Prague Fashion Week 2009 3

PRAGUE (AFP) - Half-way between haute couture and ready-to-wear fashion, the Czech Republic's clothes designers are fighting to cut out a place and stand out on their local market. "After the end of Communism, women rushed to buy Western labels in the biggest department stores, but things are beginning to change," explained Daniela Flejsarova, who began work as a designer before the end of the communist regime. While two out of three Czechs today claim they want to wear something original, according to a recent survey, small fashion houses still face an uphill battle developing their clientele. The twice yearly "Prague Fashion Week" allows an opportunity for the most celebrated Czech designers to show off their latest ideas and change consumer trends in a market where they are often still struggling to make a mark. Purchasing power has climbed in the 17 years since the fashion evoking "Velvet Revolution". The average monthly wage has risen from around 90 euros (120 dollars) at the start of the 1990s to around 710 euros with household spending increasing in step. But average spending on clothing levelled out at around 300 euros a year in 2009, according to National Statistics Office figures. In the higher bracket of earners, the proportion of spending consecrated on clothing has not increased at all in contrast to household spending. "My Czech clients, even the best off, do not crack so easily, their purchases are always considered," stressed Geraldine Berouard, a French woman who runs a fashion boutique in Prague. "A Parisian woman who wants to give herself a treat buys a nice coat. A Czech will rather choose a new washing machine, " Daniela Flejsarova said, pithily summing up the challenge. Prague, however, has a long established passion for elegance, often nurtured by the influence of Paris, London or Vienna.
http://www.taiza.com/en/prague-attempts-recapture-high-fashion-passion