Gifts and Tablewares Magazine 2008 Czech Trade Supplement

GLASS CRYSTAL PORCELAIN TEXTILES WOOD DOLLS WROUGHT IRON STORAGE

Czech Style

MODERN DESIGN AGE-OLD CRAFTSMANSHIP

Czech Style! oday the Czech Republic offers a wealth of gift, tableware, home and decorative accessory products. Worldrenowned for its glass and crystal, it is also home to manufacturers of porcelain, wood, wrought iron, textiles, cardboard, and Christmas goods. These products all feature a combination of contemporary design, quality materials and superb craftsmanship — a blend that defines Czech style.

Canada has an important place in the external trade of the Czech Republic, and many members of the Canadian gift and tableware industry have had long, successful relationships with Czech glass and crystal suppliers. Now there is the opportunity to forge new links with Czech manufacturers in sectors such as porcelain, wood kitchenware and textiles, all of which are working in a revitalized economy.

Since the fall of Communism in 1989 and its accession to the European Union (EU) in May 2004, the Czech

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H.E. Pavel Vosalik Ambassador

Embassy of The Czech Republic 251 Cooper Street Ottawa, ON K2P 0G2 www.czechembassy.org Email: commerce_ottawa@embassy.mzv.cz Consulate General of the Czech Republic 2 Bloor Street West, Suite 1500 Toronto, ON M4W 3E2 Email: Toronto@embassy.mzv.cz Consulat Général de la République Tchèque 1305 Avenue des Pins Ouest Montréal, QC H3G 1B2 Email: commerce_montreal@embassy.mzv.cz

Jan Rechtacek CzechTrade Director, Toronto Office Email: jan.rechtacek@czechtrade.cz

Republic’s economy has been reborn. In fact, 2005 was one of the most successful years in its modern history.

Its economy grew by six percent — the highest growth rate in the last 10 years — and its inflation rate of 1.9 percent was one of the lowest of all 10 new EU member countries.

Membership in the European Union has been pivotal in its economic growth.

Since joining it has experienced a marked recovery in foreign direct investment, significant revival in portfolio inflow, and a strong increase in exports. In turn, these increases have driven domestic investment and employment creation. Its growth has also been supported by structural changes especially in the banking sector.

The Czech Republic has earned a reputation as an important, reliable partner in international trade. Its manufacturers are ready, willing and able to do business with you.

H.E. Pavel Vosalik

CzechTrade Toronto stablished in 2001, the Toronto CzechTrade office is the 22nd foreign representation of the Czech Trade Promotion Agency. Since that time we have helped dozens of Czech companies learn about the Canadian marketplace, and provided them with contacts and information on potential business partners and competitors. We have also worked on long-term projects focused on promoting Czech products in major Canadian retail chains such as The Bay and Canadian Tire.

For Canadian companies, CzechTrade Toronto offers a search service of Czech suppliers that can be tailored to a company’s specific needs. This service may also be accessed online at www.supplier.cz or by sending a query, with full specifications of products and services required, to any CzechTrade foreign office or its headquarters in Prague. We can also match Canadian companies with Czech companies for

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long-term industrial cooperation, and arrange business visits to the Czech Republic complete with appropriate appointments and contacts. These services are all provided free of charge.

Today, we are bringing you a showcase of Czech products from the fields of giftware, home decoration, glass, kitchenware and home textiles. I hope you enjoy this tour through contemporary and traditional Czech design. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to know more about doing business with Czech manufacturers.

Best regards, Jan Rechtacek

Glass

From Czech with Love Glass-making in Bohemia and Moravia (today’s Czech Republic) has an uninterrupted tradition of craft, creation and manufacture that spans 1,000 years. The prerequisites for its successful development have been present from time immemorial. The Czech lands were a country “where location and specifically its natural endowments provide an abundance of materials necessary for production,” observed 16th century glassworks master Sebastian Hochstetter of Hall, Austria, when he complained about competition from Bohemian glass. ~Excerpted from THE LEGEND OF BOHEMIAN GLASS: A THOUSAND YEARS OF GLASSMAKING IN THE HEART OF EUROPE, by Antonin Langhamer, translated by James Patrick Kirchner.

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Interior lights featuring shimmering crystal prisms and glass decorations are complemented with ground brass, highmirror finishes.

Glass

The basic formula for the production of lead-free, sodium potassium crystal includes siliceous sands, soda, potassium, limestone, other chemical substances and recycled glass. Only the exact preparation of the formula guarantees the perfect glitter, colour and hardness that are required for cold treatment.

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Glass Fusing technology is the principle of fusing individual parts and layers of flat glass together. It is used to create pieces in innovative shapes and colours, which are further enhanced by decorative technologies such as sand-blasting, painting or decorating with coloured frits.

Glass Czech manufacturers have the advantage of using traditional hand-production techniques and automated technology in the production process. This allows them to offer a wide range of merchandise suitable for both domestic and commercial use, including lead and non-lead crystal items.

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Glass With time, they [Czech glass makers] had learned glass technology like no one else on earth, and thus easily adapted to changes in public lifestyle and market demand. ~ The Legend of Bohemian Glass

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After the fall of communism in 1989, some manufacturers revived original designs and the production secrets of their fathers. Today they produce works of art — unique handworked pieces made from carefully chosen quality material and featuring original decoration techniques.

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Glass In the 17th century, mercury glass, so called “Farmers’ Silver,” came into being.

Mercury glass decorations are made of doublewalled glass in different shapes, which are filled with a special solution that gives the products a shimmering, silver, mirror-like effect.

Hollow glass beads are another unique Christmas decoration made in Northern Bohemia.

These beads, either freeblown or blown in molds, are made in hundreds of different shapes — balls, olives, eggs, flowers, fruits and more.

The production of traditional, handmade lead crystal in the Nizﾋ話or region began more than 100 years ago. Contemporary Nizﾋ話or production is focused on luxury home sets, drinkware, corporate gifts and souvenirs, trophies and art pieces, all bearing both traditional and modern design.

Glass

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Only traditional technologies are used to produce soda-potash glass in glass-melting furnaces. The assortment shown here consists of blown, handcrafted, lead-free pieces, which are available in various combinations of colours.

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Glass

Sve˘ tlá nad Sázavou is one of the historical centers of the Czech Republic’s glassmaking industry.

There, companies continue the country’s long tradition of lead crystal production, using both classic and modern decorative techniques — cutting, engraving, sandblasting, gilding and lustering on cased or clear lead crystal.

12 Czech Style Each manufacturer has its own closely-guarded secret recipe for silvered glass, which is also known as mercury glass. This thin double-walled glass is used to make a wide variety of decorative objects including candlesticks, bowls and vases.

Glass

Czech Style 13 From historical replicas to modern creations, each piece shown here is as unique as its maker. As has been done for centuries, they are created by hand by master glassblowers from the top glass studios and factories in the Czech Republic and designed by world-renowned artists such as Jir˘í S˘uhájek, Radek Stehlík, Jaroslav Svoboda, Ivan S˘tefánik and Jir˘í Vosmík.

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Manufactured and decorated by hand, these crystal chandeliers are classic masterpieces that demonstrate the excellence of Czech craftsmanship.

Porcelain

The genuine acid-etching technique used on porcelain consists of a two pass application of 24 carat gold and/or platinum that gives the impression of a fine filigree. Handmade replicas of historical cups or vases are decorated with handpainted motifs.

Porcelain Realistic figurative and decorative porcelain is available in styles ranging from Baroque, Rococo and Art Deco to Modern.

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Porcelain There are only four companies in the world producing original “onion design� porcelain. This design combines stylized vegetable motifs and East Asianinspired backgrounds, both of which have been adjusted to meet Western tastes.

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These handmade dolls continue the Czech Republic’s long tradition of regional art.

Dressed in beautiful national costumes, they testify to the country’s rich history and culture.

Dolls

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Textiles In Czech folk culture, the colour base of canvas is a white or grey background with Indigo blue and Turkish red — a palette gradually extended by yellow, black, light green and violet.

Manufacturers use canvas to create a variety of soft interior furnishings including tablecloths, curtains, cushions and bedding.

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Textiles

Damask bed and bath linens, jacquard shirting, cotton brocades, terry programs, special water repellent materials, and stain resistant or antimicrobial finishes — the Czech textile market’s accent is on quality material and treatments, and up-to-date design.

Wrought Iron For use indoors or out, wrought iron is molded in to a broad range of functional and decorative items.

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Wood Buyers will benefit from the skilled craftsmanship and state-of-the-art production techniques used to create these wooden kitchen and home products, which are sold throughout Europe.

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Wood

Wood is a traditional, natural, environmentally-friendly material. Using good quality hardwood lumbered mainly in the forests of Central Europe, Czech manufacturers offer furniture, kitchenware, clothes hangers and more.

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High-quality cardboard products for the office, home, children and storage are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes, colours and designs.

VISIT PRAGUE – THE SHOPPING CAPITAL OF EUROPE DISCOVER THE CZECH REPUBLIC Czech Tourist Authority – CzechTourism, Canada 401 Bay Street, Suite #1510, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2Y4, Tel.: (416) 363–9928, Fax: (416) 363–0239 E-mail: info-ca@czechtourism.com Web: www.czechtourism.com

Storage

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If you would like more information on Czech manufacturers, doing business in the Czech Republic or the products featured in this supplement, please fill in this form and fax back to Jan Rechtacek, Director, Czech Trade at 416-848-4985, or send an email requesting information to jan.rechtacek@czechtrade.cz; or call Jan at 416-848-4984.

Name: ___________________________________________________________ Title:____________________________________________________________ Company Name:___________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ Telephone: _______________________________________________________ Fax: ____________________________________________________________ Email:___________________________________________________________ I am a ■ Distributor ■ Wholesaler ■ Importer ■ Retailer ■ Buyer I would like more information on the following product sectors: ■ Cardboard/Paper Products ■ Christmas Decorations & Ornaments ■ Crystal ■ Dolls & Handicrafts ■ Glass ■ Lighting ■ Porcelain ■ Textiles ■ Wood Furniture and Kitchen Products ■ Wrought Iron ■ Other ■ The Legend of Bohemian Glass: A Thousand Years of Glassmaking in the Heart of Europe by Antonin Langhamer; translated by James Patrick Kitchner.

I would like more information on the products shown on the following pages: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

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