Fast confession - Ivana Mentlová talks about fashion, the perfect fur coats and other things

You took inspiration from the eighties in last year’s collection. What is dominant this year?

I took inspiration from grunge style, the nineties, the time when I was growing up. So there are a lot of oversize designs there, more expressive shoulders, wide trousers with a high waist, overalls, above-the-ankle skirts, but also XXL t-shirts. The face of the campaign is the actress Aňa Geislerová, for whom I did however choose more feminine styling.

And what about the materials? You are known for your sophisticated treatment of leather.

Leather is understandably dominant among the materials. The collection includes suede, dyed furs, velvet, knits, wool, silk and exotic leather. A large part of the collection is made of lambskin treated in various different ways.

But as far as I know, the nineties are not exactly a period you gravitate towards.

I like the Bohemia style of the seventies. I started to notice fashion at an early age, I already have memories of my early childhood. I used to keep an eye on what mum had in her wardrobe. She even had shoes specially made for her. She was very interested in fashion. Then along came children and she no longer had so much time for that. I draw inspiration from that to this very day. My temperament probably also has something to do with that. I didn’t have a child until after forty. I always still felt really young and needed that freedom at work, in my relationship. Not that I ever abused that (laughs). I was used to living from day to day. I decided where I would be flying off to and what I would be doing from one moment to the next. I have always been a bit of a free spirit.

Prodej luxusní vily, Praha 6 - Nebušice – 312, Praha 6

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But a Bohemian lifestyle and having a child aren’t fully compatible. Everything changes when you have a child. Has your daughter Isabela extinguished that Bohemian nature in you? 

My daughter was a complete upheaval for my daily regime. When I still didn’t have her, I used to work long into the night and sleep until midday. That just doesn’t come into consideration any more now, although I do still work most at night and wake up at seven or eight. At thirty, I still couldn’t imagine being a mother. I am really enjoying it and surprise myself how much patience I have. I am enjoying it even though it means that I don’t have any time for myself. Combining a family with a career is difficult. In the past, I was used to working twenty-four hours a day and everything being related to work. That is a thing of the past.

If everything relates to your daughter, have you never thought about starting to design for children?

At the start. When my daughter was younger, she had a leather skirt and a gilet. But succeeding with that here in the Czech Republic? People don’t invest much into children’s clothes. They quickly grow out of everything and not many families can afford that sort of thing. I don’t think you could make a living from a luxury collection for children here.

As far as your furs for adults are concerned, you probably haven’t got any competition here in the Czech Republic. Has your approach to work changed in any way since we started hearing more about you?

No. Demand has increased. People are discovering that the clothes are of a high quality, so they come back and bring other customers with them. Social networks like Instagram help a lot. Thanks to this, it is easier to get the things you do out among the people.

Your designs are made using natural materials. Have you ever thought about changing these for something else?

Natural materials have amazing properties and new leather processing technologies are constantly being developed. Lambskin can look like fur, it can be dyed, there are a huge number of combinations there. I don’t intend to change the range of materials I use for the time being. But I am also interested in the ethical side of things. All of the furs which I use for my creations come from European farms which have origin assured certification.

You say that you dye lambskin. Which colours can we find in your current collection?

Khaki, Bordeaux, black, grey, brick red, electric blue, pale pink, forest green and purple. 

Which materials are popular among clients?

The best-selling items are of course the ones which are not so expensive. Leather jackets and coats from lambskin. I make a lot of reversible designs, lambskin allows for this. It is effective and practical. I would even say that this is one of the reasons it is so in demand. But I do use various materials in each collection. It depends on the design. But the longer I do it, the more I am inclined towards minimalism. I don’t like a lot of colours all together. It is mostly a single colour area and the structure differs. I for example combine shorter, longer or curly fur in one design.

As far as the faces who present your brand are concerned, they for example include Taťána Kuchařová, Zuzana Stráská and Aňa Geislerová. How do you choose them? These three ladies all seem completely different to me.

I think that Táňa is slightly different there, she is more sensual. She has a discernible sex appeal for a lot of people, and then you have the nymphs, the fragile beauties. Although Táňa is a great chameleon!! I have had my own brand for ten years. Over that time, a lot of models have been the face of my brand. They for example include Greta Slezáková, Ester Berdych Sátorová or Simona Kirchnerová, a talented Slovak lady which we will be hearing a lot about in the future. 

It’s not so long ago that there was a lot of commotion in Prague due to fashion week. Does fashion week still give you anything?

Since I have been a mum, I have only been participating with the Silverline collection which I design for Pietro Filipi. This is a premium range made from luxury materials. I have just finished my seventh season, which is amazing and incredible. When we started to collaborate, I had no idea how successful it would be. So at the Mercedes Benz Prague Fashion Week, I present my work together with the designers who create the other ranges for Pietro Filipi.

And what about a show of your own?

I’m not planning my own show until my daughter is older and I have more time for my work. 

I would like to go back to your work now actually. If someone wants a tailor-made fur from you, how does that actually work and how long does it take?

It takes four to six weeks. We don’t specially tailor furs, but a customer can choose a model from my collection which can be made up in a different material, colour or with modifications to the detail or length. It all depends what the client has in mind.

Have you ever been surprised by any client requests?

Not really. I don’t get people coming to me with a photo of somebody else’s design from a magazine. They usually know my work and come to me with a request for something they have seen of mine on Instagram.

What in fact is your life as a designer like?

I think I am living a life I never even dreamed of. I am not a pushy person who sets some goal in life and goes all out to get it, crossing off the things they have achieved and looking at the things left on their list. I have let myself be carried along by life, let things happen as they did. But I have been interested in fashion since I was little. When they asked me in school what I wanted to be when I grew up, I told them I wanted to be a fashion designer. I sewed and knitted jumpers. I was always creating something. In the end, I didn’t get there until I was twenty-nine. I was in the right place at the right time.

Luxusní byt na prodej na Praha 9 - 65m2,

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Do you think that it is important in life to be in the right place at the right time?

I think that if you really want something or it has been part of you subconsciously since childhood, then you will get it in the end. In any case, there is a lot of work behind it all although excessive obstinacy is damaging.

Do you also try to teach Izzy that?

She is totally her own person. She was born a month early, but she has never been behind in any respect. She holds a pen as well as I do at the age of two.

Some there is some new competition for you!

Why competition? Maybe we will work together at some point in the future (laughs). We can start a family brand or she can continue what I am doing. We will see. She is quite versatile. My partner is a footballer and she has had a “ball at her feet” since she was little.

So, if just by chance, she doesn’t become a footballer and if you started that family business together, the name wouldn’t be IAM like now, but We are?

The name of my brand IAM is made up of initials. I was baptised Anna, not many people know that I suppose. At the moment, all I want is for Izzy to clear away her toys after she has played with them. I certainly won’t be trying to mould her into an image of myself. I hope that she will be healthy and happy whatever she does in life.