Already at first sight, Andrea Pojezdálová’s Retrotopia collection exudes calm spirituality not unlike that which can be seen in Slovak sacred architecture, especially the typical wooden country churches. The author references these architectural gems protected by UNESCO and the traditional Slovak folk costumes as two of the conceptual baselines of her design.

But the collection could not have evolved the way it had if the designer hadn’t tapped into the impressive legacy of one of the most fascinating personalities of Slovak culture. Karol Plicka, Vienna-born Czech photographer, cinematographer, musician and folklorist was a renaissance man through and through. His photographic monograph Slovensko and poetic documentary Zem spieva, the holy grail of Slovak cinematography and ethnology depicting idyllic scenes of “unspoilt” life of organic rural community of the common people whom he follows in the entire “from sowing to the harvest” cycle, were the inexhaustible source for the Retrotopia collection.

With a carefully though-out colour scale Pojezdálová effectively (re)creates the characteristic romantic atmosphere that Plicka so subtly documented in his photographs and films. The garments of Retrotopia come in subdued shades of beige, brown and grey agitated by shiny white and black details. Predominantly natural materials, such as cotton, wool, felt and leather are combined with simple traditional dress-making techniques (folding, hemming, embroidery and decorations) and minimalist design that aptly translates nostalgia into a contemporary clothing paradigm.

Retrotopia is not her first utopia, though. In 2016 Pojezdálová participated in the International Fashion Showcase organised by the British Fashion Council in the framework of the London Fashion Week, marking the 500 years of publication of the most famous of utopias – Thomas More’s.