Jakub Poner: our fashion show at STYL and KABO has been inspired by our female clients

When did you find out you wanted to be a fashion designer?

I had a clear idea that I wanted to do this job already in my childhood.

Who raised the idea of starting the Poner brand – was it you or your sister?

It was my sister Nikol's idea. Before we started the Poner brand, she worked in car parts delivery and was unhappy in that job. One day she went to a party and saw scantily clad dancing girls who really didn't look good in their outfits. My sister got the idea and the desire to start making it happen straight away, and to dive into creating ornate lingerie particularly suitable for nightclub dancers. Nicole started creating this range herself, but since she is not at all skillful with the hands, I decided to help her. We spent about  three months trying to create these models together. Then we had to admit that making this product range was not what we wanted to do, so we started producing luxury embroidered evening dresses.

What is your role in the Poner duo and what is your sister Nikol's role?

As I mentioned above, my sister Nikol is not really skilled manually, and cannot sew. My sister does the marketing for our brand (which she is great at) and I create the fashion because I am definitely more manually skilled than she is. But Nikol gives me crucial input on the designs from the perspective of a woman, but also as a marketer who communicates with our customers. It's great for us to be working together like this, and I appreciate it.

You recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of your brand Poner in big style. How did the idea of organising the Poner Circus come about? How long did the preparations take?

We wanted to do something different than a classic fashion show to celebrate this important anniversary of our brand, because women often come to these events accompanied by their partners who don't enjoy such events very much. We wanted to stage an event that everyone would be excited about and remember.

And the reason for the Poner Circus?

We had several conceptual ideas to choose from, but this option won out because we didn't want to hold our Poner anniversary party somewhere in a castle, but we needed a lot of space so that the event could be on a large scale and in a relaxed atmosphere. We launched the preparations for this event about nine months prior to the event, and we were fully dedicated to them for the whole six months prior to the event. 

How would you describe the 10-year journey of yourself, your sister and your brand inside the fashion industry?

We've trodden the whole path ourselves, one step at a time and I have to say that we've been really lucky to have people who have helped us and trusted us along the way and that still holds true today, for which we are grateful.  We were and are lucky overall, but we were also and still are willing to work extremely hard. You know, it's important to believe in yourself when you're building something, trust that what you're doing makes sense and will work and not give up on achieving your goals and making your dreams come true.

What do you see as the major difference between now and the time when you started building your Poner brand?

When we started building the Poner brand, social media sites like Instagram and others were becoming increasingly popular. Back then, it was easier to be successful than today, there weren't so many social networks, people weren't overwhelmed with content, and you could spend less energy on social media.

When you look back, what do you like about your beginnings and what would you not like to experience anymore? Was it really challenging?

We worked 19 hours a day. But it's true that even nowadays, when it's a busy period, a lot of orders or an unusual situation arises, such as a tailor falls ill, Nikol and I work late into the night. I wouldn't change anything because every situation that ever happened taught us a lesson or not, but it happened for a reason, and it turned out well because we are where we are.

Has your work had any effect on your personal life? Do you feel any kind of work deformation on yourself?

It has, but in a positive way. People make excuses about not having time and so on, because they're busy at work... I think it's all about setting priorities. If I want to work, I work. If I want to spend time with my loved ones, I make that happen. My sister and I tend to work in some way also when on vacation, but that is because we really enjoy our work very much.

What do you like to wear?

Now on hot summer days I'm happy in a silk T-shirt. I like to go dressed up year-round in both a suit and sweatpants, I have those ups and downs, and I like it that way.

Do you have a favourite colour for your clothes?

Beige and black – but I like bold colours too. I'm not emphatic about my colour preferences. I pick the colour of my clothes according to my momentary mood.

What was the last thing you designed and made for yourself?

Just a few days ago, pants and a shirt.

What age range are your customers? Do you also design for men? And what kind of fashion do you create?

The demand from ladies for Poner women's fashion is really high, so we only do men's fashion marginally. Frequently we have situations when a female customer comes to us and her partner asks if we would make something specific for him, because he doesn't want to go anywhere else and he is not a fashion fan who would enjoy spending more time on these matters than is strictly necessary.  And as far as the demographics of our customers is concerned, they range from high school students to ladies of retirement age. We create mostly formalwear for women, but also garments suitable for casual everyday wear. For men, we create comfortable clothes, but also suits, which we also make, for example, for David Pastrňák. Not to forget, we also offer the possibility of renting formal dresses.

What does your summer look like this year, is it different from previous summers?

It is not much different, only this year we organized the Poner Circus and then we worked on creating models for the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, and for weddings. The summer is in a more relaxed spirit for us, we are working on arrears that accrued, and preparing for the upcoming fashion season.

What is your favourite summer drink?

Gin and tonic.

Can you tell us about the show at Style a Kabo, what can we look forward to?

You can look forward to formal garments, but also models suitable for everyday wear. The models at the fashion show overall will be focused on femininity, we like feminine curves. We create models in such a way that they flatter the curves of women. It's essential for me as a designer that the woman who wears them shows her personality and feels well in my models, because she in particular gives life to the dress.

The fashion show we will be presenting at Styl and Kabo is inspired by our female clients. We want to show that we love them, we reflect on their needs and wishes, and we know what suits them and that's what we create for them. There will be models both fiercely elegant and eccentric. There will be no shortage of variety, just the way our female customers are varied.

Is there any dress or footwear you would never wear?

Today I already say: never say never. I've said in an interview in the past that I would never wear socks with sandals, but fashion evolves as much as us humans and our opinions and attitudes do.

Thank you for the interview.