Czech Style

MODERNDESIGNAGE-OLDCRAFTSMANSHIPG L A S S

C R Y S T A LP O R C E L A I N

T E X T I L E SW O O DD O L L S

W R O U G H T I R O NS T O R A G E

Today the Czech Republic offers awealth of gift, tableware, home and

decorative accessory products. World-renowned for its glass and crystal, it isalso home to manufacturers of porcelain,wood, wrought iron, textiles, cardboard,and Christmas goods. These products allfeature a combination of contemporarydesign, quality materials and superbcraftsmanship — a blend that definesCzech style.

Canada has an important place in theexternal trade of the Czech Republic, andmany members of the Canadian gift andtableware industry have had long,successful relationships with Czechglass and crystal suppliers. Now there isthe opportunity to forge new links withCzech manufacturers in sectors such asporcelain, wood kitchenware andtextiles, all of which are working in arevitalized economy.

Since the fall of Communism in 1989and its accession to the EuropeanUnion (EU) in May 2004, the Czech

Republic’s economy has been reborn. Infact, 2005 was one of the mostsuccessful years in its modern history.Its economy grew by six percent — thehighest growth rate in the last 10 years— and its inflation rate of 1.9 percentwas one of the lowest of all 10 new EUmember countries.

Membership in the European Unionhas been pivotal in its economic growth.Since joining it has experienced amarked recovery in foreign directinvestment, significant revival inportfolio inflow, and a strong increase inexports. In turn, these increases havedriven domestic investment andemployment creation. Its growth hasalso been supported by structuralchanges especially in the banking sector.

The Czech Republic has earned areputation as an important, reliablepartner in international trade. Itsmanufacturers are ready, willing andable to do business with you.

H.E. Pavel Vosalik

Established in 2001, the TorontoCzechTrade office is the 22nd foreign

representation of the Czech TradePromotion Agency. Since that time wehave helped dozens of Czech companieslearn about the Canadian marketplace, andprovided them with contacts andinformation on potential business partnersand competitors. We have also worked onlong-term projects focused on promotingCzech products in major Canadian retailchains such as The Bay and Canadian Tire.

For Canadian companies, CzechTradeToronto offers a search service of Czechsuppliers that can be tailored to acompany’s specific needs. This servicemay also be accessed online atwww.supplier.cz or by sending a query,with full specifications of products andservices required, to any CzechTradeforeign office or its headquarters inPrague. We can also match Canadiancompanies with Czech companies for

long-term industrial cooperation, andarrange business visits to the CzechRepublic complete with appropriateappointments and contacts. Theseservices are all provided free of charge.

Today, we are bringing you ashowcase of Czech products from thefields of giftware, home decoration,glass, kitchenware and home textiles. Ihope you enjoy this tour throughcontemporary and traditional Czechdesign. Please feel free to contact me ifyou have any questions or would like toknow more about doing business withCzech manufacturers.

Best regards,Jan Rechtacek

Czech Style!

CzechTrade Toronto

H.E. Pavel VosalikAmbassador

Embassy of The Czech Republic251 Cooper Street

Ottawa, ONK2P 0G2

www.czechembassy.orgEmail: commerce_ottawa@embassy.mzv.cz

Consulate General of the Czech Republic

2 Bloor Street West, Suite 1500Toronto, ON

M4W 3E2Email: Toronto@embassy.mzv.cz

Consulat Général de la République Tchèque

1305 Avenue des Pins OuestMontréal, QC

H3G 1B2Email:

commerce_montreal@embassy.mzv.cz

Jan RechtacekCzechTrade

Director, Toronto OfficeEmail: jan.rechtacek@czechtrade.cz

Glass

From Czech with LoveGlass-making in Bohemia and Moravia (today’s Czech Republic) has an uninterrupted tradition of craft, creation and manufacture thatspans 1,000 years. The prerequisites for its successful developmenthave been present from time immemorial. The Czech lands were acountry “where location and specifically its natural endowmentsprovide an abundance of materials necessary for production,”observed 16th century glassworks master Sebastian Hochstetter of Hall, Austria, when he complained about competition fromBohemian glass.~Excerpted from THE LEGEND OF BOHEMIAN GLASS: A THOUSAND YEARS

OF GLASSMAKING IN THE HEART OF EUROPE, by Antonin Langhamer, translated by James Patrick Kirchner.

Czech Style 3

Interior lightsfeaturingshimmeringcrystal prismsand glassdecorations arecomplementedwith groundbrass, high-mirror finishes.

Gla

ss

4 Czech Style

The basic formula for theproduction of lead-free,sodium potassium crystalincludes siliceous sands,soda, potassium,limestone, other chemicalsubstances and recycledglass. Only the exactpreparation of the formulaguarantees the perfectglitter, colour andhardness that are requiredfor cold treatment.

Glass

Fusing technology is the principle of fusing individualparts and layers of flat glass together. It is used tocreate pieces in innovative shapes and colours, whichare further enhanced by decorative technologies such assand-blasting, painting or decorating with coloured frits.

Glass

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Czechmanufacturers

have theadvantage of

using traditionalhand-productiontechniques and

automatedtechnology in

the productionprocess. This

allows them tooffer a wide

range ofmerchandise

suitable for bothdomestic and

commercial use,including leadand non-lead

crystal items.

Glass

With time, they [Czech glass makers] had learnedglass technology like no one else on earth, and thuseasily adapted to changes in public lifestyle andmarket demand. ~ The Legend of Bohemian Glass

6 Czech Style

Glass

After the fall of communism in1989, some manufacturersrevived original designs and theproduction secrets of theirfathers. Today they produceworks of art — unique hand-worked pieces made fromcarefully chosen quality materialand featuring original decorationtechniques.

Glass

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In the 17thcentury, mercuryglass, so called“Farmers’ Silver,”came into being.Mercury glassdecorations aremade of double-walled glass indifferent shapes,which are filledwith a specialsolution that givesthe products ashimmering, silver,mirror-like effect.Hollow glass beadsare another uniqueChristmasdecoration made inNorthern Bohemia.These beads, eitherfreeblown or blownin molds, are madein hundreds ofdifferent shapes —balls, olives, eggs,flowers, fruitsand more.

Glass

8 Czech Style

The production of traditional,handmade lead crystal in theNizbor region began more than100 years ago. ContemporaryNizbor production is focused onluxury home sets, drinkware,corporate gifts and souvenirs,trophies and art pieces, allbearing both traditional andmodern design.

Glass

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Only traditional technologies areused to produce soda-potash glassin glass-melting furnaces. Theassortment shown here consists ofblown, handcrafted, lead-free pieces,which are available in variouscombinations of colours.G

lass

10 Czech Style

Glass

Svetlá nad Sázavou is one of thehistorical centers of the CzechRepublic’s glassmaking industry.There, companies continue thecountry’s long tradition of leadcrystal production, using bothclassic and modern decorativetechniques — cutting, engraving,sandblasting, gilding and lusteringon cased or clear lead crystal.

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Each manufacturer has its ownclosely-guarded secret recipefor silvered glass, which is alsoknown as mercury glass. Thisthin double-walled glass is usedto make a wide variety ofdecorative objects includingcandlesticks, bowls and vases.

Glass12 Czech Style

From historical replicas tomodern creations, each pieceshown here is as unique as itsmaker. As has been done forcenturies, they are created byhand by master glassblowersfrom the top glass studios andfactories in the Czech Republicand designed by world-renownedartists such as Jir í Suhájek,Radek Stehlík, Jaroslav Svoboda,Ivan Stefánik and Jir í Vosmík.

Glass

Czech Style 13

14 Czech Style

Manufactured anddecorated by hand, thesecrystal chandeliers areclassic masterpieces thatdemonstrate theexcellence of Czechcraftsmanship.

Glass

The genuine acid-etchingtechnique used onporcelain consists of atwo pass application of24 carat gold and/orplatinum that gives theimpression of a finefiligree. Handmadereplicas of historicalcups or vases aredecorated with hand-painted motifs.Porcelain

Realisticfigurative anddecorativeporcelain isavailable instyles rangingfrom Baroque,Rococo and ArtDeco to Modern.

Porcelain Czech Style 15

16 Czech Style

PorcelainThere are only four companies inthe world producing original“onion design” porcelain. Thisdesign combines stylizedvegetable motifs and East Asian-inspired backgrounds, both ofwhich have been adjusted tomeet Western tastes.

These handmadedolls continue

the CzechRepublic’s long

tradition ofregional art.

Dressed inbeautifulnational

costumes, theytestify to the

country’s richhistory and

culture.

Dolls

Czech Style 17

18 Czech Style

TextilesIn Czech folk culture, the colourbase of canvas is a white or greybackground with Indigo blue andTurkish red — a palettegradually extended by yellow,black, light green and violet.Manufacturers use canvas tocreate a variety of soft interiorfurnishings including tablecloths,curtains, cushions and bedding.

Textiles

Damask bed and bath linens,jacquard shirting, cotton brocades,terry programs, special waterrepellent materials, and stainresistant or antimicrobial finishes— the Czech textile market’s accentis on quality material andtreatments, and up-to-date design.

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For use indoorsor out, wroughtiron is molded into a broad rangeof functional anddecorativeitems.

20 Czech Style

Wrought Iron

Buyers will benefit from the skilledcraftsmanship and state-of-the-artproduction techniques used tocreate these wooden kitchen andhome products, which are soldthroughout Europe.

Wood

Czech Style 21

22 Czech Style

Wood is a traditional, natural,environmentally-friendlymaterial. Using good qualityhardwood lumbered mainly inthe forests of Central Europe,Czech manufacturers offerfurniture, kitchenware, clotheshangers and more.

Wood

High-qualitycardboardproducts for theoffice, home,children andstorage areavailable in a widerange of sizes,shapes, coloursand designs.

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Storage

VISIT PRAGUE – THE SHOPPING CAPITAL OF EUROPE

DISCOVER THE CZECH REPUBLIC Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism, Canada401 Bay Street, Suite #1510, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2Y4,Tel.: (416) 363–9928, Fax: (416) 363–0239E-mail: info-ca@czechtourism.com Web: www.czechtourism.com

Czech

Sty

leIf you would like more information on Czechmanufacturers, doing business in the Czech Republic or the products featuredin this supplement, please fill in this form and fax back to Jan Rechtacek,Director, Czech Trade at 416-848-4985, or send an emailrequesting information to jan.rechtacek@czechtrade.cz; or call Jan at416-848-4984.

Name:___________________________________________________________

Title:____________________________________________________________

Company Name:___________________________________________________

Address:_________________________________________________________

Telephone: _______________________________________________________

Fax: ____________________________________________________________

Email:___________________________________________________________

I am a ■■ Distributor ■■ Wholesaler ■■ Importer ■■ Retailer ■■ Buyer

I would like more information on the following product sectors:

■■ Cardboard/Paper Products■■ Christmas Decorations & Ornaments■■ Crystal■■ Dolls & Handicrafts■■ Glass■■ Lighting■■ Porcelain■■ Textiles■■ Wood Furniture and Kitchen Products■■ Wrought Iron■■ Other■■ The Legend of Bohemian Glass: A Thousand Years of Glassmaking in theHeart of Europe by Antonin Langhamer; translated by James Patrick Kitchner.

I would like more information on the products shown on the following pages:

■■ Cover■■ Page 3■■ Page 4 - Top■■ Page 4 - Bottom■■ Page 5■■ Page 6 - Top■■ Page 6 - Bottom■■ Page 7■■ Page 8

■■ Page 9■■ Page 10■■ Page 11■■ Page 12■■ Page 13■■ Page 14 - Glass■■ Page 14 - Porcelain■■ Page 15■■ Page 16

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