Czech Fashion Designers

The evening gowns and wedding dresses that the Czech fashion designer Blanka Matragi has been designing for the past thirty years belong among the most beautiful and luxurious dresses that you have ever seen and represent many women's idea of what perfect dresses should look like.

Blanka Matragi's career as a fashion designer was significantly influenced by her departure from the former Czechoslovakia to Lebanon, where she moved in 1980 to live with her husband. Two years after that she founded the prestigious Blanka Haute Couture salon in Beirut where the wives of local oil magnates, entrepreneurs, and diplomats had their luxurious dresses sewn. Blanka Matragi's work has ever since been admired by women from the upper social echelon, both in the Middle East and in her native Europe. Dresses by Blanka Matragi are produced using materials of only the highest quality – silk, tulle, chiffon or lace – and are characterized by various appliques, such as beads, embroidery, or hand-painted designs. They fall into every color category and often feature a slim, svelte silhouette. Blanka Matragi graduated with a degree in Fashion Design from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague and her fashion often reflects these fine arts elements. She finds inspiration not only in the countries where she travels, but also in music and graphics. A slightly different fashion by Blanka Matragi can be purchased in her Prague boutique near the Municipal House where she presents her collection of sportswear and formal clothing and accessories including tops, leggings, scarves, dresses, handbags, and shoes. Blanka Matragi has been awarded many times including the International Prize of Salvador Dali for Fine Arts 2002 by Alliance Salvador Dali International, and the František Kupka National Prize 2002 for Fashion Design by the Union of Czech Graphics Artists, as well as the Distinguished Czech Woman of the World Award 2003 by the Czech Senate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Besides fashion design, Blanka Matragi also deals with glass design, sculpture, porcelain and jewelry design, and other art work.