Zika Ascher: The Czech, who created fabrics for Dior (The Mad Silkman, Museum of Decorative Arts, until 15.9)
He isn’t famous, and his name isn’t really known in the Czech society. Nevertheless, Zika Ascher is among the most important people, without which many world fashion house would probably not be where they are right now. Who is this mysterious Czech man standing in the shadow of renowned brands?
The Ascher family owned shops with silk in Prague before the Second World War. The son of the founder, (Zikmund, born 1910) Zika continued in the enterprise, which catered to so many. He married Lída Tydlitátová, but he never returned from the honeymoon in Norway in the year 1939.
Ascher Squares are famous all over the world!
He founded a company in London for printing on fabrics which were used for the production of women’s clothing . He collaborated with famous artists, such as was Henri Matisse, Henry Moore, Cecil Beaton, Alexander Caldera and others. He produced fabrics and shawls according to their designs. And so the luxury collection of thirty silk shawls, Ascher Squares, was born, and became a world bestseller. Ascher’s glorious career could start!
World fashion designers loved his fabrics
They appeared in all prestigious fashion magazines. Some of the most famous fashion houses, such as Dior, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Cardin, Y. S. Laurent, Fabiani, Givenchy and others, used his fabrics for their luxury fashion collections. Garments from Ascher’s fabrics were worn by the British Queen, or Lady Diana. Lída Ascher was very creative, and in the year 1961 she created her own boutique Lida Ascher Boutique. Her outfits were successfully sold in London, Paris or on the American market.
The luxury exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts will be open until 15.9.2019. And why does it bear the title Mad Silkman? Zika Ascher was also a national representative of Czechoslovakia in downhill skiing, in the year 1938 he even became the winner of the Grand Prize in Czechoslovakia. For his fast and dangerous skiing, he was named the ‘Mad Silkman’ by the news. However, in international media, he was known by the monikers ‘King of Colour’, or the ‘Prince of Prints’.
