The Czech Association for Textile Care (APaC) has connected representatives of laundries, dry cleaners, clothing brands, textile manufacturers and fashion designers in one place again. They all gathered on November 2nd at the Jihlava Laundry and Dry Cleaners to discuss the sustainability of clothing at TexTalk 02.
The initial idea to organize a unique event came from the members of the Association. “They often talked about the fact that they repeatedly get their hands on clothes whose maintenance is complicated by, for example, inappropriate combinations of materials,” explains APaČ executive director Monika Býmová of the impetus for establishing a new traditional event. “In today’s oversaturated times, it’s not easy to be interested in something. That’s why I’m glad that after the successful premiere of TexTalk in the spring, most of the experts from the textile industry have already registered themselves for the autumn event. We can thus draw attention to laundries and dry cleaners as key players in the journey towards the sustainability of clothing.”
Among the guests, in addition to representatives of members of the Association, there were, for example, Denisa Kachlířová, manager of fashion and footwear fairs STYL and KABO, fashion designer Markéta Kovářová or representatives of the clothing brands Bandi Vamos, Vývoj Třešť and Petex. You can find the complete list of guests HERE.
The event was started by the students of the Helenín Secondary School of Art and Industry with an author’s fashion show, mainly of recycled models. On display was a new collection reminiscent of the famous Spanish brand Balenciaga, as well as models created in collaboration with a Laundry and dry cleaner from Jihlava. They gave the students forgotten shirts that customers didn’t pick up from the dry cleaners and discarded bed linen with defects for their creations. The program also included an excursion to the Jihlava Laundry and Dry Cleaning in the presence of director Martina Prošková and head of operations Hana Šabatková, who accompanied her throughout the day.
Photo gallery and video from the event can be found HERE.
Feedback from the event:
“The fashion show took my breath away. We students from Helenín tried to learn something, and I already see the sustainability in it. They are starting to think about the future of clothes and how to make them wearable in the long term. Here again, we have a different composition of guests, which gives the event a spark. It’s actually always the same and always different. The clothing manufacturers are surprised at how much we have in common, and I’m glad that we don’t play in our own sandbox, which was evident here.”
Martina Prošková, manager of Jihlava Laundry and Dry Cleaning
“I’m glad I could go through the laundry, I’ve never seen anything like it. It was very interesting for me as a future fashion designer and a person who wants to work with materials. At the beginning of my studies, I didn’t take textile maintenance into account, I just took it from the point of view that the clothes I would create looked good. Now in my graduation year, I have worked on it and would like to continue working on it, because I think that the maintenance of textiles makes a lot of sense. When people know how to take care of their clothes, there won’t be so much textile waste.”
Eliška Doležalová, future fashion designer SUPŠ Helenín
“Interdisciplinary communication is important to me. I am interested in what others intend so that I can adapt to it, learn something and be able to follow it. I’m glad I was here, I really enjoyed it. I learned a lot of information. I want to do it again.”
Pavlína Pichler, owner of Luxury Dry Cleaners
“Our goal was to get to know dry cleaners as well, because both segments, both production and sales for the Bandi company, as well as clothing maintenance, should form a compact unit within the framework of customer care, so that they return to us. But at the same time, care for our clothes should be as gentle as possible. It was confirmed to us that there is a need to communicate with each other, to share information from production to recommending the most suitable dry cleaner to our clients. And in the event that a problem arises, so that we can solve it together and it does not become a hot potato that we will be tossing around.”
Miloš Knedlhans, sales director of the sales department of BANDI VAMOS a.s.
We are planning the next TexTalk for April 2024. We look forward to seeing you!
Czech Association for Textile Care
