The grand designers of the year 2021 became the duo Roman Vrtiška and Vladimír Žák

Prague – The grand designers of the year 2021 today became the duo of creators Roman Vrtiška and Vladimír Žák. Liběna Rochová entered the Hall of Fame of Czech design. At the Musical Theatre Karlín, where the awards ceremony for Czech Grand Design 2021 took place, the winners of individual categories in product design, fashion, jewelry, photography, and graphic design also came to the stage for their awards. The winners received the heaviest trophies in history, this year in the form of a five-kilogram cast-iron seal.

The ceremony for announcing the results took place as a gala evening after a two-year break caused by the pandemic. Its theme was Paradise, which was primarily taken care of by a flock of flamingos installed on stage. The presenters included actresses Aňa Geislerová, Hana Vagnerová, and Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS).

Liběna Rochová, who is usually dressed only in black, wore colorful dresses that were painted by children with butterfly disease while accepting the award. "Let us help those in need, those who need it the most," she said. And referring to the theme of this year's ceremony, she pointed out that people in the Czech Republic may live almost like in paradise compared to people in a nearby country torn by war. Thoughts of Ukraine resonated from the stage throughout the evening.

For the second year in a row, the absolute winners became the duo of designers; last year it was Eduard Herrmann and Matěj Coufal, who also create together. "When the enthusiasm and joy inside you fall and you feel stuck, there’s the other one, with their attitude and perspective. Through that constant mutual ping-pong, we complement and balance each other," said this year's laureates about working as a duo.

In addition to the overall victory, they also won in the category of Designer of the Year. The professional jury particularly appreciated three works that characterize the wide range of the Vrtiška & Žák studio – a collection of sinks and bathroom furniture, a bench, and a catamaran. It is a combination of a racing catamaran and a comfortable excursion boat. The comfortable stay is additionally enhanced by the convertible design, that is, the option to fold down the roof in case of nice weather. The boat is dismantlable, and thus can be easily transported in a shipping container or as a trailer behind a car.

Vrtiška and Žák met while studying at UMPRUM in the product design studio, together they completed an internship at Alvar Aalto University in Helsinki, and in 2019 celebrated the tenth anniversary of their joint studio. Since 2016, they have also led the Furniture and Interior Design Studio (D2) at UMPRUM in Prague. The grand designers will have their own exhibition in the Moravian Gallery in Brno in the coming months.

For her lifetime contribution to Czech design, the organizers honored Liběna Rochová. According to them, she is an author who has spent her entire life proving that fashion and clothing design are multidisciplinary fields that require a combination of vision, craftsmanship, concept, form, and visuality. According to academics, Rochová provides evidence that fashion can be both usable design and art at the same time.