„Oscars“ for the Olympic collection. Jan Černý wins Czech Grand Design

The famous American magazine Time included it in the top three outfits for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris. The International Olympic Committee showed it amongst the seven most interesting clothing collections from all over the world. And now the Czech opening ceremony uniforms, which designer Jan Černý created in collaboration with ALPINE PRO, celebrates success at home. At the 2024 Czech Grand Design Awards, the designer won both the fashion and the overall category, which is an exceptionally prestigious award indeed.

"It is a great success, the biggest award in Czech design. Congratulations to Jan. We are very happy about the award for the opening ceremony uniforms," says Jiří Kejval, President of the Czech Olympic Committee. "The risk and our faith in youth really paid off. We would like to thank the judges for supporting us in our bold decision. Most of the athletes liked the uniforms as well, and the actual award confirms that their opinion really matters."

Judged by an international jury

The "Oscars" of Czech design have been awarded since 2006. The final results in nine categories follow after a three-round vote of more than 60 international experts from the Czech Design Academy. By winning the main category, Jan Černý joined a number of prominent personalities of Czech design across disciplines; i.e. Liběna Rochová, who is one of the previous winners of the fashion award.

"Jan Černý managed to turn his strong authorial vision into a contemporary streetwear product, in which Czech Olympians and Paralympians were simply striking," explains Andrea Březinová, curator of the Moravian Gallery in Brno. The jury appreciated that the uniforms are both functional and elegant, have a strong authorial style and a contemporary feel. "But at the same time, there are also subtle layers of nostalgia and national tradition. It therefore aroused a well-deserved international response."

The awards delighted athletes as well

Modern pentathlete Lucie Hlaváčková attended the award ceremony at the Estates Theatre in Prague. "I didn’t know Jan Černý's work prior to the Olympics, but thanks to this collection he really won me over. Now I have a handbag and a few other pieces from him, and they’re all great. I liked the fact that the Olympic team thinks about the next generation of athletes from the very beginning. It is not conservative and has the courage to do something bold in a worldwide competition. The accolades from both home and abroad clearly show the success of the undertaking," says the pentathlon competitor, who finished tenth in Paris.

Slalom canoeist Antonie Galušková also considers the union between Jan Černý and the Olympic team a perfect idea. "It was great for our reputation all over the world, and I am glad that it was also appreciated in the Czech Republic by many professionals in the field. And I’m also happy that sports in general won such a prestigious award.

I don't understand the industry that much, but it was great to see all the skilled people and their work across design and art in general," says the successful athlete.

Nástupová kolekce českého týmu pro Paříž 2024

Sports also scored points in another category – glassmaker Kateřina Handlová, who created the medals for the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship in Prague, became the designer of the year.