Brokis: light on Czech design

On August 26, Brokis organized the 3rd Glassmakers Night at its factory in Janštejn, in the heart of the Czech countryside and in the presence of its founder Jan Rabell. The opportunity to discover the backstage of the glass factory and to unveil in exclusivity the new collections, imagined by the artistic director of the brand, Lucie Koldova.

“Twenty-five years ago, I wanted to give the world of glass a chance and change the way glass is made,” said Jan Rabell in his opening remarks at Glassmarkers Night on August 26. For this man who had previously worked in the finance sector, leaving the city for the countryside by buying this glassblowing factory in 1997 was a gamble. Over the years, it has been able to rely on the know-how of its glassblowers to try to move the world of glass upmarket. In 2006, the Brokis brand was created. Since then, the house has become a high-end reference and sign of excellence of Czech know-how, led by its artistic director since 2010, Lucie Koldova.

When she arrived in 2010, Lucie Koldova never imagined she would achieve such results. For the Prague-born designer, joining Brokis was an opportunity to discover new skills and evolve her design practice. ” I had never done lighting before, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to get started. Twelve years later, there is no shortage of inspiration as she presented the three new 2022 collections: Overlay, Prisma and Orbis at Glassmakers Night.

The Overlay collection, presented exclusively at the event, is inspired by architecture. During her presentation, Lucie Koldova explains that she has always liked to make materials interact with each other. “As an artistic director, I have to propose as many new models as possible. The main goal of Brokis is to combine glass, which obviously remains the main material, but also to confront it with other materials such as wood, metal, leather…” In fact, the structure that holds the glass part is made of concrete composed of 60% glass scraps. A surplus of material that is also used to make BrokisGlass, this new material created by Brokis, which Lucie Koldova had also presented duringan Intramuros talk at the Paris Design Week in September 2021. “This collection is a real accomplishment, as we have managed to create a new material that we can add to our future collections,” she concludes.

The second collection, Prisma, draws its essence from brutalist architecture. Made of treated zinc metal, it stands out for its singularity. “I would say this collection is bold. As an architect and designer, it’s important to be able to push your boundaries and step outside the box to go even further. This was a real challenge for me.” Prisma unveils models that produce a strong light, just like its design. If this collection seems “darker” compared to what Brokis usually proposes, Lucie Koldova explains that through the different facets, the play of lights and colors produced by the lights, the elegance and sensuality of Brokis manage to stand out.

Finally, the last collection, entitled Orbis, was created to adapt to all spaces. Inspired by soap bubbles, the lights are available in 3 different sizes, allowing to form an interesting and singular association. Launched in the spring, the first versions were only available in grey. For this new season, which Lucie Koldova wanted to be more colorful, Orbis unveiled three new colors: caramel, pinkish gray and khaki.

Maïa Pois