Monika Drápalová: Hide-and-Seek

(jiří macek) We could not wait to show you the new fashion collection by Monika Drápalová. We were absolutely fascinated by it during Designblok Fashion Week in Prague. Since we finally have some photos to show you, the cache-cache show can begin.

First of all, I was considering whether or not to write about the character of this collection. Would it be a good idea to write about how its original concept was based on the look of the 1000 eyes of Doctor Mabuse, about the perfectly finalized phases of each piece of clothing, about the collection’s contrasts and harmony, about how Arabian, cowboy, Japanese, techno-nostalgic, aristocratic, and yet natural it is? Then I asked Monika to tell me about the way in which the collection was created. Suddenly, I did not feel like writing anything like that anymore. “Well, Monika, how was the collection actually created?”

Monika Drápalová: “One day in the summer, I went out wearing a long-sleeved T-shirt. During the day, it started to be very hot. So I took off the sleeves and I tied them around my body like a strapless top. I was so delighted by my creation that I started to think about a piece of clothing that could have more functions - a piece of clothing that could be used all day long and that would adapt to one’s needs. It reminded me of chameleons that can change colors according to the environment. I loved the idea that one could go to a party and conjure a dress from a T-shirt by a simple move, or change its brown color into pink…Such clothing would make us free and flexible. This is exactly what I expect from today’s fashion. I called my collection cache-cache. That means hide-and-seek in French. I liked that name because it is playful. I would like my collection to be like that. My collection will certainly be on sale soon because I’m preparing an e-shop on my website. I would like to sell it in a playful way too. My idea is that each customer will buy a T-shirt, for example, and will be able to choose the type of sleeves – straight, baggy, short, colorful, etc… Every part of my clothing is removable and can be connected together in many different combinations. However, I have not stopped designing formal clothing. I only think that there is currently too little space for them. The most important aspect of cache-cache is that you have a piece of clothing that will not hang in your wardrobe without being used.”

Monika Drápalová’s collection for cache-cache received the Editors-in-chief Award for the Best fashion collection within Designblok 2008 in Prague. From the 28th of November to the 21st of December, you will be able to see and buy it at an exhibition held by Studiu LR.

Photos: David Holas

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