Inspired by Czechoslovakian glass artists Libensky and Brychtova and how their work imprisoned and reflected the light, the minimalist Slovak label played with shapes and patterns. This was intended in particular to keep apace with strong demand from Asia, which helped it to continue to grow through the pandemic.
The look: Using mottled prints or fabric choices — lightweight summer wool woven at Slovakia’s last remaining mill, linen from the U.K., a diversity of poplins, an innovative crushed linen cotton from Italy and viscose satin with a faint shine — Nehera’s design studio played with subtle fluctuations of tone. Shapes went from the loose forms the label is best known for to designs that fell closer to the body. Pants and tops came in a variety of cuts, the former ranging from loose-fitting masculine forms with rolled cuffs to a slim boot-cut design. Tailored jackets, unfussy dresses and summer trenches, all with pockets for practical appeal, were layered together, completing the proposition.
Quote of note: “We are trying to pursue our position and evolve, we don’t want to bore our customers,” said Ladislav Zdut, partner in Nehera, describing “softer but visually bolder silhouettes, with a focus on cut.”
Key pieces: In shades of lilac, white and gray, a dappled print was sassy on a double-breasted pantsuit and ethereal yet no less graphic when pleated for an asymmetric ensemble with the delicacy of a faded bluebell. On jackets and shirts, Nehera played with the line of the shoulder — by exaggerating capped sleeves on the former, or leaving a jagged gap between arm and shoulder on the latter, adding interest to the silhouette.
Takeaway: Nehera succeeded in expanding its territory while remaining true to its ethos, providing an understated wardrobe that is anything but devoid of interest.
