Fotograf Magazine

Given the continuing lack of freedom during the decade, the picture of Czech fashion of the 1980’s likewise appears less then free, and yet it was still the most prolific period of the post-war era. One can go as far as to say that at the time there emerged a more complex fashion scene in its own right. In the late 1980’s, there appeared the first two issues of the – albeit unofficial – specialized fashion magazine, Móda plus (Merkur Publishers). Although the official scene, and thus the only possible channel of production and commerce, with the Prague-based design center of the Institute of Living and Sartorial Culture (Ústav bytové a oděvní kultury, ÚBOK) at its head, sturdily lagged far behind Western fashion trends, nonetheless a host of young amateur dress and accessory makers managed to carve out a space for a more up-to-date form of expression. These primarily hailed from the ranks of students and graduates of secondary art schools and vocational schools of tailoring.