"Johanna Grigarová is a free spirit with her own distinctive and authentic aesthetics. Johanna is a fashion textile designer, with a Bachelor degree from Textile design (2017) and a Master from Fashion design (2019) at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava, Slovakia. Besides that she also has a bachelor degree in social work. Grigarová’s work embellishes and enhances textiles in a very immediate, sensual fashion. The skillfully made creations and visually surrounding contexts are often wild and involve elements of narratives, with almost mystical qualities. We praise Grigarová’s work and have appointed her to be the first one to receive the Fine Little Day Art Award".

The jury: Elisabeth Dunker, co-founder and creative director.
Ulrika E. Engberg, co-founder and CEO.

Tell us a bit about yourself, where did you grow up, and when did you realize you were a creative person?
I am from Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. I grew up in 90s and this fact affected many things. Before I was born, communism ruled the country, and people owned the same things, the same furniture, bought clothes or food of a limited choice. People were waiting to own the cars, prams were inherited. From my grandmother’s stories, I remember that she got to other new pieces and also to fabrics from abroad and cared a lot about what she owned. So in the decade I was born in, a new world changed with the old one. I sometimes see the thinking of “scarcity” in the older generation. My mother sewed our clothes at night so that we had original pieces. I took creativity and hard work from my grandfather, who got up with hens and worked with wood as a carpenter from the morning. In his garden, he cared for animals, raised bees and produced homemade honey. I remember the sound of a circular saw and the smell of wood until now. Many small pieces that connected, and I began to realize in high school that I was trying to do things differently. First, however, I tried to study social work, because I have a deep social feeling in me. But I still felt that it was not 100% me and I searched and searched until I finally got to the Academy of Fine Arts in the studio of textile design. And after a few months at school, I found out that I finally felt “at home”. Textiles have become my medium of personal expression. Over time, I felt grateful that I had to work towards this and did not have my profession automatically.
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Ushyté is a way for me to join minimal shape, wearability and print all into one design. A design that is light, universal and with a touch of femininity, combined with details that give the clothing distinctive characteristic. It is everything that I love to wear and everything that makes me feel unique. Ushyté is my world and you are a part of it as well.

– Johanna Grigarová

PHOTO:

Pattern Bird, Bouquet, Mushroom: Adam Lukáč

Olive dungarees, Uups long dress, Rose overall, Striped shaped dress : Zuzana Jakabová

Pattern Water Lilies Pink: Elisabeth Dunker

Pattern Rutig Brown: Johanna Grigarová

Videography: Filip Morjak