everywhere. Every piece reflects myself, a part of my soul, but I also follow the clientˈs request. My clients need to feel comfortable and special at the same time, therefore, we have to work together to achieve the desired goal. Our mutual aim is to pick the most suitable cut and choice of colour. I pay special attention to details, small elements and I love working with silk and natural materials.
That is my priority but having a little time spare I like to create my small collections. It is not a seasonal matter. I find inspiration in specific detail and transform it into five, six outfits available to purchase in here or in the boutique in Humene, owned by my longtime friends.
Tell us something about yourself.
This is my life. I have always felt sure about this path, it is the part of me even though during my childhood it was not regarded as a common job. At the beginning I struggled to earn enough money and simultaneously had to keep also another job, however, I used to have my regular clients even during high school and I have such client until these days. We meet once in 6 months. I know she prefers to put some money aside to buy unique pieces, which she cherishes even more and takes proper care of. But that is rather exceptional today.
It has been more than twenty years devoted to expanding my business and positive feedback is the greatest form of appreciation for what I do.
Do you have your own studio?
At this time I work at home. Some of my clients appreciate my visits at their homes and they got used to that. It is great, they are more relaxed, feeling comfortable and there is nothing to worry about. New customers tend to be surprised by my working method, but it usually takes about 5 minutes to shake it off. Currently, I do not see a reason to own a studio.
How did your cooperation with Piskacie begin?
The idea of zero-waste fashion feels pretty close to me and I follow some of inspiring foreign projects. Silvia, whom I know for some time, approached me with this kind of cooperation. The idea of Piskacie and zero-waste fashion seemed a very interesting challenge and I gladly agreed. We came up with the name Bezodpadu (Wasteless). All dresses are made of textile cutoffs left during the manufacturing process of squeaking t-shirts. These cutoffs are considered waste yet I was surprised how big some of them were, in some cases even half of meter of the length. Using unwanted pieces this way gives additional value to the final product.
Do you follow pre-drawn scetches or is design created during the process itself?
I draw portraits beforehand. The smallest parts are cut according to the sketches and the rest of the process goes along. Putting those tiny pieces together, not knowing what will come up is fascinating. It is about the process itself, I try to apply the creative childˈs perception and not to analyze too much. Besides faces there are also plain parts. I would like to incorporate even the tiniest bites, mix colours which work together. Once I had to unpick one part of the nearly ready frontal part of the dress simply because it did not fit. Some of the textiles are very strong and have reduced elasticity, which makes them rather difficult to combine with others. So far we have the first ten pieces and while finishing one piece I usually already visualised the next ones in my mind. Even though there is one restriction, so much of blue stripes, yet it is what characterizes brand Piskacie.
Is this your first upcycling collaboration?
I have worked on few projects of this kind before and enjoyed it. It is easier to feel at ease since they are different. I guess there are moments when one is standing still at one place and such opportunity feels refreshing. Something ultimately playful.
I know about some significant cooperations of yours. How did they influence your work?
Collaborations with some Slovak fashion designers taught me to be precise and work punctiliously. World top-class quality was required.
Regarding my style, I would not say it influenced me that much. Guess it is more about life period. Sometimes I have an idea, sometimes not at all and when I lack an inspiration I take a break, engage myself with clay sculpting in such moments. I love reading books, especially those with life lesson value. I follow trends, fashion collections with a certain message. Observe which way design is heading. It is part of a designer´s life to stay updated and relevant.
Text: Martina Ráczová, Foto: Dávid Hanko