Glass Droplets for Aňa Geislerová‘s 'Beer' Dress Were Created at Moser

Pilsner Urquell Brewery, a partner of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, approached this year's Grand Designer Jan Černý to create a ‘beer’ dress for actress Aňa Geislerová. Since he designed a glass dress, he asked his colleague and last year's Grand Designer Jan Plecháč, the Creative Director of the Moser Glassworks, to collaborate with him. "I have known Honza Černý for a long time and we love supporting each other's work. When he contacted me some time ago, I immediately replied that we would be happy to take on the task. However, I also realized that it would be an experiment; still, I already knew that at Moser, we were prepared for such things. I immediately involved Martin Prokeš, a man who is not afraid to test the limits of the possible," says Jan Plecháč.

Sleepless Nights

Jan Černý needed to create glass droplets resembling those on a nice, cold bottle of Pilsner. "He wanted us to make them from beer bottles. He imagined that we would break them, melt them in pans at the smelter, and cast the droplets. But this is impossible, it clashes with our technological procedures. Despite that, we really liked the project and were eager to figure out how to make them, " explains Martin Prokeš, technologist, grinder, and project manager. "At Moser, we cut premium crystal, so when we announced that we were going to cut glass from beer bottles, everyone panicked and thought we had lost our minds... But when we explained the project, we didn't have to convince anyone. We knew we wanted to go for it," says Martin Prokeš.

The biggest challenge was figuring out how to drill holes in the droplets so they could be sewn onto the dress. "At first, they were cracking and chipping as we drilled. At one point we were worried it wouldn't work; I had a few sleepless nights constantly wondering how to do it. We only had a week until the handover. But in the end, we managed. And working with Jan Černý was great. Even during difficult moments, he remains positive," he adds.

Made from small beer bottles

The Moser glassmakers were commissioned to make 350 droplets from 0.3l bottles, the size of a small beer. "I calculated that we could make twelve droplets out of one 0.3l bottle. I ordered a shipment of 40 bottles from the Pilsner brewery. However, due to the issues we had with drilling the holes, we had to produce many more droplets. And since the deadline was already fast approaching and we were twelve bottles short, I started looking for them among friends. We specifically needed small beer bottles. What we needed them in the glassworks for had to be kept secret. Even we didn't know what the dress would look like and where the droplets would be sewn on until the last minute; it was all shrouded in mystery. Jan Černý wanted us to engrave each drop with a number from 1 to 350. He liked the idea that everyone would find their own drop, their own number on the dress. The game - who can find number one, seven, one hundred...," says Marin Prokeš. 

Six grinding procedures for each droplet

With the help of his colleague Michal Kožený, he cut off each bottle’s neck and bottom with a diamond saw. Then only the cylinder remained and was cut into thirds. Afterward, they attached templates to each of them created according to Jan Černý's design and carved the glass droplets. "They are all the same size, but depending on how you put the template on the bottle, the curvature changes. Some of the droplets are slightly coiled; some are curved horizontally, others vertically. Jan Černý and I agreed that the more differences, the better, so they are the same size, but their curvature changes. On some of them, we deliberately left pieces of the molded relief of the Pilsner brewery gate featured on 0.3l bottles. We didn't go for the pint bottles because they are less curved and have a slighter radius. They're also made of thicker glass. This also played a role; we were concerned about the weight of the dress so that the petite Aňa Geislerová could carry it without her legs buckling. After the cutting process, we sanded the edges of each droplet and "fancied it up" by refining and sculpting the entire circumference to a high gloss. Each droplet went through a total of six grinding procedures. Finally, the numbers were engraved and holes drilled to sew the droplets on. Everything was made by hand.

An amazing connection between three prestigious brands 

Thanks to not being cast, which was the original idea, but carved and cut, the droplets are lightweight. This provides a great advantage. And they jingle beautifully on the dress," beams Martin Prokeš. "I love the almost rock’n’roll vibe of the dress. The combination of pattern and glass makes it beautiful, bold, and fresh. It was a great honor to be part of such a special project with masters of their craft," says Aňa Geislerová.

The project is an amazing collaboration between prestigious brands - Pilsner Urquell Brewery, Moser Glassworks, and the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. All focus on quality and aim to spread the good name of the Czech Republic worldwide.