Kateřina Reich

Kateřina Reich

Kateřina Reich (32), www.katerinareich.com, is a Czech jewellery designer best known for her futuristic pieces. She is the only Czech designer whose talent has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal as on a par with Balenciaga, Praga & Versace.

Katerina graduated from the Pilzen institute of Art and Design. Just in her first year of school, she successfully created versatile earrings that won her the prize of Good Student Design. She was subsequently honoured with the Czech national award for student design.

Her resume is extremely impressive: in 2014, she was nominated for the best jewellery designer in the Czech Grand Design competition. She has exhibited her collections in Frankfurt, Munich, and Vienna; and her designs are currently on view in Prague. Kateřina works mainly with stainless steel and acrylic glass which she sharpens into crystalic shapes. Today experts consider her designs “futuristic,” but tomorrow they will be seen as timeless. In the world of jewellery design, she is one of the most exciting young designers in the Czech republic.

Where do you get the inspiration? Do you follow the trend “what women want”?

All my jewellery designs are taking inspiration from modern architecture, sci-fi style and vision of the future. In my creations of bigger size jewel objects I try to find a more innovative approach in both – form and in used materials.

I prefer not to follow up on the trends but instead, I try to show people different possibilities. For example, in the materials which do not have to be expensive or in the minimalistic form of jewellery that makes a bigger compliment to the human body which is complicated enough as it is.

I noticed you shorten your name from Reichová to Reich, is there a particular reason?

Yes I recently changed the name of my brand by just shortening my last name. In the beginning, I was thinking to give an abstract name to my business but I decided that I don’t want to give the impression that the company is more than just myself. My name is my name and there is no marketing strategy or objectives behind it.

How many collections per year do you design?

If in the fashion industry there is a trend to create a new collection for each season then in my case it does not work like that. My collection CHRYSTAL SKY took three years to create and I was adding a new type of jewellery piece by piece. For me, it is better to devote my time to a concrete shape of jewellery as long as I will be sure about it and add it to the collection only then, instead of forcing collection after collection. At this moment, I am in the phase when I am starting to design a new collection with new materials.

I personally think your jewellery is more than “futuristic”. For example, in your collection I can find a jewellery I can wear to a job interview, what kind of girl do you envision would wear your designs?

I have experience that my designs go perfectly with modern elegant style. Age doesn’t matter, the jewellery looks good if you are young or old. Good example are women from the design and art circles. Their refined style together with my jewellery makes a perfect marriage.

Rings by Kateřina Reich

Which celebrity do you see wearing your jewellery?

If I had a chance to choose a concrete celebrity I would ask Iraqi – born British architect Zaha Hadid who is still a big inspiration for me.

Recently, my designs were featured in the magazines where Czech actors such as Lenka Krobotová, Jitka Schneiderová and Lenka Vlasáková were wearing them and looked gorgeous.

What is the best piece of advice you will give to another jewellery designer?

Of course the famous aphorism from the designer and architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe “less is more”.

Describe your typical day.

While drinking a cup of coffee I deal with my emails and then I happily rush to the workshop where I spend most of my working week. That applies if there is no need to travel out of Prague to pick up materials which most of the time is in places outside of the city. In my atelier, I have a beautiful view of the Petřín tower and Prague castle. My work is my hobby. The weekends are my time to travel or go to the gym.

By Indira Gumarova